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For the holidays, my usual Christmas dessert is getting replaced for a equally impressive dessert featuring meringue. Baked layers of nutty meringue are layered with a lush pistachio cream and juicy cherry mixture. As it rests, the meringue layers give slightly under the cream, achieving a pleasantly chewy consistency. This makes a fantastic choice for a holiday sweet without traditional rich ingredients.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Thanks to the craze of a certain viral chocolate bar, ready-made pistachio spread is easy to find in most supermarkets. It is pre-sweetened and offers a beautiful pale green color. One might use pure pistachio paste instead, but 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, heating your oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Cover three trays with parchment paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, draw a circle on every sheet. Invert the paper so the pen marks aren't touching the meringue.

Pulse together the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until finely processed – some texture of pistachio are just fine.

Using a stand mixer and mix initially until frothy. Turn up to medium-high and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the caster sugar until the meringue is firm, shiny, and holds its shape.

Carefully incorporate the pistachio mixture into the meringue, ensuring not to knock out the air. Transfer the mixture into a bag fitted with a large tip and trim about an inch from the tip.

Pipe from the outside of each pencil template, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Even it out carefully. Place in the oven until the meringues are pale gold and sound hollow when tapped. They should peel away cleanly when cool. Remove and cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare the cherry sauce. Place all compote ingredients in a pan and warm over low heat until the cherries soften. Let it come to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes until the cherries are broken down slightly. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, reserving the syrup in the pan. Boil the juices until it has reduced by just over half, then pour it over the cherries. Leave to cool.

For the pistachio cream, beat the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until smooth and spreadable.

To assemble, even out the discs of each meringue disc with a gentle sawing motion, for a clean edge. Place one disc on a cake stand and spread on a some of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the center and add some of the cherries (this prevents the syrup from leaking). Add another disc and repeat with more cream and cherries, saving a small handful for the top decoration.

Place the final disc and frost the entire cake with the leftover filling, spreading it with a offset spatula. Adhere the extra nuts onto the vertical surface.

Transfer any leftover cream into a bag with a decorative tip and add decorative dollops on top. Add the the remaining fruit and keep cold until it's time to eat.