Cherry and chocolate meringue cake

PREPARATION TIME 1 hour COOKING TIME 2 hours plus at least 6 hours chilling (or overnight) SERVES 8-10 INGREDIENTS

● 600g jar Bonne Maman Cherry Compote ● 6 large free-range egg whites, at room temperature ● 330g caster sugar ● ½ tsp white wine vinegar ● 1 tsp cornflour ● 4 tbsp Cointreau or fresh orange juice

● 200g quality dark chocolate, chopped ● 200g milk chocolate, chopped ● 400ml double cream ● Fresh cherries and chocolate curls, to decorate

1 Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment and mark each with a 20cm circle.

2 Tip the cherry compote into a wide sieve over a bowl and stir gently. Leave to drain for 20 minutes.

3 Whisk the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking to bring the whites back to stiff peaks before you add more sugar. Once you’ve whisked in half the sugar, add the rest in larger quantities. When all the sugar has been added, whisk in the vinegar and cornflour to glossy, stiff peaks.

4 Divide half the meringue between two of the circles, leaving a 2cm gap at the edge to allow for spreading.

Use a palette knife to level off a little.

5 Spoon the remaining meringue mixture into the third circle and use the back of a metal spoon to make pillowy swirls at the edge.

6 Put the meringues in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 130°C/110°C F/Gas Mark ¾. Bake for 2 hours, then switch the meringues around on the shelves and turn off the oven. Leave the meringues in the oven until it's cold (a few hours). Remove, peel off the baking paper and set aside.

7 Meanwhile, put the drained cherry compote liquid in a small saucepan with half the liqueur or orange juice. Bring to the boil then bubble gently until reduced by half. Leave to cool. Stir the remaining liqueur into the drained cherries.

8 Put the chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to the boil in a small saucepan and pour over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth then chill in the fridge.

9 Whisk the chilled chocolate mixture with an electric whisk until the consistency of whipped cream. Whisk in half the chilled cherry juice.

10 To assemble the cake, put one round of meringue on a serving plate. Spread half the chocolate ganache on top, spoon on half the drained cherries and a drizzle of the cherry juice.

11 Add a second round of meringue, flat side up, spread with all but 2-3 tbsp of the ganache, the remaining cherries and juice.

12 Top with the last meringue. Spoon the remaining ganache into the centre, scatter with fresh cherries and chocolate curls. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.