Sans rival is a cake from the Philippines which means without rival in French (according to Wikipedia). It's composed of layers of meringue and buttercream. My mom would usually get this from a popular bakeshop chain when I was a kid. I never really knew nor cared about what's in it but it was good. I found out later that it had cashews. In my defense, it's usually powdered so it's hard to tell.
Start by whisking the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar in stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add in the sugar in gradual stream. Once the sugar is all in, turn the mixer on high then continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Fold in the ground cashew.
Divide the meringue into 3 equal parts and transfer to 3 baking pans lined with parchment paper. I just used baking sheets and then trimmed off the sides later. Bake in a 300ºF preheated oven for about 1 hours until brown all over and dry.
While the meringue is baking, prepare the buttercream. Beat the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt until color turns to light yellow. Heat the sugar and water until temperature reaches 240ºF. Prepare water and brush. Brush the sides of the pot when sugar starts bubbling to prevent crystallization.
With the mixer on medium speed, slowly drizzle the syrup onto the side of the mixing bowl to prevent it from splattering. Make sure to slowly drizzle in the syrup as the hot syrup might scramble the eggs. Once all the syrup is in, turn the mixer's speed on high and continue beating until completely cool.
Beat in the butter a few tablespoons at a time and beat until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes. If too runny, you can refrigerate the buttercream for a few minutes to make it spreadable.
Spread the buttercream on a meringue layer then top with some cashews. Repeat the process until all the layers are used up. You can trim the uneven sides and you can save up a little buttercream to cover the sides as well. All done. Refrigerate to let the buttercream fully set. Serve chilled.
Start by whisking the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar in stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add in the sugar in gradual stream. Once the sugar is all in, turn the mixer on high then continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Fold in the ground cashew.
Divide the meringue into 3 equal parts and transfer to 3 baking pans lined with parchment paper. I just used baking sheets and then trimmed off the sides later. Bake in a 300ºF preheated oven for about 1 hours until brown all over and dry.
While the meringue is baking, prepare the buttercream. Beat the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt until color turns to light yellow. Heat the sugar and water until temperature reaches 240ºF. Prepare water and brush. Brush the sides of the pot when sugar starts bubbling to prevent crystallization.
With the mixer on medium speed, slowly drizzle the syrup onto the side of the mixing bowl to prevent it from splattering. Make sure to slowly drizzle in the syrup as the hot syrup might scramble the eggs. Once all the syrup is in, turn the mixer's speed on high and continue beating until completely cool.
Beat in the butter a few tablespoons at a time and beat until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes. If too runny, you can refrigerate the buttercream for a few minutes to make it spreadable.
Spread the buttercream on a meringue layer then top with some cashews. Repeat the process until all the layers are used up. You can trim the uneven sides and you can save up a little buttercream to cover the sides as well. All done. Refrigerate to let the buttercream fully set. Serve chilled.
| Prep Time | Total Time | Yield |
| 10 mins | 3 hours | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
Meringue Layers
- 8 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup cashew, ground
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt (skip if cashew is salted)
Buttercream Filling
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Assembly
- 1 cup cashews, chopped
Instructions
Meringue Layers
- Preheat oven to 300ºF.
- Place the egg whites in stand mixer with cream of tartar and salt. Start whisking the eggs on medium speed.
- Once the soft peaks start forming, add in the sugar one tablespoon at a time in slow steady stream. Once sugar has been added, turn the mixer on high and continue whisking until stiff peaks form. This will take about 6 to 7 minutes. Add in vanilla extract.
- Fold in the ground cashew. Divide the meringue into 3 parts and pour into round or square 8" baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour or until top becomes very dry and lightly brown. Set aside and let cool completely.
Buttercream Filling
- Place egg yolks in mixer with vanilla extract and salt. Start the mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Heat sugar and water over medium heat without stirring. Prepare brush and water and brush around the pot when sugar starts to bubble to prevent crystallization. Once thermometer reads 240ºF, remove from heat.
- Slowly drizzle the syrup on the side of the mixer's bowl to prevent it from splattering and scrambling the egg yolks. Turn the mixer on high and whisk until completely cool to touch.
- Add in the butter, a piece at a time and continue beating until light and fluffy. Refrigerate for a little while to make it a bit firmer if desired.
Assembly
- Place a layer of meringue then spread a thin layer of buttercream. Top with some cashews.
- Repeat above until everything is used up.
- (Optional) Trim the uneven sides then cover with some buttercream.
- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to a few hours or until buttercream firms up. Serve chilled.
0 comments