Lisette's Cooking Adventures: Bolo Sans Rival

Bolo Sans Rival is a cake that Goans have inherited from Europe and is now very much a part of our cook books. It appears to have its beginnings in the French sweet called dacquoise, which is a nut filled meringue sandwiched between a filling of buttercream or whipped cream.
The end result is a crunchy, flour-less cake that is beautiful to look at and unique in its nutty, creamy flavours. Truly a desert "without rival"!!

It appears that the Goans are not the only group that treasures this desert because it is also very popular and distinct as a Philippine desert. No matter what the origins, the Bolo sans Rival is a gem in my recipe book, and is perfect for using up all those extra egg whites that are left over after making a bibinca.

Although buttercream is the traditional filling used I have suggested other alternatives. Play around with what you love and include it in your filling.
For this recipe I have used the Nutella filling because I made this cake for my daughter-in-law and I know she loves chocolate and Nutella.

This blog is dedicated to my daughter-in-law Gunit who is celebrating a birthday today.
"Happy Birthday Gunit, wishing you happiness and lots of chocolate in your future so we can see that beautiful smile of yours always lighting up our lives"

Ingredients

12 egg whites (usually left over from the bibic recipe)
1 pound finely ground nuts (almond or cashew or hazel nut)
1 pound of sugar
Toasted Nuts for decoration (optional)

Suggested fillings - whisk ingredients together until light and fluffy.

2 sticks or 500 gm of unsalted butter at room temperature
500 gm of sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla essence(optional)
Whisk well till creamy and light

or

500 gm of butter
Approx 1/2 cup nutella

or

whipping cream with sugar to taste

Note: The addition of 1/4 cup of coffee liquor or brandy also adds a nice dimension to the filling and is optional.

Method

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease well. Set aside

Preheat the oven to 325 F

Whisk the chilled egg whites till stiff peaks form. I used a stand up mixer with the whisk blade
Add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time while whisking. It will become stiff and glossy.
Finally gently fold in the nuts with a spatula until combined

Spread the mixture evenly between the two sheets so that there are no gaps in the mixture but spread as evenly as possible.

Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Whisk the butter and nutella until light and creamy. The cake is already sweet so go easy on the sweetness in the cream. You can add more nutella for more sweetness.

Assembling the cake

Using a ruler measure and cut each cookie sheet into four equal rectangles. Make sure the meringue is completely cooled.

Place the first layer on a serving dish. Spread a thin layer of the filling. Put the next layer on and continue this process till all the layers are used up. Now spread some filling on the top of the cake. I like to leave the sides uncovered but feel free to cover the entire cake if you like.

At this stage you can cut the sides of the cake with a sharp knife if you have not covered the sides, just to make sure the sides have a neat edge. I like the rustic look of the rough edges so I leave it this way. Decorate the top with toasted nuts or a dusting of icing sugar.