This Inspired Dish for Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

For the holidays, the traditional festive pav is getting replaced for a similarly delightful sweet creation. Golden rounds of pistachio-infused meringue are stacked with a lush pistachio cream and a vibrant cherry compote. While it sits, the meringue layers give slightly beneath the filling, resulting in a delightfully cake-like feel. This makes a superb option for Christmas dining without the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

Owing to the craze of a recent social media sensation, sweet pistachio paste is easy to find in most supermarkets. It is already sweetened and imparts a lovely, soft green hue. You could opt for pistachio butter if preferred, however 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

Instructions

Begin by preheating the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Cover three trays with baking paper. Trace around an 18cm plate, mark a circle on the parchment. Invert the paper so the ink won't transfer the meringue.

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

Place the egg whites and beat at medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed and beat until you have soft peaks. 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, ensuring not to over-mix. Spoon the meringue into a bag fitted with a large tip and snip off about a generous opening from the tip.

Starting from the outer edge of each drawn circle, fill the circle with meringue onto each tray. Level the top gently. Place in the oven until the meringues are gently colored and are set to the touch. They should come off the paper when cool. Allow to cool fully on the trays.

Meanwhile, make the compote. Place all compote ingredients in a saucepan and warm over low heat until the cherries begin to release juice. Increase the heat to boil and cook for 5-6 minutes until the cherries are tender. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, leaving the juices in the pan. Reduce the liquid until it has thickened slightly, then pour it over the cherries. Set aside to cool.

For the pistachio cream, whip together the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until just thickened.

For construction, even out the discs of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, following the original circle. Position the bottom meringue on a serving plate and spread on a some of the whipped cream. Create a slight well (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and add some of the cherries (to stop the syrup from leaking). Top with the next meringue layer 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, spreading it with a knife. Adhere the extra nuts onto the edges.

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