This Inspired Recipe for Nutty Cherry Meringue Cake

On this occasion, a classic pavlova is being swapped for a similarly delightful dessert featuring meringue. Crisp discs of meringue with pistachio are assembled with a lush pistachio cream and tart cherry sauce. As it rests, the meringue layers give slightly beneath the filling, resulting in a soft and tender texture. It's a superb option for Christmas dining without traditional rich ingredients.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Owing to the trend of a well-known confection, ready-made pistachio spread is simple to source in local shops. The spread is already sweetened and provides a subtle verdant shade. An alternative is pistachio butter if preferred, however the tone can be less vibrant and it may require 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. Prepare three baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, draw 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 – some texture of pistachio are perfectly acceptable.

Using a stand mixer and mix initially until foamy. Increase the speed and continue to whisk until the whites hold a soft peak. Keeping the mixer on, gradually add the caster sugar until the meringue is thick, stiff, and glossy.

Gently fold the processed nuts into the meringue, ensuring not to over-mix. Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag and cut off about 2.5cm from the tip.

Starting from the outer edge of each outline, pipe a meringue disc onto each tray. Even it out gently. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are lightly browned and are set to the touch. They should come off the paper when cool. Remove and cool completely.

While the meringues bake, 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. Spoon the cherries to a bowl, reserving the syrup in the pan. Reduce the liquid until it has thickened slightly, then combine it with the cherries. Set aside to cool.

For the pistachio cream, combine 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 gentle sawing motion, for a clean edge. Place one disc on a serving plate and top with a generous amount of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the center and add some of the cherries (this contains the juices from spilling). Top with the next meringue layer and repeat the process, reserving a small handful for the top decoration.

Set the top layer and cover the top and sides with the leftover filling, spreading it with a knife. Adhere the extra nuts onto the vertical surface.

Transfer any leftover cream into a bag with a decorative tip and create swirls on top. Garnish with the saved cherries and refrigerate before serving.