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prune whip

prune whip

8.1
A sweet dessert of mashed prunes mixed with whipped cream
  • noun
  • /pruːn wɪp/
  • Archaic
translation icon : mousse de ciruelas
  • My grandmother used to make prune whip for special family gatherings.

Examples

  • She made a delicious prune whip for dessert.

  • Many vintage cookbooks include instructions for a classic prune whip dessert.

  • The recipe calls for egg whites to give the prune whip its airy texture.

  • The prune whip was the highlight of the meal.

  • For dessert, she served a delicious prune whip topped with chocolate shavings.

  • He enjoyed the light prune whip after a hearty dinner, finding it perfectly sweetened.

  • At the bakery, I spotted a creamy prune whip that looked irresistible in the display case.

How Creamy

mousse
18 3.7
prune whip
  • Archaic
8.1
custard
28 1.0
pudding
41 1.0
sorbet
16 2.7

Surface Forms

prune whip singular
prune whips plural

Morphology

prune + whip

The meaning is directly compositional: 'prune' names the ingredient and 'whip' denotes a whipped dessert, so a learner who knows both words can infer a dessert made from prunes and whipped cream. This ingredient+dish pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English noun modification, making the expression transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Prune whip gets its name from the way it is made. Cooks mash prune and beat it with cream or egg whites until light and fluffy, and the whip part shows the whipped texture, so the name simply describes a sweet, airy 'dessert' made from prunes.