Filipino dessert cake known as “sans rival” is comprised of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashew layers. Its name is French for “unrivaled.” The cake can be embellished, left plain, or pistachios can be added as a garnish.
It’s unclear where the cake came from. The cake is said to be descended from the tarta imperial rusa, a Spanish modification of a Russian cake that was favored by the Russian Imperial Family, according to Lucy Torres Gomez, writing in The Philippine Star. One source states the dish finds its origins in the French dacquoise.
A silvana is a comparable, scaled-down variation of this dish.
Sans Rival Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the meringue:
For the Sansrival icing:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 6 pic egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (cubed and softened)
For the decoration:
- 1 ½ cups roasted chopped cashews
Instructions
- Set the oven's temperature to 300 °F/150 °C. Four 8-inch/20-cm cake rings have been butter and floured. Put the prepared rings on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- All-purpose flour, pulverized and chopped cashews, and sugar should be combined in a bowl to produce the meringue. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed for 1 minute while incorporating sugar gradually. After that, increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat the egg whites for 4 to 5 minutes, or until medium peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to thoroughly incorporate the egg whites with the flour/nut mixture after adding it.
- Spread the mixture equally using a small spatula or just pipe it from a pastry bag into the prepared cake rings. The meringue should be baked for 50 to 55 minutes, or until dry. Turn each of the baked meringue disks over immediately onto a fresh parchment paper sheet. Allow the parchment to cool before removing it from the bottom.
- Egg yolks and vanilla extract should be mixed with an electric mixer at high speed for 8 to 10 minutes to make Sansrival icing. In a heavy bottom pan over low heat, combine the water and sugar. Cook the mixture until the sugar syrup reaches 240 degrees F/115 degrees C. Set the mixer back to low, then slowly pour sugar syrup over the beating egg yolks while continuing to beat. Put the prepared egg yolks and sugar mixture in a another bowl, wrap it in plastic wrap, and set it aside to cool. In a another bowl, beat the softened butter on low speed until it is smooth. Increase the mixer's speed to medium, then beat the mixture until it becomes louder. Add the cooled egg yolk/sugar combination after resetting the mixer to low speed. till the Sansrival is smooth.
- Place the first meringue disk on a serving platter to begin assembling the cake. On top of the disk, spread the Sansrival frosting. Add some chopped, roasted cashews. Use the remaining three meringue disks and Sansrival icing to carry out the same procedure. Icing should be used to coat the cake's top and edges. Add some chopped, roasted cashews.
Notes
- Sugar: 30.1 g
- Sodium: 197 mg
- Fat: 31.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 16.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.2 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 5.5 g
- Cholesterol: 143 mg
Final Thought:
Despite being a Filipino dessert, Layer Cashew Cake Sans Rival is unmistakably French in origin (it is translated as a “cake without rival” from French).
The cake’s backstory is that two Philippine sisters named Milagros Leelin-Yee and Clarita Leelin-Go chose to publish the closely-guarded recipe for the cake Sans Rival in the “Goldilocks Bakebook.” Delicious Filipino recipes are spread throughout the book! Although there are other variations of the cake, such as Pistachio Sans Rival, Purple yam Sans Rival, etc., I am giving the original recipe for Sans Rival cake.
