Bake in the oven for around an hour and 15 minutes, to an hour and a half. The meringue should be crisp round the sides but with some give in the middle. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool completely.
To make the filling, put the dried cherries in a small saucepan with the kirsch. Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer until the cherries are soft and plump and most of the kirsch has been absorbed.
To make the spiced plums, heat the wine, orange juice, sugar, spices and orange zest into a saucepan. Stir on the low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Add the plums and poach in the liquid for a few minutes, or until soft but still holding their shape.
Remove the plums from the liquid, peeling off the skins as you go – they should just fall off. Strain the cooking liquid.
To assemble, add the icing sugar and cinnamon (if using) to the whipped cream, then stir a couple of tablespoons of the plum liquid with the cherries. Put the cream over the meringue base, top with the plums and drizzle over any remaining liquid.
