Sans Rival

Sans Rival took shape in the Philippines in the 1920s and 1930s. The common account holds that Filipinos who studied in France in those decades brought home French pastry technique and the meringue-and-buttercream form, swapping the European hazelnuts or almonds for cashews, which grow locally; the dish's exact lineage, however, is disputed, with some tracing it instead to a Spanish adaptation of a Russian layered cake. Whatever its precise route, it became a distinctly Filipino celebration cake. It is closely related to the French dacquoise, though the Filipino version usually carries a little flour in the meringue, setting it apart.

The first bite is a brittle, shattering crunch of meringue and toasted cashew that gives way to a cool, dense ribbon of buttercream. It is intensely rich — pure butter, sugar, and egg yolk — cut by the savory snap of the nuts. Chilled, the layers firm up and slice cleanly; left at room temperature, the meringue softens and the whole thing turns chewier. A thin slice is plenty.

Whipped egg whites and sugar bake into a meringue whose sugar crystallizes and crisps as moisture drives off — the chopped cashews add fat and crunch and keep the sheets from being brittle to the point of cracking apart. A French buttercream is built by whisking hot sugar syrup into beaten egg yolks, then beating in soft butter: the yolks emulsify the butter into a silky, stable cream. Chilling sets that butter firm, which is what lets the soft cake hold sharp, sliceable layers.