🔗 Share this article

This year, my usual Christmas dessert is making way for a wonderfully different sweet creation. Crisp discs of meringue with pistachio are assembled with creamy pistachio filling and juicy cherry mixture. While it sits, the meringue layers give slightly beneath the filling, achieving a delightfully cake-like texture. It's a superb option for a holiday sweet that omits chocolate, alcohol, or dried fruit.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Inspired by the trend of a recent social media sensation, ready-made pistachio spread is now readily available in many grocery stores. It is already sweetened and offers a lovely, soft green hue. You could opt for pure pistachio paste if preferred, but the tone can be less vibrant and some added sweetness is needed 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

Begin by preheating the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Prepare three baking sheets with parchment paper. Trace around an 18cm plate, mark a circle on the parchment. Turn the paper upside down so the ink don't come into contact the meringue.

Using a processor the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until finely processed – some texture of pistachio are just fine.

Place the egg whites and mix initially until frothy. Increase the speed and beat until the whites hold a soft peak. While still beating, slowly pour in the caster sugar until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Using a spatula, fold the processed nuts into the meringue, ensuring not to deflate it. Spoon the meringue into a bag fitted with a large tip and trim about a generous opening from the tip.

Pipe from the outside of each drawn circle, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Level the top using a palette knife. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the meringues are pale gold and feel firm. They should come off the paper when cool. Take out and let cool.

While the meringues bake, combine the compote ingredients. Place all compote ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until the cherries soften. Increase the heat to boil and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are tender. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving the juices in the pan. Boil the juices until it has reduced by just over half, then mix it back with the cherries. Leave to cool.

To make the filling, beat the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until it holds soft peaks.

To assemble, even out the discs of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, for a clean edge. Place one disc on a serving plate and spread on a some of the whipped cream. Create a slight well (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the center and spoon in some of the cherries (to stop the compote from running). Top with the next meringue layer and repeat the process, setting aside a few cherries for the final garnish.

Set the top layer and frost the entire cake with the leftover filling, smoothing it with a offset spatula. Adhere the extra nuts onto the edges.

Place the rest of the cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and add decorative dollops on top. Garnish with the saved cherries and chill until ready to serve.