This Inspired Recipe for Nutty Cherry Meringue Cake

This year, my usual Christmas dessert is getting replaced for a wonderfully different sweet creation. Baked layers of meringue with pistachio are layered with smooth nut cream and juicy cherry mixture. As it rests, the meringue softens slightly beneath the filling, creating a pleasantly chewy consistency. This makes a fantastic choice for a holiday sweet without chocolate, alcohol, or dried fruit.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Thanks to the popularity of a recent social media sensation, ready-made pistachio spread is easy to find in most supermarkets. The spread is sugar-added and offers a beautiful pale green color. One might use unsweetened nut butter instead, though the hue might be muddier and you'll likely need to adjust the sweetness.

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. Line three baking trays with parchment paper. Trace around an 18cm plate, draw a circle on every sheet. Flip the paper over so the pen marks aren't touching the meringue.

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

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

Gently fold the pistachio mixture into the meringue, being careful not to over-mix. Place the batter into a pastry bag and snip off about 2.5cm from the tip.

Beginning at the perimeter of each drawn circle, fill the circle with meringue onto each tray. Level the top 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. Remove and cool completely.

In the meantime, make the compote. Put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan and warm over low heat until the cherries start to thaw and liquid forms. Let it come to a simmer and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are broken down slightly. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan. Boil the juices 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, neaten the edges of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, following the original circle. Place one disc on a serving plate and top with a some of the whipped cream. Form a depression (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the top and place some of the cherries (this contains the juices from spilling). Top with the next meringue layer and layer again, reserving a small handful for the finish.

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.

Transfer any leftover cream into a bag with a decorative tip and create swirls on top. Garnish with the saved cherries and keep cold until it's time to eat.