The Best Pistachio Sans Rival

A slice of pistachio sans rival on a plate.

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Pistachio sans rival is a mouthwatering variation of the popular Filipino cake, sans rival. Layers of crunchy and chewy pistachio meringue plus luxurious French buttercream. So good!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Chilling Time2

Total Time3

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Filipino

Servings: people

Calories: 462kcal

Author: Jolina

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Pistachio Meringue:

10 egg whites from large eggs room temperature
¾ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup shelled salted pistachios roughly chopped

For the French Buttercream:

10 egg yolks from large eggs
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 cups unsalted butter cubed and softened

Assembly

2 cups shelled salted pistachios roughly chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Pistachio Meringue:

Preheat your oven to 320F. Line baking pan/s with parchment paper, lightly grease and set aside (see notes).
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, whisk egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy.
10 egg whites from large eggs
Add cream of tartar and continue whisking until soft peaks.
¾ tsp cream of tartar
Gradually (about a teaspoon at a time) add sugar until stiff peaks form.
1 cup granulated sugar
Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold chopped pistachios.
1 cup shelled salted pistachios
Transfer your meringue to a piping bag and pipe onto your prepared pan/s. Space out evenly, at least 2 inches apart, and smoothen the tops (see notes).
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top turns a light golden brown.
Turn the oven off but leave the meringue in the oven with the door closed for another 20 minutes.
Take the meringue out of the oven and leave on the pan until it's cool enough to handle (don't leave on the pan for too long or they will become too brittle and break).
Carefully peel the meringue off the parchment and trim the sides if needed so they're even. Cool completely before assembly.

For the French Buttercream:

While your meringue are baking, you can work on your buttercream. Start by boiling water in a large pot, then bringing it to a simmer.
In a large stainless steel bowl (I like using the bowl of my stand mixer), whisk egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and salt until combined.
10 egg yolks from large eggs, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, pinch salt
Place bowl over simmering water and constantly stir and scrape the sides so the egg yolks don’t scramble. You need this egg sugar mixture to reach 155F/68C to make sure the yolks are cooked through.
When it’s ready, transfer the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk at high speed until it’s light and smooth (6-8 minutes). If you touch the bottom of your bowl it should not be hot anymore.
With the mixer still on, start adding butter one piece at a time and continue whisking until your buttercream is thick and creamy.
2 cups unsalted butter
If you’re not using the buttercream right away, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. You’ll need to re-whip before using.

For the Assembly:

Place one meringue layer on a cake stand or platter or turntable and spread about ¼ of your buttercream evenly on it.
Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and continue to do the same thing for the rest of your layers.
2 cups shelled salted pistachios
For your last one, make sure to put the smooth side up so your cake looks nice and even on top.
Then you can go decorate! Frost your entire cake with buttercream and slap on the rest of your pistachios on the sides or top or both.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the cake to set. Leave on the counter at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

It’s helpful to create a guide or template to help you pipe your meringue later. I sometimes do rectangles, this time I did circles. Simply trace whatever shape you choose on your parchment, invert parchment and use that to line your baking pan. My rectangles are usually 4x6 inches, my circles are usually 6 inches.
Note that there's enough meringue to make 4-6 layers depending on how big your shapes are. I usually always make 4 fairly thick meringue pieces. You can make slightly thinner meringues to make a taller layer cake.
See post for lots of baking tips, a troubleshooting guide, FAQs and step-by-step photos.

Nutrition