Looking for a vegan Christmas dessert that's a little lighter than Christmas pud? This orange, cranberry and pistachio pavlova is just the ticket

• Preparation and cooking time
  • Prep:45 mins
  • Cook:2 hrs
  • plus chilling and cooling
• More effort

• Dairy-free
• Egg-free
• Vegan
• Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 400g can chickpeas
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 260g caster sugar
• 3 oranges, peeled
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 350g dairy-free coconut yogurt
• large handful of dried cranberries
• large handful of pistachios, roughly chopped

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Drain the chickpeas over a jug, reserving the liquid (this liquid, called aquafaba, will be used to make the meringue). Tip the chickpeas into a sealed container and chill for use in another recipe. Pour the liquid into a large bowl or stand mixer. Add the cream of tartar, then beat with the whisk attachment or an electric whisk for 15-18 mins until the mixture has tripled in size and is holding stiff peaks (it will take a while for it to thicken initially, so just keep beating until this happens). Add the caster sugar 1 tbsp at a time, whisking well between each addition until all the sugar has been incorporated and you are left with a fluffy meringue.

• STEP 2

  Use a little of the meringue to stick the baking parchment to the tray, then spoon the meringue into the centre of the parchment and spread into a roughly 15cm round pavlova, making the sides slightly higher than the middle (it will deflate and spread a little more in the oven). Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 2 hrs. The meringue will still feel slightly soft once cooked, but as it cools it will set and be able to come away from the parchment easily. Leave to cool completely. The meringue can be cooked up to two days in advance. Once it has cooled completely, wrap well or keep in an airtight container.

• STEP 3

  Cut the pith from the oranges using a serrated knife, then slice into rounds. Dust the oranges with the icing sugar and cinnamon. Place the pavlova on a serving plate, spoon the coconut yogurt into the middle, then top with the cinnamon oranges, cranberries and pistachios.