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For the holidays, a classic pavlova is making way for a wonderfully different meringue-based treat. Baked layers of meringue with pistachio are layered with smooth nut cream and juicy cherry mixture. As it rests, the meringue layers give slightly beneath the filling, creating a delightfully cake-like consistency. It's a fantastic choice for a holiday sweet without traditional rich ingredients.

Pistachio and Cherry Meringue Cake

Owing to the craze of a well-known confection, ready-made pistachio spread is easy to find in many grocery stores. It is sugar-added and offers a lovely, soft green hue. You could opt for pistachio butter instead, though the hue might be muddier and you'll likely need to balance the flavor.

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 warming the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Cover three trays with greaseproof paper. Trace around an 18cm plate, outline a circle on the parchment. Turn the paper upside down so the pen marks don't come into contact the meringue.

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

In a large bowl and whisk on medium until foamy. Turn up to medium-high and continue to whisk 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.

Using a spatula, fold the ground nut mix into the meringue, taking care not to over-mix. Transfer the mixture into a bag fitted with a large tip and trim about a generous opening from the tip.

Beginning at the perimeter of each outline, pipe a meringue disc onto each tray. Smooth the surface 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. Allow to cool fully on the trays.

While the meringues bake, make the compote. Place all compote ingredients in a pot and warm over low heat until the cherries start to thaw and liquid forms. 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. Boil the juices until it has thickened slightly, then mix it back with the cherries. Leave to cool.

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

For construction, trim the sides of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, following the original circle. Position the bottom meringue on a cake stand and cover with a some of the whipped cream. Form a depression (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the top and spoon in some of the cherries (to stop the juices from spilling). Top with the next meringue layer and repeat with more cream and cherries, reserving a few cherries for the finish.

Set the top layer and cover the top and sides with the leftover filling, smoothing it with a palette knife or bench scraper. Press the chopped pistachios onto the edges.

Place the rest of the cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe rosettes on top. Add the the reserved cherries and chill until ready to serve.