Harry Potter: Aunt Petunia’s Windtorte Pudding recipe
Even if you don’t remember much about the food in Harry Potter, there is no way to escape or forget the scene when Dobby drops the cake onto Mrs. Mason’s head. I remember very clearly my wonder when I first saw that pudding floating across the screen. I have never seen any dessert like that before. It was only until a few months ago that I was watching, The Great British Bake Off, when I realized what the pudding was. One of the challenges on the show was to create a Spanische Windtorte. It immediately registered to me that that was what Aunt Petunia was making in the movie, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.
Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear. Aunt Petunia’s masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.
“No,” cracked Harry. “Please… they’ll kill me…”
“Harry Potter must say he’s not going back to school – ”
“Dobby… please…”
“Say it, sir – ”
“I can’t – ”
Dobby gave him a tragic look.
“Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter’s own good.”
The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished.
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
This recipe seemed daunting the moment I set eyes on it but it really came together beautifully and easily. Take note that the flowers can be make way in advance in your planning on serving this on a certain day and time. I would also suggest that you make the flowers a touch smaller than I did so that it resembles Aunt Petunia’s pudding a little closer.
Harry Potter: Aunt Petunia’s Windtorte Pudding recipe
The following recipe was inspired by Mary Berry’s recipe for Spanische Windtorte. I made quite a few adjustments and I really enjoyed how it turned out. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it!
Harry Potter: Aunt Petunia's Windtorte Pudding
Ingredients
Meringue
- 6 large egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400g / 14oz
Filling
- 1/2 pint fresh raspberries halved
- 1 pint fresh strawberries medium diced
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar more or less, to taste
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
Violets
- 1-2 oz gum paste
- violet gel food coloring as needed
- yellow gel food coloring as needed
Cream
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar more or less, depending on taste
- mint gel food coloring
- violet gel goof coloring
- glacee cherries as needed for garnish
Instructions
Meringue
- Preheat the oven to 250F. Trace one 8" circle and 3 - 6" circles on the parchment. With the written sides facing down, line two half baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
- In the bowl of a clean stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until frothy on medium speed. Add the cream of tartar and slowing stream in the sugar as the whites are whisking. Whisk until you achieve stiff peaks.
- Put the meringue in a pipping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe the meringue onto the circles you drew on the parchment. You should now have 1 - 8" disc and 3 - 6" discs. Bake at 250F for one hour or until the meringue has hardened and can be removed from the parchment easily.
Violets
- Take 3/4 of the gum paste and tint it with the violet gel food coloring. Color the rest of the gum paste with yellow. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside. Roll out the gum paste as thin as possible. Punch out the violets with a flower cutter or with a pairing knife. Repeat until you get about 14-16 violets.
- Place the punched out violets in an curved container. I used an egg box to help shape the flowers. Let it dry. Once it's dried enough to handle, roll the yellow gum paste into small balls. Press them gently into the center of each violet. Set aside to dry.
Filling
- Whisk the heavy cream in a stand mixer on medium speed. Once it get's frothy, stream in the sugar and whisk until you achieve medium peaks. Fold in the strawberries and raspberries and refrigerate until needed.
Cream
- Whisk the heavy cream in a stand mixer on medium speed. When it gets frothy, stream in the sugar until you achieve medium stiff peaks. Take 3/4 of the cream and color it violet. Take the rest of the cream and color it mint green. Bag the cream into two separate pipping bags fitted with a medium star tip.
Putting it Together
- Place the larger meringue disc on a serving platter or on a cardboard round. Fill the center with the fruit filling, leaving a 2" border. Top it with a smaller meringue round and top it off with more fruit and cream filling, leaving a 2" border.
- Repeat until you top it off with the last meringue round.
- Take your green and violet pipping bags and start to pipe large rosettes, starting at the bottom of the meringue. Alternate the colors as you go along the bottom border.
- Repeat and fill in the border at each level. Finish at the top with a border of violet cream.
- Before serving, decorate the windtorte with the violets you have made earlier. Arrange the glacee cherries on the bottom and top level according to the photo. Serve!
I googled this because I’m listening to the Chamber of Secrets audio book. I was curious about the “sugared violets.” I found out a couple years ago that the violets that grow in many yards (in the eastern USA) are edible, but until now I didn’t know Aunt Petunia used them in this pudding. I do sometimes eat violets, and they are okay, with not much flavor.
I tried making it. I couldn’t make the violets, but MY GOSH THIS WAS THE GREATEST DESSERT I’VE EVER HAD!!!! Thank you for the recipe! I’ve always wanted to try it and I feel so happy for the chance to try it!