🔗 Share this article

This year, my usual Christmas dessert is making way for a equally impressive dessert featuring meringue. Crisp discs of meringue with pistachio are assembled with smooth nut cream and a vibrant cherry compote. Upon assembly, the meringue softens slightly from the moisture, creating a pleasantly chewy feel. This makes a superb option for a festive dessert free from the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Pistachio and Cherry Meringue Cake

Owing to the trend of a recent social media sensation, sweet pistachio paste is now readily available in local shops. This product is already sweetened and offers a subtle verdant shade. An alternative is pistachio butter if preferred, though the hue might be muddier and it may require 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

Instructions

Begin by preheating the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Prepare three baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, outline a circle on the parchment. Invert the paper so the ink aren't touching the meringue.

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

Using a stand mixer and beat at medium speed until light and bubbly. Increase the speed and continue to whisk until you have soft peaks. With the mixer running, incorporate little by little the caster sugar until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Carefully incorporate the ground nut mix into the meringue, ensuring not to over-mix. Spoon the meringue into a large piping bag and trim about an inch from the tip.

Beginning at the perimeter of each drawn circle, fill the circle with meringue onto each tray. Level the top using a palette knife. Place in the oven until the meringues are pale gold and feel firm. They should peel away cleanly when cool. Take out and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine the compote ingredients. Place all compote ingredients in a pan and warm over low heat until the cherries soften. Bring to a boil and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are softened. Spoon the cherries to a bowl, leaving the juices in the pan. Simmer the syrup until it has thickened slightly, then combine it with the cherries. Set aside to cool.

For the pistachio cream, combine the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until it holds soft peaks.

For construction, neaten the edges of each meringue disc with a bread knife, for a clean edge. Set the first layer on a platter and cover with a some of the whipped cream. Form a depression (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the top and place some of the cherries (this prevents the juices from spilling). Add another disc and repeat with more cream and cherries, saving 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 knife. Pat the reserved pistachios onto the sides.

Transfer any leftover cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and add decorative dollops on top. Add the the remaining fruit and keep cold until it's time to eat.