Daring Bakers' November 2011: Sans Rival

Today is the 28^th. Yesterday was the 27^th (you don’t say…). The 27^th is the Daring Baker’s mandated posting date. I’m posting my daring baker’s project today because I post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays these days.

Alert the Daring Bakers’ Police immediately. Have them arrest me and toss me in a vat of ganache.

Actually, that sounds pretty good to me.

Do you know what else sounds pretty good? Sans Rival, a concoction involving cashews and meringue, and “optional” chocolate.

Optional? What? That may be what the recipe says, but the chocolate is obviously mandatory.

And where did we all get this recipe? From Catherine of Munchie Musings, who was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake!

Cake Ingredients

5 large egg whites, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup finely chopped, toasted cashews

Beat egg whites until foamy. 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. Fold in nuts. Trace four 4-inch circles onto parchment paper.

Flip parchment marking-side down and distribute meringue evenly throughout each sketched circle. Bake at 325°F for 25-30 minutes, or until tops are dry.

Buttercream Ingredients

2 1/2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

10 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Beat yolks at high speed until the yolks have doubled in volume and are a lemon yellow. 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. With the mixer on high, very slowly pour the syrup down the sides of the bowl, until all has been added. Continue beating on high until the mixture is room temperature; beat in butter one tablespoon at a time, then add chocolate, cocoa powder and salt.

Doesn’t that look rich? Superb paired with cake, right? So let’s make it even more decadent by including chocolate cashew filling.

Chocolate Cashew Filling Ingredients

½ cup chopped cashews

¼ teaspoon salt

4 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Then begin assembly by stacking the cake layers with chocolate cashew filling between each layer.

Then, yes then, coat it all with buttercream.

Have you ever heard of Sans Rival? And are you going to call the Daring Bakers’ Police about me?