Sans Rival Cake
Feb 22, 2025 07:58 AM
With layers of chewy cashew meringue and luscious French buttercream, this Filipino Sans Rival Cake definitely stands up to its name. Meaning "without rival," it's hard to find a more delicious cake than this!
Even if you've made your share of meringue and layer cakes, I am not kidding when I say that this cake truly is unbeatable and unique. This Sans Rival Cake gets mega crunch from roasted cashews that are paired with the silkiest French buttercream.
While the pastry techniques and name are French, the cake is decidedly Filipino. You can trace back the recipe to the Philippines during the 1920-30’s, but the origins have been disputed.
Some say that the Filipino cake was created after many Filipinos traveled to Europe to work and study around that time. The cake is undoubtedly similar to the French dacquoise. Instead of hazelnuts, the Sans Rival is made with cashews native to the Philippines.
It makes sense that these French cooking techniques would be employed using local ingredients after returning back to the Philippines. However, another journalist claims the dessert took inspiration from the Spanish Tarta Imperial Rusa that has Russian roots - also made with French meringue and ground nuts.
Ingredients:
For the Cashew Meringues
- 4 ⅓ cups (500g) cashews divided
- 8 large egg whites
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- pinch salt
For the French Buttercream
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups (340g) unsalted butter softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- pinch salt
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
45 minutes
Total Time:
120 minutes
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