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This year, a classic pavlova is being swapped for a equally impressive sweet creation. Golden rounds of pistachio-infused meringue are layered with creamy pistachio filling and juicy cherry mixture. Upon assembly, the meringue layers give slightly beneath the filling, achieving a pleasantly chewy consistency. Consider it a superb option for a festive dessert free from traditional rich ingredients.

Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

Thanks to the craze of a well-known confection, ready-made pistachio spread is now readily available in most supermarkets. It is already sweetened and offers a lovely, soft green hue. An alternative is unsweetened nut butter as a substitute, but the color may be duller and some added sweetness is needed 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, warming the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Cover three trays with baking paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, draw a circle on every sheet. Flip the paper over so the ink won't transfer the meringue.

In a food processor the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until largely ground – some texture of pistachio are desirable.

Place the egg whites and beat at medium speed until frothy. Turn up to medium-high and mix until soft peaks form. Keeping the mixer on, incorporate little by little the caster sugar until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Gently fold the ground nut mix into the meringue, ensuring not to deflate it. Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag and trim about 2.5cm from the tip.

Starting from the outer edge of each drawn circle, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Level the top gently. 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.

Meanwhile, make the compote. Put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a pan and cook on a medium-low flame until the cherries start to thaw and liquid forms. Increase the heat to boil and cook for 5-6 minutes until the cherries are softened. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan. Boil the juices until it has halved in volume, then combine it with the cherries. Leave to cool.

Prepare the cream layer, combine the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until smooth and spreadable.

When building the cake, even out the discs of each meringue disc with a gentle sawing motion, for a clean edge. Position the bottom meringue on a platter and top with a layer of the whipped cream. Form a depression (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and place some of the cherries (to stop the juices from spilling). Add another disc and repeat the process, reserving a small handful for the final garnish.

Set the top layer and cover the top and sides with the rest of the pistachio cream, spreading it with a offset spatula. Adhere the extra nuts onto the edges.

Put the remaining filling into a pastry bag with a star tip and create swirls on top. Garnish with the remaining fruit and keep cold until it's time to eat.