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This year, my usual Christmas dessert is being swapped for a equally impressive dessert featuring meringue. Golden rounds of pistachio-infused meringue are assembled with creamy pistachio filling and juicy cherry mixture. Upon assembly, the meringue layers give slightly beneath the filling, resulting in a soft and tender feel. It's a fantastic choice for a festive dessert free from the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Pistachio and Cherry Meringue Cake

Owing to the craze of a certain viral chocolate bar, sweet pistachio paste is now readily available in many grocery stores. This product is sugar-added and offers a beautiful pale green color. You could opt for pure pistachio paste if preferred, though the tone can be less vibrant and some added sweetness is needed 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, preheating the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Prepare three baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Using an 18cm plate or cake tin, draw a circle on each piece of paper. Invert the paper so the pen marks won't transfer the meringue.

Pulse together the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until mostly fine – some texture of pistachio are perfectly acceptable.

Place the egg whites and whisk on medium until frothy. Increase the speed and beat until you have soft peaks. While still beating, gradually add the caster sugar until the meringue is thick, stiff, and glossy.

Carefully incorporate the ground nut mix into the meringue, ensuring not to knock out the air. Place the batter into a large piping bag and cut off about an inch from the tip.

Pipe from the outside of each drawn circle, pipe a meringue disc onto each tray. Even it out gently. Place in the oven until the meringues are gently colored and feel firm. They should release easily when cool. Take out and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the compote. Add the frozen cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a pan and cook on a medium-low flame until the cherries begin to release juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes until the cherries are tender. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, leaving the juices in the pan. Simmer the syrup until it has halved in volume, then pour it over the cherries. Set aside to cool.

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

To assemble, neaten the edges of each meringue disc with a bread knife, using the 18cm guide. Place one disc on a cake stand and spread on a layer of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and place some of the cherries (this prevents the syrup from leaking). Top with the next meringue layer and repeat the process, saving a few cherries for the final garnish.

Place the final disc and mask the cake with the leftover filling, spreading it with a offset spatula. Pat the reserved pistachios onto the edges.

Place the rest of the cream into a pastry bag with a star tip and add decorative dollops on top. Add the the reserved cherries and keep cold until it's time to eat.