🔗 Share this article

This year, the traditional festive pav is getting replaced for a wonderfully different dessert featuring meringue. Golden rounds of pistachio-infused meringue are assembled with creamy pistachio filling and a vibrant cherry compote. Upon assembly, the discs become slightly beneath the filling, resulting in a delightfully cake-like texture. It's a wonderful alternative for Christmas dining free from traditional rich ingredients.

Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

Owing to the craze of a well-known confection, sweet pistachio paste is easy to find in many grocery stores. It is already sweetened and offers a subtle verdant shade. One might use pure pistachio paste as a substitute, 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

Instructions

First, heating your oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Cover three trays with baking paper. Trace around an 18cm plate, draw a circle on the parchment. Invert the paper 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 – some texture of pistachio are just fine.

Using a stand mixer and whisk on medium until foamy. Whisk more vigorously and mix until soft peaks form. Keeping the mixer on, gradually add the caster sugar until the meringue is thick, stiff, and glossy.

Using a spatula, fold the pistachio mixture into the meringue, being careful not to deflate it. Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag and trim about 2.5cm from the tip.

Beginning at the perimeter of each outline, fill the circle with meringue onto each tray. Level the top using a palette knife. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are gently colored and sound hollow when tapped. They should peel away cleanly when cool. Allow to cool fully on the trays.

Meanwhile, combine the compote ingredients. Add the frozen cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan and cook on a medium-low flame 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, keeping the liquid in the pan. Reduce the liquid 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 just thickened.

To assemble, trim the sides of each meringue disc with a gentle sawing motion, using the 18cm guide. Position the bottom meringue on a cake stand and cover with a some of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the top and place some of the cherries (this contains the compote from running). Top with the next meringue layer and repeat the process, setting aside a few cherries for the top decoration.

Place the final disc and frost the entire cake with the rest of the pistachio cream, using a palette knife with a offset spatula. Press the chopped pistachios onto the vertical surface.

Transfer any leftover cream into a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe rosettes on top. Top with the reserved cherries and refrigerate before serving.