Around the holiday season, this traditional Goan cashew nut cake with buttercream is available at some bakeries in Goa. Many have not seen or heard of this cake, which is slowly disappearing or fading away. I was fortunate to taste it at our relatives place in Goa and the entire family loved it at the first bite. It was so memorable and unforgettable that I could not stop thinking about it. I requested for the recipe, but in vain. Anyway, where there is a will, there is a way. Here is another winning recipe for the ultimate bolo sans rival, one that you must try and taste in your lifetime.
This cake has French buttercream sandwiched in between layers of meringue, which is prepared with egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, chopped cashew nuts and vanilla extract. French buttercream is made with egg yolks that are whipped until they are thick and pale yellow. Hot sugar syrup which has reached the soft ball stage is beaten with the egg yolks until cool. Once at room temperature, butter and flavourings (rum, vanilla or almond extract) are then whipped in. This buttercream has a tendency to melt faster due to the high content of fat from the egg yolks and butter. The best part is that it can be refrigerated to firm up, whipped again and use. Once the cake is layered and covered, it is adorned with chopped cashew nuts or slivered almonds and cherries. Refrigerated to set for at least a couple of hours or more before slicing. Rich, creamy, chewy, nutty with a slight crunch, a small slice goes a long way. Incredibly delicious, irresistible and memorable.
Sans Rival is a very popular and expensive dessert cake in the Philippines. The Filipinos use roasted cashew nuts unlike Goans who prefer to use them without roasting. The original recipe had almonds, but due to costs and non-availability of almonds, cashew nuts were the perfect substitute. Bolo in Portuguese is "cake" and Sans Rival comes from the French phrase meaning "without rival".
This cake has French buttercream sandwiched in between layers of meringue, which is prepared with egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, chopped cashew nuts and vanilla extract. French buttercream is made with egg yolks that are whipped until they are thick and pale yellow. Hot sugar syrup which has reached the soft ball stage is beaten with the egg yolks until cool. Once at room temperature, butter and flavourings (rum, vanilla or almond extract) are then whipped in. This buttercream has a tendency to melt faster due to the high content of fat from the egg yolks and butter. The best part is that it can be refrigerated to firm up, whipped again and use. Once the cake is layered and covered, it is adorned with chopped cashew nuts or slivered almonds and cherries. Refrigerated to set for at least a couple of hours or more before slicing. Rich, creamy, chewy, nutty with a slight crunch, a small slice goes a long way. Incredibly delicious, irresistible and memorable.
Sans Rival is a very popular and expensive dessert cake in the Philippines. The Filipinos use roasted cashew nuts unlike Goans who prefer to use them without roasting. The original recipe had almonds, but due to costs and non-availability of almonds, cashew nuts were the perfect substitute. Bolo in Portuguese is "cake" and Sans Rival comes from the French phrase meaning "without rival".
Bolo Sans Rival
(Serves 10 to 15)
Ingredients:
6 large eggs separated (whites for the meringue and yolks for the buttercream as listed below)
1 cup unsalted cashew nuts (chopped, for garnishing)
few cherries (for garnishing)
Meringue
Ingredients:
6 large egg whites (room temperature)
3/4 cup superfine white granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 cup unsalted cashew nuts (chopped)
cherries for garnishing
Method:
Grease and line four round flat baking trays with parchment paper.
Note:
Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C.
Using a stand mixer or with an electric beater, beat the egg whites until foamy.
Note:
Sprinkle the cream of tartar and then gradually add sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, adding vanilla extract in between. Do not overbeat, the structure of the egg whites will break and liquid will start to weep.
Note:
Mix the cornflour with 1 cup cashew nuts and using a spatula, gently fold into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Addition of cornflour imparts a slightly chewy texture to the meringue.
Note:
Divide the egg whites (1 1/4 cups each) into the four trays or circles. Spread evenly using an offset spatula.
Bake for 1 hour rotating trays, around and moving them from one rack to another.
Note:
Once the meringues turn to a light golden brown colour, turn off the oven and leave the meringue in the oven to dry and crisp further for another 15 minutes. Do not open the oven.
Gently pull away the parchment paper from the meringue and not vice versa or else the meringue will crack. Handle the crispy meringues very delicately. Set aside.
Buttercream
Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks (room temperature)
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons rum
Method:
Using a stand mixer or with an electric beater, beat egg yolks till double in volume, light yellow and frothy.
Note:
On medium heat, in a saucepan, melt sugar with water. Do not stir sugar but swirl the pan until the sugar reaches a soft ball stage (235 F to 240 F or 118 C to 120 C).
(Soft ball stage - A small amount of the mixture dropped into cold water should form into a soft, flexible ball.)
While beating the egg yolks on high, slowly pour the syrup in trickles, down the sides of the bowl. Do not pour onto the beaters or the syrup can splash and burn you. Also, you don't want to scramble or separate the yolks with the hot syrup so do not add the syrup all at once. The syrup should lightly cook the yolks. Whisk well until cool or set aside to bring it down to room temperature, which should take few minutes.
Once cool, beat in tablespoons of butter till smooth and fluffy. Ensure to scrape down the sides of the bowl, while beating. Finally, add rum and whip till creamy.
Note:
Assembling:
Put a dab of buttercream on a cake board or plate to hold the first layer of meringue in place. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the meringue and then place the second meringue. Continue alternating with buttercream and meringue. Spread the top with buttercream and any extra, can be used to cover the sides. Garnish the top and sides with reserved 1 cup cashew nuts and cherries. Alternatively, slivered almonds can be used.
Refrigerate cake for at least two hours or more to set before slicing and serving. To slice, warm a knife and wipe dry before each cut. Freeze any leftover cake and serve cold as it tends to get soggy.
Note:
(Serves 10 to 15)
Ingredients:
6 large eggs separated (whites for the meringue and yolks for the buttercream as listed below)
1 cup unsalted cashew nuts (chopped, for garnishing)
few cherries (for garnishing)
Meringue
Ingredients:
6 large egg whites (room temperature)
3/4 cup superfine white granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 cup unsalted cashew nuts (chopped)
cherries for garnishing
Method:
Grease and line four round flat baking trays with parchment paper.
Note:
- I have used four round 11-inch stainless steel plates. Alternatively, you can use a flat cookie sheet, line it with parchment paper and trace 6-inch or 8-inch circles. You may need to use two cookie sheets to trace and spread the egg whites.
Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C.
Using a stand mixer or with an electric beater, beat the egg whites until foamy.
Note:
- I have used the wire whip for the Kitchenaid stand mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the cream of tartar and then gradually add sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, adding vanilla extract in between. Do not overbeat, the structure of the egg whites will break and liquid will start to weep.
Note:
- Cream of tartar is used to stabilize the egg whites and increase their volume. If you do not have cream of tartar, it is fine. Sugar also stabilizes the egg whites.
Mix the cornflour with 1 cup cashew nuts and using a spatula, gently fold into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Addition of cornflour imparts a slightly chewy texture to the meringue.
Note:
- Do not grind cashew nuts in the food processor. I tried pulsing them and some quickly turned to powder. Better to chop them with a knife. I just break them with my fingers.
Divide the egg whites (1 1/4 cups each) into the four trays or circles. Spread evenly using an offset spatula.
Bake for 1 hour rotating trays, around and moving them from one rack to another.
Note:
- I noticed that the ones in the middle position started to brown faster so I moved them up and ones which were up, down to the middle position. The middle and the top racks were used, accommodating all the four plates.
Once the meringues turn to a light golden brown colour, turn off the oven and leave the meringue in the oven to dry and crisp further for another 15 minutes. Do not open the oven.
Gently pull away the parchment paper from the meringue and not vice versa or else the meringue will crack. Handle the crispy meringues very delicately. Set aside.
Buttercream
Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks (room temperature)
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons rum
Method:
Using a stand mixer or with an electric beater, beat egg yolks till double in volume, light yellow and frothy.
Note:
- I have used the wire whip for the Kitchenaid stand mixing bowl.
On medium heat, in a saucepan, melt sugar with water. Do not stir sugar but swirl the pan until the sugar reaches a soft ball stage (235 F to 240 F or 118 C to 120 C).
(Soft ball stage - A small amount of the mixture dropped into cold water should form into a soft, flexible ball.)
While beating the egg yolks on high, slowly pour the syrup in trickles, down the sides of the bowl. Do not pour onto the beaters or the syrup can splash and burn you. Also, you don't want to scramble or separate the yolks with the hot syrup so do not add the syrup all at once. The syrup should lightly cook the yolks. Whisk well until cool or set aside to bring it down to room temperature, which should take few minutes.
Once cool, beat in tablespoons of butter till smooth and fluffy. Ensure to scrape down the sides of the bowl, while beating. Finally, add rum and whip till creamy.
Note:
- If butter was whipped in while the yolks were still warm, the mixture may be runny. Just refrigerate to firm and then beat again till fluffy before using.
Assembling:
Put a dab of buttercream on a cake board or plate to hold the first layer of meringue in place. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the meringue and then place the second meringue. Continue alternating with buttercream and meringue. Spread the top with buttercream and any extra, can be used to cover the sides. Garnish the top and sides with reserved 1 cup cashew nuts and cherries. Alternatively, slivered almonds can be used.
Refrigerate cake for at least two hours or more to set before slicing and serving. To slice, warm a knife and wipe dry before each cut. Freeze any leftover cake and serve cold as it tends to get soggy.
Note:
- Rum in the buttercream can be replaced with vanilla or almond extract. Flavourings as desired, can be used. The cake was incredibly delicious with the buttercream flavoured with rum. I have used Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum.
- Handle meringues when baked very gently. They have a tendency to crack. If any do crack, just use them in between and cover with buttercream.
- You can use smaller pans or tray for more layers.
- The size of my meringues were 9" each so I had enough buttercream to sandwich and cover the top. Only 1/2 cup reserved cashew nuts were used to decorate the top.
- Use a clean bowl when whisking the egg whites, free from any fat or traces of egg yolks.
- Cashew nuts are usually ground but trust me, chopped nuts taste better in the meringue.
- Instead of buttercream, you can use whipped cream beaten with sugar and flavouring.
- Both the meringues and buttercream can be prepared ahead. Meringues can be left in the oven to dry out and buttercream refrigerated.
- In case you need to trim off the edges, a crispy meringue will crack and be difficult. After assembling and refrigerating, the meringue will be soft and easy to trim.
- Instead of a round cake, you can bake a rectangular one. Just trace rectangles on parchment paper, place on cookie sheet, spread egg white mixture and bake.
- Bol sans Rival is available at Fernandos Nostalgia, Raia and Horseshoe, Panjim. Check at Jila Bakers, Loutolim.
- Watch this video on how to incorporate hot syrup into the beaten yolks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQgT-05BbXI
