Daring Bakers: Sans Rival

It is that time of the month once again. That's right, Daring Bakers time!! Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert –the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.

I have never worked with meringue before, so I was excited to try this Filipino dessert! Especially the chocolate variety!! I was a little disappointed when I pulled the first batch out of the oven as the edges seemed burnt and I thought I'd ruined it. But in trimming the edges to make uniform layers, all was well again. The layers are pretty thin, but I consider that a plus since thick layers would make eating a slice of the finished product more difficult ;)

The end result was a light, fluffy, very chocolatey (i.e. super-rich) treat with just a little bit of crunch from the cashews. I was very pleased!!

Sans Rival
Source: Catherine of Munchie Musings

Ingredients

• 10 large egg whites, room temp
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ cup Dutch processed cocoa
• 2 cups chopped, toasted cashews

Preparation

Note: You will need four layers which will mean that you might have to bake in two batches. Be sure to use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.

1. Preheat oven to moderate 325°F.
2. Line cake pan bottoms with parchment paper and butter and flour the sides really well.
3. In a large clean, dry glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium until foamy (2 mins.)
4. Sprinkle with cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, continuing to beat now at high speed until stiff shiny peaks form. (about 7-10 mins.)
5. Fold in nuts, reserving enough to use for decoration.
6. Divide meringue into four equal parts. Spread in pans, evenly to edges. If doing batches, use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch. 
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the meringue from the baking pans while still hot; allow to cool slightly. Peel off the parchment paper while it is still warm, it is difficult to remove sometimes when they have completely cooled. 
8. When cool, trim edges so that all 4 meringue layers are uniformly shaped. Set aside.

French Buttercream

Ingredients

• 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• Optional Flavorings: 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 1½ teaspoon almond extract, or 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract, or any flavor you like.

Preparation

1. Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until the yolks have doubled in volume and are a lemon yellow.
2. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat, stirring the sides down only until all the sugar is dissolved and the syrup reaches 235°F (or thread stage).
3. With the mixer on high, very slowly pour the syrup down the sides of the bowl, until all has been added. Be careful as the very hot syrup could burn you if it splashes from the beaters. Continue beating on high until the mixture is ROOM TEMPERATURE(about 15 mins). Still on high, beat in the soft, room temperature butter a tablespoon at a time.
4. Add flavoring after you beat in the butter. Refrigerate the buttercream for at least an hour, and whip it smooth just before you use it.

Assembly 

1. Set bottom meringue on cake board with a dab of butter cream to hold it in place.
2. Spread a thin layer of buttercream and then place another meringue on top. Repeat with a thin layer of buttercream, meringue, thin layer ofbuttercream, meringue, and finally buttercream the top and sides.
3. Decorate with reserved nuts.