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This year, the traditional festive pav is getting replaced for a equally impressive dessert featuring meringue. Crisp discs of meringue with pistachio are stacked with a lush pistachio cream and tart cherry sauce. As it rests, the meringue softens slightly under the cream, resulting in a pleasantly chewy texture. It's a wonderful alternative for a holiday sweet without the usual suspects of chocolate and booze.

Pistachio and Cherry Meringue Cake

Thanks to the craze of a well-known confection, sweet pistachio paste is now readily available in most supermarkets. This product is sugar-added and imparts a subtle verdant shade. An alternative is pistachio butter if preferred, but the tone can be less vibrant 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

Instructions

First, warming the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Line three baking trays with baking paper. Take an 18cm cake ring, mark a circle on every sheet. Turn the paper upside down so the drawn lines won't transfer the meringue.

Pulse together the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until largely ground – some texture of pistachio are perfectly acceptable.

Using a stand mixer and beat at medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed and beat until you have soft peaks. While still beating, gradually add the caster sugar until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Using a spatula, fold the ground nut mix into the meringue, ensuring not to knock out the air. Transfer the mixture into a bag fitted with a large tip 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 feel firm. They should release easily when cool. Allow to cool fully on the trays.

In the meantime, prepare the cherry sauce. Put the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan and warm over low heat until the cherries begin to release juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes until the cherries are softened. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a bowl, reserving the syrup in the pan. Reduce the liquid until it has halved in volume, then mix it back with the cherries. Leave to cool.

For the pistachio cream, whip together the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until smooth and spreadable.

For construction, trim the sides of each meringue disc with a gentle sawing motion, for a clean edge. Position the bottom meringue 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 (to stop the compote from running). Place the second layer and repeat the process, reserving a portion for the final garnish.

Place the final disc and cover the top and sides with the remaining cream, using a palette knife with a palette knife or bench scraper. Adhere the extra nuts onto the edges.

Put the remaining filling 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.