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On this occasion, my usual Christmas dessert is getting replaced for a equally impressive dessert featuring meringue. Golden rounds of meringue with pistachio are layered with smooth nut cream and juicy cherry mixture. Upon assembly, the meringue softens slightly beneath the filling, resulting in a pleasantly chewy texture. This makes a superb option for a festive dessert free from traditional rich ingredients.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Inspired by the trend of a well-known confection, pistachio creme is easy to find in local shops. The spread is pre-sweetened and provides a lovely, soft green hue. One might use unsweetened nut butter as a substitute, but the hue might be muddier and it may require to balance the flavor.

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

Directions

First, heating your oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Line three baking trays with baking paper. Using an 18cm plate or cake tin, mark a circle on the parchment. Flip the paper over so the drawn lines don't come into contact the meringue.

Pulse together the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until mostly fine – a few chunkier pieces of pistachio are perfectly acceptable.

In a large bowl and whisk on medium until frothy. Whisk more vigorously and continue to whisk until you have soft peaks. Keeping the mixer on, incorporate little by little the caster sugar until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Carefully incorporate the pistachio mixture into the meringue, ensuring not to over-mix. Place the batter into a pastry bag and cut off about 2.5cm from the tip.

Starting from the outer edge of each outline, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Smooth the surface using a palette knife. Cook for 30 to 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, make the compote. Add the frozen cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a pot and warm over low heat until the cherries soften. Let it come to a simmer and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are tender. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan. Reduce the liquid until it has thickened slightly, then mix it back with the cherries. Allow to reach room temperature.

For the pistachio cream, whip together the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until it holds soft peaks.

To assemble, trim the sides of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, using the 18cm guide. Place one disc on a cake stand and top with a some of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and add some of the cherries (this contains the juices from spilling). Place the second layer and layer again, setting aside a small handful for the finish.

Place the final disc and cover the top and sides with the remaining cream, using a palette knife with a offset spatula. Press the chopped pistachios onto the edges.

Transfer any leftover cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and add decorative dollops on top. Garnish with the remaining fruit and chill until ready to serve.