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For the holidays, my usual Christmas dessert is getting replaced for a wonderfully different dessert featuring meringue. Baked layers of meringue with pistachio are assembled with smooth nut cream and tart cherry sauce. While it sits, the discs become slightly beneath the filling, creating a pleasantly chewy texture. It's a superb option for a festive dessert free from traditional rich ingredients.

Pistachio and Cherry Meringue Cake

Thanks to the popularity of a well-known confection, ready-made pistachio spread is simple to source in local shops. The spread is already sweetened and offers a lovely, soft green hue. One might use pistachio butter instead, however the color may be duller and some added sweetness is needed to sweeten it to taste.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 2 hr 20 min
Serves: 12-16

For the Meringue Discs
150g pistachio kernels, plus an extra 50g, chopped, for garnish
50g icing sugar
1 tsp cornflour
A pinch of salt
165g egg whites
155g caster sugar

For the Cherry Compote
350g frozen cherries
Juice of ½ lemon
60g caster sugar

For the Pistachio Cream
600ml whipping cream
60g pistachio creme

Method

First, preheating the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Cover three trays with parchment paper. Trace around an 18cm plate, mark a circle on every sheet. Invert the paper so the ink aren't touching the meringue.

Pulse together the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until largely ground – a few chunkier pieces of pistachio are just fine.

Place the egg whites and whisk on medium until light and bubbly. Turn up to medium-high and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. While still beating, slowly pour in the caster sugar until the meringue is thick, stiff, and glossy.

Using a spatula, fold the pistachio mixture into the meringue, taking care not to knock out the air. Place the batter into a large piping bag and snip off about an inch from the tip.

Pipe from the outside of each drawn circle, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Level the top gently. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are pale gold and sound hollow when tapped. They should release easily when cool. Take out and let cool.

In the meantime, combine the compote ingredients. Add the frozen cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a pan and cook on a medium-low flame until the cherries soften. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes until the cherries are softened. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, reserving the syrup in the pan. Simmer the syrup until it has halved in volume, then combine it with the cherries. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the cream layer, combine the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until just thickened.

To assemble, trim the sides of each meringue disc with a bread knife, following the original circle. Place one disc on a serving plate and cover with a generous amount of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and add some of the cherries (this prevents the juices from spilling). Add another disc and repeat with more cream and cherries, saving a few cherries for the final garnish.

Add the last meringue and frost the entire cake with the rest of the pistachio cream, spreading it with a offset spatula. Adhere the extra nuts onto the sides.

Place the rest of the cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe rosettes on top. Top with the remaining fruit and chill until ready to serve.