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This year, my usual Christmas dessert is being swapped for a equally impressive sweet creation. Crisp discs of meringue with pistachio are layered with smooth nut cream and tart cherry sauce. Upon assembly, the discs become slightly under the cream, achieving a pleasantly chewy feel. It's a fantastic choice for a festive dessert free from the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Cherry and Pistachio Meringue Cake

Owing to the trend of a well-known confection, ready-made pistachio spread is simple to source in many grocery stores. It is pre-sweetened and imparts a lovely, soft green hue. You could opt for unsweetened nut butter if preferred, however the color may be duller 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

Begin by warming the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Prepare three baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Using an 18cm plate or cake tin, mark a circle on every sheet. Invert the paper so the pen marks aren't touching the meringue.

Using a processor the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until largely ground – a few chunkier pieces of pistachio are desirable.

In a large bowl and beat at medium speed until light and bubbly. Turn up to medium-high and beat until the whites hold a soft peak. While still beating, incorporate little by little the caster sugar until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Using a spatula, fold the pistachio mixture into the meringue, ensuring not to over-mix. Transfer the mixture into a bag fitted with a large tip and snip off about a generous opening from the tip.

Pipe from the outside of each pencil template, fill the circle with meringue onto each tray. Level the top carefully. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the meringues are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped. They should come off the paper when cool. Allow to cool fully on the trays.

Meanwhile, make the compote. Put the 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. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, leaving the juices in the pan. Boil the juices until it has halved in volume, then mix it back with the cherries. Allow to reach room temperature.

To make the filling, whip together the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until just thickened.

When building the cake, neaten the edges of each meringue disc with a gentle sawing motion, following the original circle. Set the first layer on a cake stand and spread on a some of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and add some of the cherries (this prevents the juices from spilling). Add another disc and repeat with more cream and cherries, saving a portion for the top decoration.

Add the last meringue and frost the entire cake with the remaining cream, spreading it with a knife. Press the chopped pistachios onto the vertical surface.

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