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This year, my usual Christmas dessert is being swapped for a wonderfully different sweet creation. Golden rounds of meringue with pistachio are layered with creamy pistachio filling and tart cherry sauce. Upon assembly, the meringue layers give slightly beneath the filling, resulting in a pleasantly chewy feel. Consider it a wonderful alternative for Christmas dining that omits the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

Owing to the craze of a certain viral chocolate bar, sweet pistachio paste is easy to find in local shops. This product is pre-sweetened and provides a beautiful pale green color. You could opt for pure pistachio paste if preferred, however the tone can be less vibrant and you'll likely need 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

Directions

Begin by heating your oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Line three baking trays with greaseproof paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, draw a circle on each piece of paper. Invert the paper so the pen marks don't come into contact the meringue.

In a food processor the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until largely ground – a few chunkier pieces of pistachio are just fine.

In a large bowl and whisk on medium until light and bubbly. Whisk more vigorously and mix 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.

Gently fold the processed nuts into the meringue, taking care not to deflate it. Transfer the mixture into a bag fitted with a large tip and cut off about a generous opening from the tip.

Beginning at the perimeter of each drawn circle, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Level the top carefully. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the meringues are lightly browned and feel firm. They should peel away cleanly when cool. Remove and cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare the cherry sauce. Put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a pan and heat gently until the cherries begin to release juice. Let it come to a simmer and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are broken down slightly. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan. Boil the juices until it has thickened slightly, then mix it back with the cherries. Leave to cool.

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

For construction, trim the sides of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, using the 18cm guide. Place one disc on a serving plate and top with a generous amount of the whipped cream. Form a depression (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and spoon in some of the cherries (this prevents the syrup from leaking). Add another disc and layer again, setting aside a small handful for the final garnish.

Add the last meringue and frost the entire cake with the remaining cream, smoothing it with a palette knife or bench scraper. Adhere the extra nuts onto the sides.

Transfer any leftover cream into a pastry bag with a star tip and add decorative dollops on top. Garnish with the reserved cherries and chill until ready to serve.