Sans Rival

Sans Rival literally translated as "no rival" is a meringue cake layered with cashew (or any other nut) nuts and french buttercream. Why french buttercream? It's because it is the way to use up the eggyolks from the meringue. The recipe is very simple. I got this from my ever favorite baking book, "Dorothy's Cooking School Cookbook 1". I have adapted the recipe and procedure.

Meringue Layer:

1 cup eggwhites (I used 9 eggwhites)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup ground cashew nuts (I toasted it before grounding)

French Buttercream:

4.5 oz (or 9 Tablespoons) water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
9 eggyolks
1 1/2 cups butter
4 tsps dark rum (optional)

Garnishings:
1 cup coarsely chopped cashew nuts

Note:

For the ground cashew nuts, I used a food processor to grind it. You can use a blender, too.

For the garnishing, I ran the food processor for a few seconds to chop the nuts. Makes the job so much easier.

I halved the recipe for the meringue and made it in two batches because my oven is small and can only accommodate two small cookie sheets.

Note that the colored text below is my adaptation.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 300 deg F. Line the underside of 3 8x12x2 pan with aluminum foil. Set aside

(I used two jelly roll pans, lined it with parchment paper (not waxed paper) and outlined it using 9x13 pan (that's the only one I have).

Beat the eggwhites with the cream of tartar until frothy. At medium speed, gradually add the sugar. Once all the sugar is added, beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the vanilla and ground nuts.

Divide the mixture equally among the baking pans and spread it evenly. I used the outline of the pan on the parchment as guide. Do not spread it too thick. The second batch I made was too thick and went soggy after cooling down because the inner part of the meringue wasn't yet thoroughly baked. Do not spread it too thin either.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour or until meringue is evenly colored. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing the paper.

Prepare your frosting:

Combine water, sugar and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. Let it boil on low-med heat until it spins a thread. While sugar is boiling, beat the eggyolks using an electric mixer until thick and lemon colored. As soon as the sugar spins a thread, add the syrup in thin streams to the beaten eggyolks.

The easier way to do this is to add a little sugar to the eggyolks, beat a little, add a little, beat a little until all the sugar has been added. It prevents the sugar from splattering around your bowl. I got this tip from this site.

When all the sugar is added, beat at high speed until mixture has thickened. Refrigerate to cool down completely.

What I do is NOT refrigerate but beat the mixture is at room temperature. I test this by touching the mixing bowl. If it is lukewarm I start adding the butter. (If using a heavy duty mixer, switch to paddle attachment before adding the butter. I use a handheld mixer all throughout and the result is just perfect). Make sure the butter is not very cold but not melted either. I use a still cold but soft butter. Add it a little at a time. If you don't let the mixture cool down, it will become soupy when you add the butter. When all the butter has been added, beat at high speed for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the cold eggyolk mixture to the butter while beating at medium speed.Wait for the butter to absorb the eggyolk mixture before adding the next spoonful.

To assemble, position a layer of meringue on a serving plate. Spread buttercream and sprinkle with chopped cashew nuts. Continue the layering process. Cover the top and sides and garnish with more chopped nuts. Refrigerate or freeze to allow the buttercream to firm up.

Eat moderately. Take note that you are like eating 80% sugar and butter and eggs.