Benjamina Ebuehi's Creation for Pistachio and Cherry Meringue Cake

This year, a classic pavlova is getting replaced for a equally impressive dessert featuring meringue. Crisp discs of pistachio-infused meringue are layered with a lush pistachio cream and juicy cherry mixture. As it rests, the meringue softens slightly under the cream, achieving a soft and tender feel. It's a fantastic choice for a festive dessert free from traditional rich ingredients.

Festive Nut & Fruit Meringue Cake

Inspired by the craze of a well-known confection, ready-made pistachio spread is now readily available in most supermarkets. The spread is sugar-added and provides a beautiful pale green color. An alternative is pistachio butter instead, though 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 preheating the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½. Prepare three baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Using an 18cm plate or cake tin, draw a circle on each piece of paper. Invert the paper so the pen marks aren't touching the meringue.

Using a processor the 150g pistachios, icing sugar, cornflour, and salt until finely processed – a few chunkier pieces of pistachio are just fine.

Place the egg whites and mix initially until frothy. Increase the speed and mix until soft peaks form. Keeping the mixer on, slowly pour in the caster sugar until the meringue is firm, shiny, and holds its shape.

Using a spatula, fold the pistachio mixture into the meringue, being careful not to over-mix. Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag and trim about a generous opening from the tip.

Starting from the outer edge of each drawn circle, pipe a meringue disc onto each tray. Level the top using a palette knife. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the meringues are pale gold 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 cook on a medium-low flame until the cherries soften. Increase the heat to boil and cook for about five minutes until the cherries are broken down slightly. Transfer the fruit to a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan. Reduce the liquid until it has halved in volume, then pour it over the cherries. Leave to cool.

For the pistachio cream, beat the whipping cream and pistachio creme in a bowl until it holds soft peaks.

For construction, neaten the edges of each meringue disc with a small serrated knife, for a clean edge. Position the bottom meringue on a platter and cover with a generous amount of the whipped cream. Make a shallow dip (about 10cm-12cm wide) in the center and place some of the cherries (this prevents the syrup from leaking). Add another disc and layer again, saving a portion for the finish.

Set the top layer and frost the entire cake with the remaining cream, using a palette knife with a knife. Press the chopped pistachios onto the edges.

Put the remaining filling into a bag with a decorative tip and create swirls on top. Add the the remaining fruit and keep cold until it's time to eat.