Sans Rival Recipe – When it comes to cakes in a Filipino cuisine, you’ll find that many of them involve sponge cake, cream, or meringue. Some cakes even involve all three. One example of this is a Sans Rival. Sans Rival is not a name but rather refers to a type of cake that originates in the Philippines. It is a delicious dessert cake that comprises layers of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashews. Its name is derived from the French language, which means “unrivaled.” This cake can be decorated, left plain, or adorned with pistachios, depending on the baker’s preference.
When it comes to the origins of this cake, there is no definite answer. Some sources claim that the recipe has French roots in the dacquoise. According to one report, there is a chance that the cake descends from the tarta imperial rusa, the Spanish adaptation of a Russian cake that was a favorite of the Russian Imperial Family. Despite the uncertainty behind its origins, Sans Rival makes for a decadent cake to enjoy. Especially for those that like sweets with nuts. Making this cake can be a generally long process, but the end result is worth it. Do you want to test this cake out? Here is one Sans Rival Recipe you can try:
Sans Rival
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Meringue
- ¾ cup ground cashews (95 g)
- ½ cup chopped cashews (70 g)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30 g)
- 6 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar (225 g)
Ingredients for the Icing:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (170 g)
- ¼ cup water (55 ml)
- 6 egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (cubed and softened) (235 g)
Ingredients for Decoration
- 1 ½ cups roasted chopped cashews (105 g)
Instructions
Preparing the Layers
- First, preheat your oven to 300 degrees F/150 degrees C and butter and flour four 8-inch/20 cm cake rings. Place the rings on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Now, onto the meringue. In a bowl, mix ground and chopped cashews and all-purpose flour and set aside.
- Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar at medium speed for 1 minute using an electric mixer, gradually adding sugar. Then, switch to high speed and beat for about 4 to 5 minutes until medium peaks form.
- Add flour/nuts mixture to the egg whites and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined.
- Next, distribute the preparation into the cake rings and spread evenly, either with a small spatula or by piping from a pastry bag. Bake the meringue for 50 to 55 minutes or until dry.
- Once the meringue disks are baked, immediately flip each onto another parchment paper sheet. Peel off the parchment from the bottom and let it cool.
Making the Icing
- Beat egg yolks and vanilla extract for about 8 to 10 minutes at high speed, using an electric mixer.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring water and sugar over low heat and cook sugar syrup up to 240 degrees F or 115 degrees C.
- Reset the mixer to low speed and gently pour sugar syrup over the beaten egg yolks and beat.
- Transfer the ready egg yolks/sugar mixture to another bowl, cover with plastic film, and let it cool.
- Beat softened butter at low speed until smooth in a separate bowl. Switch to medium speed and continue to beat until the volume increases.
- Reset the mixer to low speed again and add the cooled egg yolks/sugar mixture. Whisk until the Sansrival icing is smooth.
Assembling the Cake
- To assemble the cake, place the first meringue disk on a serving board. Spread the icing on top of the disk and sprinkle with roasted chopped cashews.
- Repeat with the remaining disks and icing.
- Cover the top of the cake and edges with icing and sprinkle with roasted chopped cashews.
Tips for a Sans Rival Recipe
There are different tips and tricks to the different components of a Sans Rival. For example, if you want to avoid overbaking the meringue, they should have medium oeaks after the mixing process. Another cake that majorly has meringue in its mixture is Brazo de Mercedes, which as different variaitons which include Ube Brazo de Mercedes.
Aside from the meringue, you can make the creation of the icing easier by taking the butter out of the fridge 2 before the prep process. In addition to different tips to making the cake, you can also play around with the decoration and switch the cashews with other nuts such as peanuts or pistachios.
Other Cakes You Can Try
Filipino cuisine has a range of cakes you can enjoy for different types of sweet tooths. While the list of meringue cakes is not long, there is a list of cakes that use sponge cake. Examples of this is Ube Cake, Mammon, and Leche Flan Cake. If you want to explore more creamy cakes, check out Creama de Fruta or unique cakes like Cassava Cake. For something different but also features ube, check out Ube Leche Cake. Another option you can try is Buko Pandan Cake.
Outside of the variety of cake recipes, you can try other classic Filipino desserts such as Mango Float.
