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Homemade Sans Rival
"Sans rival is actually a Filipino version of a famous French dessert, dacquiose. While the French uses almonds or other nuts, sans rival uses roasted cashew nuts. Why cashew nuts? Well, cashew nuts are definitely a Filipino trademark, and it taste so so good! Roasted cashew nuts are then turned into flour and mixed with meringue then are baked. These baked wafers have an outstanding flavor that goes really well with French buttercream.Sans rival is actually a French word which means ‘unrivaled‘ or ‘no rival‘."
Serves4
Preparation Time20 min
Chilling Time3 hr
Cooking Time1 hr 20 min
Cooking MethodOven
Ingredients
- 3 cups unsalted cashew nuts
- 8 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 cups refined sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 cup refined sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups softened butter, cut into cubes
Instructions
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the cashew nuts evenly. In a preheated oven, roast the cashew nuts for 8-10 minutes or until light brown.
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Separate 8 egg whites from the yolks.
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Let the nuts cool down. Put them into a food processor/grinder. Pulse them slowly. Take about 1 cup of ground cashew nuts with big bits. After taking out a cup of big bits, continue grinding the nuts until it looks like sand with big granules. This is your cashew flour.
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The next step is to make the meringue. In a big mixing bowl, put your egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat them with hand or stand mixer until frothy. Once frothy, gradually add refined sugar (one tbsp at a time) while continually beating the egg whites. Continue this process until all the sugar is put into the mixture and the meringue reaches its stiff peak.
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Gently fold in the cashew flour into the meringue by using a baking spatula. This should be done as carefully as possible, or the meringue will shrink. (And we don't want that!) Once fully incorporated, place the meringue batter into a piping bag (without a piping tip) and set aside.
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Trace 4 circles on parchment papers (around 6 inches in diameter). Then pipe the meringue batter following the circle traces. Continue doing it until all 4 circles are evenly covered with meringue. Make sure that each circle has about the same amount and thickness of the batter.
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Bake the batter circles in 325*F (180*C) for 18 - 20 minutes or until the wafers are golden brown. Peel off the baking sheets carefully and immediately. Place the wafers on a cooling rack to cool down completely.
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While waiting for the wafers to cool down, you may now make your French buttercream frosting. Beat 8 egg yolks for around 5 minutes or until it turns pale in color.
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In a saucepan, put 1 cup of refined sugar and 1/3 cup of water. DO NOT MIX OR STIR! Place into a medium low heat and let the syrup boil slowly.
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Once the sugar is completely dissolved and bubbles are appearing in the middle of the syrup, remove it from the heat. Pour the hot syrup slowly to the egg yolks while still beating them in medium speed. Continue beating until fully incorporated.
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Gradually add butter in the mixture, one cube at a time. Continue doing this process until all butter is put in and the frosting is smooth.
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In a plate or cake board, start assembling the sans rival. Smear a little buttercream at the center of the cake board. This will serve as a "glue" so your cake will not slide sideways. Put the first circle wafer right on top of the smeared buttercream. Spread more buttercream on top of the wafer, then sprinkle some cashew nuts bits. Put another wafer on top and repeat the process until all the wafers are assembled.
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Cover the whole cake with buttercream, as smooth as possible. Sprinkle the remaining cashew bits on top of the cake, depending on your preferred design.
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Let sans rival rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours (or overnight) to set. Once set, serve with your favorite drink and enjoy!