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For the holidays, the traditional festive pav is making way for a wonderfully different sweet creation. Baked layers of meringue with pistachio are assembled with creamy pistachio filling and tart cherry sauce. Upon assembly, the meringue layers give slightly from the moisture, resulting in a soft and tender texture. Consider it a superb option for a holiday sweet without traditional rich ingredients.

Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

Inspired by the trend of a certain viral chocolate bar, sweet pistachio paste is now readily available in many grocery stores. It is pre-sweetened and provides a subtle verdant shade. An alternative is pistachio butter instead, but the hue might be muddier and you'll likely need 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, preheating the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Prepare three baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Trace around an 18cm plate, mark a circle on the parchment. Turn the paper upside down so the drawn lines aren't touching the meringue.

In a food processor the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until largely ground – some larger bits of pistachio are just fine.

Place the egg whites and whisk on medium until frothy. Whisk more vigorously and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. While still beating, 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, taking care not to knock out the air. Transfer the mixture into a bag fitted with a large tip and snip off about an inch from the tip.

Pipe from the outside of each outline, pipe a meringue disc onto each tray. Level the top gently. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are gently colored and are set to the touch. They should peel away cleanly when cool. Take out and let cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the cherry sauce. Put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a pan and warm over low heat until the cherries soften. Let it come to a simmer and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are tender. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan. Boil the juices until it has reduced by just over half, then mix it back with the cherries. Leave to cool.

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

To assemble, trim the sides of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, following the original circle. Set the first layer on a cake stand and cover with a layer of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and spoon in some of the cherries (this prevents the compote from running). Top with the next meringue layer and repeat the process, saving a small handful for the finish.

Place the final disc and mask the cake with the rest of the pistachio cream, using a palette knife with a offset spatula. Adhere the extra nuts onto the edges.

Transfer any leftover cream into a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe rosettes on top. Garnish with the remaining fruit and keep cold until it's time to eat.