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This year, my usual Christmas dessert is making way for a wonderfully different sweet creation. Crisp discs of meringue with pistachio are stacked with smooth nut cream and juicy cherry mixture. Upon assembly, the discs become slightly under the cream, achieving a soft and tender texture. It's a fantastic choice for Christmas dining free from the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Inspired by the trend of a recent social media sensation, ready-made pistachio spread is easy to find in most supermarkets. It is sugar-added and provides a beautiful pale green color. You could opt for pistachio butter if preferred, but the color may be duller and it may require to balance the flavor.

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. Cover three trays with parchment paper. Using an 18cm plate or cake tin, draw 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 mostly fine – some larger bits of pistachio are perfectly acceptable.

Place the egg whites and mix initially until foamy. Turn up to medium-high and continue to whisk until the whites hold a soft peak. While still beating, slowly pour in 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. Place the batter into a large piping bag and trim about 2.5cm from the tip.

Beginning at the perimeter of each outline, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Even it out carefully. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are pale gold and are set to the touch. They should release easily when cool. Remove and cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare the cherry sauce. Put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan and cook on a medium-low flame until the cherries begin to release juice. Let it come to a simmer and cook for five or six minutes until the cherries are tender. Spoon the cherries to a bowl, reserving the syrup in the pan. Simmer the syrup until it has halved in volume, then combine it with 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, even out the discs of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, for a clean edge. Place one disc on a cake stand and top with a some of the whipped cream. Create a slight well (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the center and add some of the cherries (this contains the compote from running). Add another disc and layer again, saving a few cherries for the top decoration.

Place the final disc and cover the top and sides with the leftover filling, using a palette knife with a offset spatula. Adhere the extra nuts onto the edges.

Transfer any leftover cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and create swirls on top. Add the the remaining fruit and chill until ready to serve.