Vegan meringue christmas wreath
Crisp and crunchy, meringues are a great option for satisfying your sweet tooth. Matched with fresh fruit and mint and arranged in a wreath shape, a meringue makes a delicious dessert that’s perfect for a warm Christmas Day – and best of all, it’s vegan friendly.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 400g can salt-free chickpeas
- Golden organic sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries, raspberries, kiwifruit and mint leaves, to serve
Cashew berry cream
- 1 cup cashews, soaked for 4-6 hours
- 400g can Pams Coconut Cream, chilled for at least 3 hours
- 2 tablespoons Pams Pure Canadian Maple Syrup
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- Pinch of sea salt
- 4 teaspoons freeze-dried strawberry or raspberry powder
Method
- Preheat the oven to 100°C (80°C fan forced). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Drain the chickpeas into a mixing bowl. Weigh the chickpea liquid (aquafaba) and measure out the same amount of the sugar. Whisk the aquafaba until stiff peaks form.
- Blend the sugar in a blender until fine and powdery (this will result in a smoother meringue). Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar at a time to the aquafaba, whisking well after each addition. Continue until you’ve used up all the sugar, the mixture is glossy, and the sugar has dissolved. Fold in the vinegar and vanilla.
- Place the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. Pipe 2cm rounds onto the trays, leaving a 2cm space between each meringue to allow for spreading. Bake for 1½ hours or until firm, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool and dry in the oven.
- Meanwhile, to make the cashew berry cream, rinse and drain the cashews, then place in a blender. Open the can of coconut cream and scoop the thick creamed coconut from the top into the blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth. If the mixture is very thick, mix in a little of the coconut cream (that is remaining in the can), until a smooth, thick cream is achieved.
- Once completely cool, spread the base of one meringue with some of the cashew berry cream and then sandwich with another meringue. Repeat with all the meringues. Arrange on a serving platter and decorate with fresh berries, kiwifruit slices and mint leaves.
Tips:
- If you're not vegan, to make the wreath extra luxurious drizzle with melted white chocolate and top with edible flowers.
- For a simpler dessert, serve the meringues with fruit on the side. You can use any fruit you have on hand, just peel and slice thinly.