Instructions: Preheat the oven to 120C/250F Mark 1/2.
Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment and mark 6 circles on the paper in 5cm 7cm lOcm 12cm 15cm and 18cm diameters.

Beat the egg whites and icing sugar together in a large clean dry bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Continue beating for 10 minutes until the mixture stands in soft peaks then remove the bowl from the heat and continue beating for 3 minutes more.

Spoon the meringue over the marked circles swirling the edges into peaks.

Peak the centre of the smallest meringue.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours until pale gold turn off the oven and leave the meringues to finish cooking in the residual heat.

Prepare the decoration.

Slice the jar fruit and segment the clementines.

Gently heat half the sugar m a small pan with 2 tbsp water until the sugar dissolves then increase the heat and boil rapidly for 23 minutes until the syrup turns a golden caramel. Remove from heat and leave until the bubbles subside.

Spear the clementines and grapes on to a fork a piece at a time and dip into the caramel to coat. Transfer to a sheet of foil to set.

Do not coat the star fruit.

Whip the cream until stiff then fold in the yoghurt.

Set the largest meringue on a serving plate spread with a little cream arrange some of the fruit over the cream and cover with the nextlargest meringue.

Continue layering finishing with the smallest meringue and saving a slice of star fruit for the top.

Just before serving heat the remaining sugar in a small clean pan with 2 tbsp water to make a caramel as before.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes then stick the reserved slice of star fruit on top of the cake with a little caramel.

With a metal spoon lift a little caramel out of the pan.

Dip the back of a fork into the spoonful of caramel and pull up very quickly to form strands then wrap these around the cake.

Repeat until the tree is evenly covered in sugar strands.

Serve within 1 hour.

Will keep in a tin for up to a week.

Serves 6

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