🔗 Share this article

This year, the traditional festive pav is getting replaced for a equally impressive sweet creation. Golden rounds of meringue with pistachio are assembled with creamy pistachio filling and juicy cherry mixture. As it rests, the meringue softens slightly beneath the filling, achieving a delightfully cake-like feel. This makes a fantastic choice for Christmas dining that omits chocolate, alcohol, or dried fruit.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Inspired by the trend of a certain viral chocolate bar, sweet pistachio paste is simple to source in local shops. It is pre-sweetened and imparts a subtle verdant shade. An alternative is unsweetened nut butter instead, however the tone can be less vibrant and you'll likely need 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

Directions

First, 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 each piece of paper. Flip the paper over so the ink don't come into contact the meringue.

Pulse together the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until finely processed – some larger bits of pistachio are just fine.

Using a stand mixer and beat at medium speed until foamy. Whisk more vigorously and mix until soft peaks form. While still beating, slowly pour in the caster sugar until the meringue is firm, shiny, and holds its shape.

Gently fold the processed nuts into the meringue, taking care not to over-mix. Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag and snip off about 2.5cm from the tip.

Starting from the outer edge of each pencil template, create a meringue layer onto each tray. Even it out using a palette knife. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are lightly browned and are set to the touch. They should release easily when cool. Take out and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine the compote ingredients. Put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a pot and heat gently until the cherries start to thaw and liquid forms. Increase the heat to boil and cook for five or six minutes until the cherries are tender. Spoon the cherries to a bowl, leaving the juices in the pan. Simmer the syrup until it has halved in volume, then combine it with the cherries. Allow to reach room temperature.

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

To assemble, neaten the edges of each meringue disc with a bread knife, using the 18cm guide. Set the first layer on a platter and top with a generous amount of the whipped cream. Create a slight well (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the middle and place some of the cherries (to stop the syrup from leaking). Add another disc and repeat with more cream and cherries, setting aside a few cherries for the finish.

Set the top layer and frost the entire cake with the remaining cream, smoothing it with a offset spatula. Press the chopped pistachios onto the edges.

Put the remaining filling into a bag with a decorative tip and add decorative dollops on top. Garnish with the reserved cherries and keep cold until it's time to eat.