Sans Rival cake is the best Filipino cake. It's made with cashew meringue, luscious French buttercream, and roasted cashews, and it's perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.
This Sans Rival recipe was one of the first recipes to appear on the website in 2018. It is a reader favorite, made by thousands of readers with five-star reviews.
What is Sans Rival
Sans Rival cake is a Filipino layer cashew cake made with cashew meringue sandwiched with French buttercream. As a Filipino dessert cake, it is of French origin, where "sans" means "without," and "rival" means "rival." So, cake Sans Rival is translated as a "cake without rival."
Nowadays, there are different cake versions, such as pistachio Sans Rival, purple yam Sans Rival, and ube Sans Rival, as well as the cookie version - Silvanas.
The story behind the cake is that two sisters from the Philippines, Milagros Leelin-Yee and Clarita Leelin-Go, decided to reveal the guarded secret recipe of the cake Sans Rival and published it in the "Goldilocks Bakebook."
I am sharing an authentic Goldilocks Sansrival recipe adapted for US and metric measurements. The cookbook's Sansrival icing is equivalent to classic French buttercream.
For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.
How to make Sans Rival cake step-by-step
Step 1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter and flour four 8-inch (20 cm) cake rings. Place prepared rings on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper.
Step 2. To make the cashew meringue, mix ground and chopped cashews and all-purpose flour in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 3. Using an electric mixer, beat large egg whites with cream of tartar at medium speed for 1 minute, gradually adding the sugar.
Step 4. Switch the mixer to medium-high speed and continue to beat egg whites for about 4 to 5 minutes until medium peaks form. Avoid stiff peaks (photo 1).
Step 5. Add the flour and nut mixture to the beaten egg whites and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined (photo 2).
PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
Step 6. Equally, divide the meringue into the prepared cake rings and spread it evenly, using a small spatula or just pipe it from a piping bag (photo 3).
Step 7. Bake the meringue in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes until golden brown and dry (photo 4).
PHOTO 3
PHOTO 4
Step 8. Once the meringue disks are baked, immediately flip each onto another sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the parchment from the bottom and allow it to cool.
Step 9. To make French buttercream, beat egg yolks and vanilla extract at high speed with an electric mixer for 8 to 10 minutes (photo 5).
Step 10. Bring water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed small saucepan over low heat and cook the sugar syrup up to 240°F (115°C) - use a candy thermometer. Reset the mixer to low speed, gently pour the hot sugar syrup over the beaten egg yolks, and beat (photo 6).
PHOTO 5
PHOTO 6
Pro tip: Without a cooking thermometer, you must reach a soft ball stage. Just transfer a small amount of hot syrup to cold water. If it forms a small, pliable ball, the sugar syrup has reached 240 degrees F (115 °C).
Step 11. Transfer the ready egg yolk and sugar mixture to another bowl, cover with a plastic film, and let it cool.
Step 12. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter at low speed until smooth. Switch the mixer to medium speed and continue to beat until the volume increases (photo 7).
Step 13. Reset the mixer to low speed again and add the cooled egg yolk and sugar mixture. Whisk until the buttercream is smooth (photo 8).
PHOTO 7
PHOTO 8
Step 14. To assemble the cake, place the first meringue disk on a cake board or a serving plate. Using an offset spatula, spread the buttercream on top of the disk.
Step 15. Sprinkle with roasted chopped cashews. Repeat this operation with the remaining three meringue layers and the French buttercream (photo 9).
Step 16. Cover the top of the cake and its edges with the buttercream. Sprinkle with roasted chopped cashews. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (photo 10).
PHOTO 9
PHOTO 10
To serve, slice the cake with a sharp knife and let the slices come to room temperature to soften the buttercream.
Expert tips for Sans Rival cake
- Use high-quality European-style unsalted butter (82% fat content).
- Replace cashews with pistachios, peanuts, or other nuts, and cream of tartar with a double amount of lemon juice.
- Make two meringue discs at a time if you don't have four cake rings. Make half of the meringue mixture in this case and bake two disks. Then, make another half of the meringue and bake again.
- Do not overbeat the meringue: you should reach medium peaks (not firm ones).
- Adjust the baking time of your oven if needed. The recommended baking time is 50 to 55 minutes, but it could be less and rarely longer. The ready meringue disks have to be light brown and dry.
- Use a cooking thermometer to check the correct temperature of the sugar syrup.
- To roast cashews, heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and roast nuts on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.
- Make-ahead option: Bake the meringue disks one day ahead and store them in an airtight container, or simply cover them with a kitchen towel. Make the buttercream the next day and assemble the cake.
- Store the cake under a glass dome in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- You can freeze it well-wrapped for up to 4 weeks. To thaw, bring the cake to the fridge overnight or to the kitchen counter for at least 2 hours.
Recipe FAQ
Sans Rival resembles the French dacquoise, but it isn't dacquoise. Authentic dacquoise is made with nutty meringue (almond or hazelnut) and gluten-free; however, Sans Rival cake is made with a small amount of all-purpose flour.
Silvanas are Filipino sandwiched cookies made with cashew meringue, French buttercream, and ground cashews. They are a cookie version of the cake Sans Rival, perfect for sharing.
It's not recommended to bake layers of cashew meringue in baking pans. It's tricky to remove. Use cake rings for the best results.
Love dacquoise desserts? Try these next!
- Coconut dacquoise cake
- Pistachio dacquoise
- Nougatine cake
- Or browse all the cake recipes.
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PrintRecipe card
Sans Rival Cake (Filipino Cashew Cake)
Cake Sans Rival is the best Filipino cake, made with cashew meringue and French buttercream and finished with roasted chopped cashews. It's an irresistible recipe, perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations.
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients
For the meringue:
- ¾ cup (95 g) ground cashews (or cashew flour)
- ½ cup (70 g) chopped cashews
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 2 teaspoons lemon juice)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (225 g) granulated sugar
For French buttercream:
- ¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (170 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (55 ml) water
- 6 egg yolks, room temperature
- â…› teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (235 g) softened unsalted butter, 82%fat content
For the decoration:
- 1 ½ cups (105 g) roasted chopped cashews
*Don't you have the correct baking pan on hand right now? Try this simple Cake Pan Converter!
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter and flour four 8-inch (20 cm) cake rings. Place prepared rings on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper.
- To make the cashew meringue, mix ground and chopped cashews and all-purpose flour in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat egg whites with cream of tartar at medium speed for 1 minute using an electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar.
- Then switch the mixer to high speed and beat egg whites for about 4 to 5 minutes until medium peaks form. Add flour and nut mixture to the beaten egg whites and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined.
- Equally, distribute the preparation into the prepared cake rings and spread evenly, using a small spatula or just pipe from a pastry bag.
- Bake the meringue until light brown and dry for 50 to 55 minutes.
- Once the meringue disks are baked, immediately flip each of them onto another parchment paper sheet. Peel off the parchment from the bottom and allow it to cool.
- To make French buttercream, beat egg yolks and vanilla extract for about 8 to 10 minutes at high speed using an electric mixer.
- Bring water and sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan over low heat and cook sugar syrup up to 240°F (115°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 the softened butter at low speed until smooth in a separate bowl. Switch the mixer to medium speed and continue to beat until the volume increases. Reset the mixer to low speed again and add the cooled egg yolk and sugar mixture. Whisk until the buttercream is smooth.
- To assemble the cake, place the first meringue disk on a serving board. Spread the buttercream on top of the disk. Sprinkle with roasted chopped cashews.
- Repeat this operation with the remaining three meringue disks and French buttercream. Cover the top of the cake and its edges with buttercream. Sprinkle with roasted chopped cashews. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- To serve, slice the cake with a sharp knife and let the slices come to room temperature to soften the buttercream.
Notes
- Use high-quality European-style unsalted butter (82% fat content).
- Replace cashews with pistachios, peanuts, or other nuts, and cream of tartar with a double amount of lemon juice.
- Make two meringue disks at a time if you don't have four cake rings. Make half of the meringue mixture in this case and bake two disks. Then, make another half of the meringue and bake again.
- Do not overbeat the meringue: you should reach medium peaks (not firm ones).
- Adjust the baking time of your oven if needed. The recommended baking time is 50 to 55 minutes, but it could be less and rarely longer. The ready meringue disks have to be light brown and dry.
- Use a cooking thermometer to check the correct temperature of the sugar syrup.
- To roast cashews, heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and roast nuts on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.
- Make-ahead option: Bake the meringue disks one day ahead, store them in an airtight container, or cover them with a kitchen towel. The next day, make the buttercream and assemble the cake.
- Store the cake under a glass dome in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- Freeze it well-wrapped for up to 4 weeks. To thaw, bring the cake to the fridge overnight or to the kitchen counter for at least 2 hours.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 436
- 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
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The recipe was adapted from http://usa.inquirer.net/. It was initially published in 2018 but was updated with new content and photos.
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