Sans Rival Cake with Cashews (Filipino)

Sans rival consists of three separate layers of cashew nut meringue sandwiched together with French buttercream, which can be enriched with whole cashew nuts, depending on the recipe. Once assembled, the cake is coated with the remaining buttercream and sprinkled with chopped cashews. The contrast between the rich, buttery cream, the nut meringue, and the sprinkled chopped cashews gives the dessert its unique texture. Since a true Sans Rival cake should have meringue layers that are crunchy, it should be kept in the freezer before serving.

French influence in the Filipino cuisine, although small compared to Chinese and Spanish influence, can be clearly seen in this dessert classic. Technically a dacquoise, sans rival likely became a part of Filipino cuisine in the late 19th or early 20th century, when many Filipinos travelled abroad to France, bringing many of the cooking techniques they learned back with them. In this case, it was just a simple matter of substituting almonds and hazelnuts in the dacquoise with cashews, a variety of nut produced in the Philippines.

Meringue:
6 large egg whites
¾ cup granulated sugar (150 g)
1½ cups cashews, finely chopped (210 g)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

French Buttercream:
1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
⅓ cup water (160 mL)
6 large egg yolks
½ lb butter (225 g)
2 Tbsp. rum

Decoration:
1½ cups cashews, chopped, roasted (105 g)

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2).

Make the Meringue:
Start by beating the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add the sugar, and after each addition beat well to incorporate. Beat the egg whites until they become very stiff.

At this stage, fold in the cashew nuts and vanilla, then thinly spread in three greased and floured 18x15" (45x38 cm) cooking sheets.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. While still hot, transfer the meringues out of the baking sheets on a flat surface to cool.

For the French Buttercream:
First, boil the sugar and water until a syrup-like consistency and beat the egg yolks well until thick.

Pour the still hot sugar syrup in thin streams into a bowl with egg yolks, while beating continuously, and then leave to cool.

Cream the butter and add to it the egg yolk mixture and rum; mix to make sure they are well blended.

Assemble:
Coat each of the meringue layers with cream and place them one on top of the other. Spread the cream on top and the sides of the assembled cake and sprinkle with chopped cashew nuts. Leave to chill before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• Meringue: To make your meringue chewy on the inside, it is recommended to add cornstarch (corn flour) to the whites. Also, vinegar or lemon juice is commonly added to the egg whites to help prevent the meringue from collapsing. Another tip is to not overbeat the egg whites, and once the meringue is baked, it's best to leave it to cool in the oven - that way the meringue will not crack.
• Cream: When making the French buttercream, it is essential that the hot sugar syrup is poured into the beaten egg yolks in thin streams to prevent the egg yolks from curdling.
• Storing: The meringue in the dessert must stay crisp, and to ensure that, sans rival should be kept in the freezer. Still, if you prefer a chewy texture, simply store the cake in the refrigerator.
• Roast Cashews: To roast cashews yourself, heat oven to 300°F (150°C) and roast nuts on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.
• Makje Ahead: Make meringue disks one day ahead and store in an airtight container or simply cover them with a kitchen towel. You might choose to bake two meringue disks at a time, using two cake rings.
• Sugar Syrup: Use a cooking thermometer to check the correct temperature of the sugar syrup.
• Butter: Take the butter out of the fridge 2 hours before making the French Buttercream. Then cut butter into small cubes to get 1 cup.
• Variations: Switch cashews with other nuts such as almonds, peanuts or pistachios.