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This year, my usual Christmas dessert is making way for a equally impressive meringue-based treat. Crisp discs of meringue with pistachio are assembled with creamy pistachio filling and tart cherry sauce. While it sits, the discs become slightly from the moisture, achieving a delightfully cake-like consistency. This makes a fantastic choice for Christmas dining without chocolate, alcohol, or dried fruit.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Thanks to the trend of a recent social media sensation, ready-made pistachio spread is easy to find in many grocery stores. This product is pre-sweetened and offers a beautiful pale green color. You could opt for pistachio butter if preferred, though the color may be duller 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

Directions

First, warming the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Cover three trays with parchment paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, mark a circle on each piece of paper. Turn the paper upside down so the ink won't transfer the meringue.

Pulse together the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until largely ground – some larger bits of pistachio are desirable.

Place the egg whites and beat at medium speed until foamy. Whisk more vigorously and mix until the whites hold a soft peak. Keeping the mixer on, gradually add the caster sugar until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Gently fold the ground nut mix into the meringue, taking care not to deflate it. Spoon the meringue into a bag fitted with a large tip and trim about a generous opening from the tip.

Beginning at the perimeter of each pencil template, fill the circle with meringue onto each tray. Even it out carefully. Place in the oven until the meringues are pale gold and sound hollow when tapped. They should release easily when cool. Take out and let cool.

In the meantime, combine the compote ingredients. Place all compote ingredients in a pot and cook on a medium-low flame until the cherries begin to release juice. Increase the heat to boil and cook for five or six minutes until the cherries are broken down slightly. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, reserving the syrup in the pan. Reduce the liquid until it has halved in volume, then pour it over the cherries. Leave to cool.

To make the filling, combine the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until smooth and spreadable.

For construction, neaten the edges of each meringue disc with a gentle sawing motion, following the original circle. Set the first layer on a serving plate and cover with a layer of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and add some of the cherries (to stop the compote from running). Top with the next meringue layer and repeat the process, saving a small handful for the top decoration.

Add the last meringue and frost the entire cake with the leftover filling, spreading it with a offset spatula. Pat the reserved pistachios onto the sides.

Put the remaining filling into a bag with a decorative tip and pipe rosettes on top. Garnish with the reserved cherries and keep cold until it's time to eat.