Layered Sawdust Pudding (Cheat)

The name of this dessert does not do it any justice. Sawdust? Really? That implies that this dessert is dry. Pudding? That implies that you get this jello-like consistency.

No, guys – no. The dessert itself is layered with smooth, light, whipped cream with a hint of sweetness, along textured biscuit crumbs. It’s insanely easy to make, yet the end result is something else.

One of the reasons why I seriously love this dessert is because it’s made using such simple ingredients, and can be easily altered to fit your desires.

In terms of simple ingredients – there’s mostly just digestive biscuits and cream. I always have digestive biscuits lying around, but I’m often quite paranoid about cream going bad. So, if I’m not in the mood for ice cream, I’ll just whip up the cream and layer it up with biscuits crumbs and voila – fancy dessert.

Plus, if you want to serve these up at a themed party, go crazy with colors! Sure, you could go for a classic whipped cream…orr you could mix in raspberry powder or blueberry powder or matcha powder or fruity alcohol. I was caught between choosing beetroot powder and açai powder, and although both produce adorable faint little pinks and purples, I went with açai because I’ve recently grown obsessed with it’s flavor.

Ooh – and I forgot to mention, you could serve these up in any container you want! For all I care, you could make this in an empty water bottle or a giant bucket. As you can see, I stuck with drink containers. I used regular drinking cups, shot glasses, and martini glasses. I love the fact that the shot and martini glasses have only ever held sweets in this household. The martini glasses I got from Croatia and I’m seriously in love with them. I’ve served rice pudding in them before. I know, it sounds weird, but they don’t actually look too weird (I hope). As for the shot glasses, I got them from IKEA and they’re great for small-serving pudding desserts (e.g. vanilla pots de creme). Anyways, my point is, be creative!

Layered Sawdust Pudding

Makes 4-12 servings, depending on size

Ingredients

• 80g digestive biscuits
• 200ml chilled whipping cream or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 60-100ml sweetened condensed milk (adjust according to taste)
• 2 teaspoons lime juice or 1 tablespoon powder of choice (I used açai powder)
• Fresh fruit, for serving (optional)

Method

1. In a food processor, or in a bowl using the end of a rolling pin, crush the biscuits until they’ve reached a constancy of fine powder
2. In a separate bowl, use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to whip the cream, until it reaches soft peaks. Add in the vanilla extract, half the condensed milk, and either lime juice or powder of choice, and continue whipping, adding condensed milk as you go until it reaches your desired sweetness. Whip until cream forms stiff peaks
3. Transfer the cream into a piping bag to pipe (or spoon) a layer into the bottom of a glass. Add a layer of biscuit crumbs of the same thickness, and continue alternating between the layers, finishing with a layer of cream
4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before topping with fresh berries and serving