Pistachio Sans Rival is a nutty twist on a classic Filipino cake Sans Rival. It'ss made with pistachio dacquoise sandwiched with French buttercream and generously sprinkled with crunchy pistachios. Pure yumminess.
Pistachio Sans Rival recipe
Pistachio Sans Rival is a multilayered cake with light and crispy dacquoise layers sandwiched with rich French buttercream (aka Sansrival icing). The cake is topped with chopped pistachio nuts, ensuring that every bite is full of nutty flavor.
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Since the 1920s and 1930s, when the cashew Sans Rival was probably invented, silvanas (a cookie version of the Sans Rival) and other cake variations were created.
Great news! You don't need to travel to the Philippines to try the authentic Sans Rival, which is served in many cafes, coffee shops, and bakeshops (Goldilocks, Contis). You can make it yourself.
Ingredients
For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.
For pistachio dacquoise:
- Pistachios: Use raw, unsalted pistachios and toast some to decorate the cake.
- Egg whites (room temperature): Gives volume and structure to the meringue.
- Cream of tartar or lemon juice: Helps to stabilize the egg whites.
- Sugar: Use caster sugar or superfine baker's sugar. You can process granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to make your sugar superfine.
For French buttercream:
- Egg yolks (room temperature): Create a rich, velvety buttercream frosting.
- Unsalted butter: Choose butter with 82% fat content for the best flavor and texture.
- Sugar: Use caster white sugar for sweetness.
- Dark rum brings a beautiful flavor to the buttercream.
How to make pistachio Sans Rival step-by-step
- Toast pistachios: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Toast 1 ¼ cup (125g) pistachios for 15 minutes, then cool and chop.
- Prepare cake rings: Reduce oven to 275°F (135°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment and place four 8-inch (20-cm) cake rings on top.
- Make pistachio dacquoise: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar at medium speed, gradually adding sugar until soft peaks form. Increase speed and whisk until stiff peaks. Gently fold in chopped raw pistachios. Divide the mixture into cake rings, smooth with a spatula, or pipe into spirals. Bake for 1 hour until golden brown. Let rest 5 minutes, release edges with a knife, flip onto parchment, peel off the bottom layer, and cool completely.
- Make French buttercream: Beat egg yolks at high speed until pale and doubled in volume (8-10 min). Heat sugar and water to 240°F (115°C). Reduce mixer speed, slowly pour in hot syrup while whisking, and beat for 4 minutes until cool. In another bowl, beat softened butter until smooth. Add egg yolk mixture and dark rum, beating until creamy.
- Assemble the cake: Place the first dacquoise disc on a cake board with a dab of buttercream. Spread buttercream, sprinkle chopped pistachios, and repeat for all layers. Frost the top and sides with remaining buttercream, coat with chopped toasted pistachios, and refrigerate overnight.
Expert Tips
- Do not over-mix the dacquoise mixture when you add chopped nuts; just combine.
- If you have only two cake rings, make the dacquoise twice (half of the recipe and another half) and bake two discs at a time.
- Bake the dacquoise one day in advance and store it in an airtight container, or simply cover it with a tea towel.
- Bring the cake to the counter 30 minutes before serving for the buttercream to soften. The dessert tastes best at room temperature.
Recipe variations
- Change nutty flavors. Use your favorite nuts, such as peanuts or almonds, to make peanut or almond cake variations or a Filipino classic - cashew Sans Rival.
- Decorate as you desire. Leave the cake plain (just covered with buttercream) or garnish with nuts. You can sprinkle chopped nuts over the cake or coat the sides.
- Make the cake larger or smaller, square or rectangular. Recalculate the ingredients using this simple cake pan converter.
Storing and freezing
Store the pistachio Sans Rival cake refrigerated for up to 3 days. It is better to use an airtight container, as the buttercream absorbs smells in the fridge.
Freeze the cake well wrapped for up to one week. To thaw, bring it to the refrigerator overnight. To serve, let it stay at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Chef Jill Sandique says, "You want it chewy, keep it in the fridge. Want it crunchy, keep it in the freezer."
Recipe FAQ
In French, Sans rival means 'unrivaled,' where sans means 'without' and rival means 'rival.' So cake Sans Rival means 'a cake without rival.'
Goldilocks Sans Rival is an authentic Filipino cake sold in the Goldilocks bakeshop in Mandaluyong City, Philippines, and in Goldilocks' locations in the USA.
No, there is no need to freeze it before serving. Instead, take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving it on the table. This time is required for the buttercream to soften.
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Love dacquoise cakes? Try these next!
Recipe card
Pistachio Sans Rival
Pistachio Sans Rival is a nutty twist on a classic Filipino cake Sans Rival. Made with pistachio dacquoise stacked with rich French buttercream and generously sprinkled with crunchy pistachios, it is the most beautiful Filipino dessert cake.
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Filipino
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For pistachio dacquoise:
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- ¾ tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup (225 g) caster sugar
- 1 cup (100 g) raw pistachios, finely chopped
For French buttercream:
- ¾ cup (170 g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (110 ml) water
- 9 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (235 g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
- ½ teaspoon dark rum
For the decoration:
- 1 ¼ cup (125 g) raw pistachios
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
**Don't you have the correct baking pan on hand right now? Try this simple Cake Pan Converter!
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place 1 ¼ cup (125 g) raw pistachios on a baking sheet and bring them to the oven to toast for 15 minutes. Let the nuts cool, chop, and set aside for decoration.
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Decrease oven temperature to 275°F (135°C). Place four 8 inches (20 cm) cake rings on a baking sheet layered with parchment.
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To make pistachio dacquoise, place egg whites with cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites at medium speed for 1 minute, gradually adding sugar until soft peaks.
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Switch the mixer to high speed and whisk the meringue for about 4 to 5 minutes until stiff peaks. Add chopped raw pistachios and gently mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.
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Divide the meringue preparation equally into the prepared cake rings and spread evenly with a small spatula. Instead, you can pipe the pistachio mixture as a spiral using a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809.
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Bake for 1 hour or until lightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes; use a small knife to release the edges of the dacquoise discs, and remove the cake rings. Then, flip each of the discs onto another sheet of parchment paper. Finally, peel off the parchment from the bottom and allow it to cool completely.
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To make the buttercream, whip egg yolks at high speed, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, until pale and doubled in volume, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
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Bring water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Cook sugar syrup until it reaches 240°F (115°C): use a cooking thermometer.
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Reset the mixer to low speed, and while whisking, pour the hot sugar syrup in thin streams into the beaten egg yolks and beat until the preparation cools down, for about 4 minutes. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the softened butter at low speed until smooth. Increase speed to medium, add the egg yolk/sugar mixture, and then dark rum. Beat until smooth and creamy.
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To assemble the cake, place a cake board on a flat surface and dot a little bit of the buttercream filling in the center of the board. Place the first dacquoise disc on the board and gently press to fix it. Spread buttercream on the top of the disc. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
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Repeat the process with the remaining three discs and the buttercream. Cover the top and sides of the torte with the remaining buttercream using a bent spatula. Sprinkle it all over with chopped toasted pistachios. Refrigerate overnight.
Notes
- Do not over-mix the dacquoise mixture when you add chopped nuts: just combine.
- If you have only two cake rings, you will need to make the dacquoise twice (half and half) and bake two discs at a time.
- Bake dacquoise one day in advance and store it in an airtight container, or simply cover it with a tea towel.
- Bring the cake to the counter 30 minutes before serving for the buttercream to soften. The dessert tastes best at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 419
- Sugar: 34.6 g
- Sodium: 25 mg
- Fat: 27.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.1 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 7.9 g
- Cholesterol: 199 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 Heny Sison's recipe. It was initially published on December 31, 2021, but has been revised to include improved content and photos.
Anjali says
I hadn't heard of this type of cake before coming across your recipe, but I'm so glad I did! It was a fun rainy day project to make with my kids today, and it turned out to be crunchy, flavorful, and perfectly sweet. I love the texture from the pistachios too!
Tavo says
It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe; I am such a fan of pistachios!
Juliette says
I agree it does look and sound amazing!
Charla says
You got my attention with the pistachios; I love anything with pistachios in!!
Lucy says
This pistachio Sans Rival cake tastes incredible! I've never heard of it before, but I will regularly bake it. Such a delicious treat or dessert.
Toni says
This is such a delicious cake!! A perfect treat for all pistachio lovers!
Mandy Applegate says
Oh, this was so delicious! I definitely will be making this recipe again!
Gus says
Making this cake again today! The first time it flew away!
Jessica Stroup says
This was such fun bread to make! Absolutely fantastic! So moist and full of flavors!
Dana Sandonato says
I absolutely love pistachios, so this is such a treat! So crunchy and nutty and sweet!
Kristen says
This was super tasty! I can't wait to make it again. Thank you!
Genevieve says
I've never heard of Pistachio Sans Rival, but this dessert sounds amazing! Look at those gorgeous pistachios!
Veena says
This recipe is too delicious, and I have to try this soon. I love the pistachios toppings too. Yum!!
Heidy says
I had never had pistachio Sans Rival until today! I sure have been missing out! Great recipe!
Jen says
Our family is obsessed with pistachios! I can't wait to make this cake!
Kim says
I just love pistachio, and this was a fun and delicious cake!
Gina says
This was my first time making this, and as a pistachio lover, I couldn't wait! It came out excellent! Such a great recipe that had my family and me going for seconds!
Savita says
This cake looks so incredible; I can't wait to try it out.
Sandra Dean says
The Recipe is one of my favorites and the whole family … I CALL THEM JAPONAISE CAKES WITH A COFFE CREAM FOR FILLING AND HAZELNUT MEAL
BUT MADE WITH ROASTED AND GROUND CASHEW NUTS 😋😋😋 Thank you for sharing your recipe .. I make my JAPONAISE cakes very often into individual ones and sometime make them into a birthday cake 🎂 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️🎂
Maria says
Could you please share the quantity of the ingredients, like the sugar / yes, I know we need caster, but how much? I could not find the amount of each ingredient - how many eggs etc.
Irina says
Hello Maria, the recipe card with ingredients and instructions is at the bottom of the post.
Danica says
I don't have dark rum. What is a good substitute for it? Non alcohol, please.
Irina Totterman says
Hello Danica, You can omit this ingredient or replace it with vanilla flavor (1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste, or seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean). Happy baking!
Laurel says
The least expensive 8” cake ring I can find is $17. Is there an alternative to shaping the discs?
Irina Totterman says
Hello Laurel, You will need at least two cake rings and make the pistachio meringue twice. The meringue mixture is liquid enough to pipe it. Unfortunately, I cannot offer any alternative to cake rings.
Maria lazarou says
Hi can you freeze it with the cream?
Irina Totterman says
Hello Maria, yes, you can freeze it.