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For the holidays, my usual Christmas dessert is making way for a similarly delightful sweet creation. Baked layers of meringue with pistachio are stacked with creamy pistachio filling and a vibrant cherry compote. As it rests, the meringue softens slightly under the cream, achieving a delightfully cake-like feel. Consider it a fantastic choice for Christmas dining without the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

Thanks to the popularity of a well-known confection, ready-made pistachio spread is easy to find in local shops. The spread is pre-sweetened and provides a subtle verdant shade. One might use pistachio butter instead, however the hue might be muddier and you'll likely need 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, warming the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Prepare three baking sheets with parchment paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, outline a circle on the parchment. Flip the paper over so the drawn lines aren't touching the meringue.

In a food processor the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until finely processed – a few chunkier pieces of pistachio are desirable.

In a large bowl and whisk on medium until frothy. Whisk more vigorously and beat until soft peaks form. Keeping the mixer on, gradually add the caster sugar until the meringue is firm, shiny, and holds its shape.

Gently fold the ground nut mix into the meringue, taking care not to knock out the air. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag and snip off about an inch from the tip.

Pipe from the outside of each outline, fill the circle with meringue onto each tray. Even it out gently. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are pale gold and are set to the touch. They should peel away cleanly when cool. Take out and let cool.

In the meantime, make the compote. Place all compote ingredients in a pot and cook on a medium-low flame until the cherries soften. Increase the heat to boil and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are broken down slightly. Spoon the cherries to a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan. Simmer the syrup until it has thickened slightly, then combine it with the cherries. Leave to cool.

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

When building the cake, even out the discs of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, following the original circle. Set the first layer on a cake stand and cover with a some of the whipped cream. Form a depression (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the top and add some of the cherries (this contains the compote from running). Add another disc and repeat with more cream and cherries, setting aside a few cherries for the finish.

Place the final disc and frost the entire cake with the remaining cream, using a palette knife with a knife. Pat the reserved pistachios onto the edges.

Put the remaining filling into a bag with a decorative tip and add decorative dollops on top. Garnish with the remaining fruit and refrigerate before serving.