14 Insanely Decadent Desserts You Should Probably Only Make Once Every 4 Years

Celebrate Leap Day with super-rich desserts.

Brownie Cake Sundaes with Pecan-Ice Cream Balls
Photo: © Con Poulos

Leap Day only happens once every four years, so use it as an opportunity to make something so crazy-indulgent that you'll be totally satisfied until the next Leap Day rolls around. Here, our best, butteriest, chocolatiest, most frosting-packed dessert recipes to make on Leap Day.

1. Chocolate Blackout Cake

Pastry star Gale Gand layers her phenomenal, high-rising cake with an intensely chocolaty custard and coats it with cake crumbs.

Best Chocolate Desserts: Chocolate Blackout Cake

2. Salted Caramel Pie

Yup, that whole upper layer is whipped cream.

3. Hazelnut, Nutella and Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches

Bonus: Alain Ducasse invented these things.

4. Hazelnut-and-Chocolate Meringue Cake

The pastry chef who created this gorgeous thing calls it "the beast."

5. Miracle Peanut Butter Crunch

When the Test Kitchen was working on this recipe, F&W staff gained many pounds.

Miracle Peanut Butter Crunch
© Tara Fisher

6. Caramel-Croissant Pudding

Think bread pudding—only so much more luxurious.

7. Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake

This super-fudgy cake is layered with dark chocolate and white chocolate ganache.

8. Chocolate-Cookie Crunch Trifle

Any cookie will do in this messy, gooey dessert.

9. Chocolate Pots

Chef Jamie Oliver likes to serve this silky dessert in espresso cups. But it's Leap Day, so go crazy and opt for a full-sized coffee cup instead.

10. Jumbo Brownies

If you love chocolate, butter and walnuts, you'll love these magnificent brownies.

Jumbo Brownies
© Stephanie Foley

11. Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Espresso Whipped Cream

Doughnut bread pudding? It doesn't get better.

12. Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

These tender chocolate cupcakes have a gooey, creamy, salty peanut butter filling.

Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

13. Sacher Torte

An Austrian classic that anyone will love.

14. Chocolate-Buttermilk Snack Cakes

In her update of the classic chocolate Hostess cupcake, Chicago pastry chef Mindy Segal uses mascarpone in the rich and creamy filling.

Chocolate-Buttermilk Snack Cakes
© David Malosh
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