In need of a dessert to simultaneously ‘wow’ and stun your dinner guests? Try Aunt Petunia’s Pudding – just make sure to keep the contents of this confection off their heads!

Ingredients

Aunt Petunia’s Pudding Ingredients:

• 8 large egg whites 

• ¾ tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp cream of tartar

• 430 g granulated sugar

• Whipped Cream Cheese Icing (see recipe below)

• Creme de Cassis Pastry Cream (see recipe below)

• As needed maraschino cherries, drained + dried 

Creme de Cassis Pastry Cream Ingredients:

• 675 g whole milk, divided 

• 190 g sugar, divided

• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt 

• 225 g eggs, beaten 

• 30 g cornstarch  

• To taste creme de cassis

• 15 g unsalted butter, cold + cubed

Whipped Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

• 550 g cream cheese, at room temperature 

• 200 g powdered sugar, sifted 

• ½ tsp kosher salt 

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 675 heavy cream, cold 

• Green food coloring 

• Purple food coloring

Method

Aunt Petunia’s Pudding Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 °F with convection. 

2. Using a marker, draw one 10-inch circle and one 8-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. On a separate piece of parchment, draw two more 8-inch circles. Make sure there is at least 1-inch between each of the circles. Place the parchment face-down on a large rimmed baking sheet, these will act as guides for piping. 

3. Combine the egg whites, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Begin whipping the egg whites on medium speed until frothy, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly stream the sugar into the whipping egg whites. 

5. Once all of the sugar has been incorporated, continue whipping until stiff peaks just begin to form, about 4-5 minutes.

6. Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star piping tip.

7. Pipe the meringue mixture into rounds on the prepared parchment-lined baking sheets. Pipe one ring of meringue on top of the circumference of only two of the 8-inch round to create a border. 

8. Bake the meringue disks for 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours, or until completely dry.

9. Turn off the oven but keep the oven door closed. Allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven, 1 ½ - 2 hours.

10. To assemble: carefully dislodge the meringue disks from the parchment paper. Place the 10-inch disk on a cake stand or serving plate of choice. 

11. Pipe a layer of green Whipped Cream Cheese Icing over top of the meringue. Top with one of the 8-inch meringue disks with a border. Fill the cavity of the meringue disk with Creme de Cassis Pastry Cream. Pipe a layer of green icing over the pastry cream, then pipe small stars or rosettes of icing around the border of the meringue.

12. Repeat the filling and piping process with the next 8-inch meringue disk with a border. Then, top with the remaining (flat) 8-inch meringue disk. 

13. Pipe alternating green and purple stars or rosettes around the border of each meringue disk, save for the top layer. For the top layer, pipe alternating small and large purple stars or rosettes. 

14. On the top layer, finish each large purple star or rosette with a maraschino cherry. On the bottom layer, top every green star or rosette with a maraschino cherry. 

15. Serve and enjoy! 

Creme de Cassis Pastry Cream Method:

1. In a medium pot, combine 600 grams of milk, 75 grams of sugar, and salt. 

2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, making sure to stir the milk periodically to avoid scorching. 

3. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the remaining milk with the cornstarch and 25 grams of sugar. 

4. And in a separate large bowl, combine the remaining sugar with the eggs. 

5. Once the milk mixture is at a boil, turn off the heat and temper it into the egg mixture by slowly adding small amounts of the hot milk to the eggs while whisking constantly.

6. Return the entire mixture to the pot and bring it to a boil over low heat while stirring constantly. Once at a boil, add the cornstarch mixture and whisk vigorously for 1 to  2 minutes or until the pastry cream is thickened and no longer tastes of cornstarch.

7. Take the pot off the heat and optionally, strain it through a fine mesh sieve if you notice any graininess or small pieces of cooked egg. 

8. Flavor the pastry cream with 1-4 tablespoons of creme de cassis and butter, stir to combine thoroughly. 

9. Pour the pastry cream onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Cover the cream with more plastic wrap to avoid a skin from forming. Let it cool to room temperature, then transfer it to the refrigerator to cool completely. 

10. Reserve in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before using.

Whipped Cream Cheese Icing Method:

1. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese until completely smooth, 

2. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla and mix on low speed until completely combined.

3. Increase the speed to medium and slowly stream in the cold heavy cream. 

4. Once all of the cream has been incorporated, whip the mixture until medium peaks form.

5. Divide the cream into two equal portions. Color one with green food coloring and the other with purple food coloring. 

6. Transfer the whipped cream to two separate pastry bags fitted with medium star piping tips.