BY :Bebs | Published: | Updated: | 160 Comments
Sylvanas or Silvanas is a cookie sandwich made of cashew-meringue wafers filled and covered with buttercream and dusted with cake or biscuit crumbs.
Oh!.. and it has to be frozen or chilled before eating! Definitely sinful buttotally good!I have to say that Sylvanas is easily on my top 5 best desserts of all time. Every cool, crunchy bite is simply delightful.
I remember, back when I was still working at Clark in Pampanga, someone would come to our office to sell Sylvanas. One time, I remembered ordering 2 boxes of 12 as 'pasalubong' (something, usually food, you bring home to your friends and loved ones...it a Filipino thing!!!) for my family.
It was delivered at lunch time so my colleagues and I put our boxes of Sylvanas in the fridge. It was Friday and we had a really busy day so I was happy when I finally got home and looking forward to the weekend. Just then I realized I left my Sylvanas in the fridge at work!!! ( I am forgetful like that!)
I spent the weekends pining for my Sylvanas so when Monday came, it was the first thing I checked when I got to work. But to my shock and dismay, one box was almost empty!!! Ggggrrrrr!!!! I wanted to shout and I was ready to go to war...the problem is I do not know who took them...(sigh..) in the end I was just thankful that there was another box left...and I guess I could somewhat understand why this person, whoever it was who ate my Sylvanas, did what he/she did...they are just so tempting.
Making Sylvanas reminded me so much of making French Macarons but instead of using almond flour, Sylvanas uses ground cashew nuts...AND....the process is not so complicated or terrifying. This Sylvanas Recipe is actually requiring only 6 basic ingredients.
You may use this printable pattern for making your Sylvanas:
Printable Recipe
Print Review
Sylvanas Recipe
4.73 from 47 votes
Sylvanas/Silvanas is a cookie sandwich made of cashew-meringue filled with buttercream and dusted with biscuit crumbs.This recipe needs only 6 ingredients.
Prep Time: 40 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Course :Dessert, Snack
Servings =22 pieces
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Ingredients
- 6 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup ground, unsalted cashew
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter - softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar - sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk (optional)
- 1 cup sweet biscuit (like Marie or similar) or cake crumbs - finely grounded
Instructions
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat egg whites for a minute using medium speed. Sprinkle the cream of tartar and go on beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar and start beating at medium-high speed until it forms stiff peaks.
Fold in the ground cashew in 2-3 parts until it is well distributed.
Transfer meringue into a piping bag. Pipe meringue onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper making circle or oval shapes. Draw a pattern beforehand to make it easier to pipe and cookies even.
Bake meringue on the middle rack of a preheated oven at 150°C /300°F for 25-30 mins or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, prepare the buttercream by beating the butter and the powdered sugar together for a minute at high speed.
Remove from oven and let them cool completely before detaching from the parchment or wax paper. You could easily remove them if they are cooked through.
To assemble, spread some buttercream on a meringue cookie and sandwich it with another cookie, both with the flat sides facing outside. Squeeze them lightly together then remove the excess buttercream from the sides using the dull side of a bread knife, add more buttercream if it is too less, the sides should be totally filled. Spread also the flat side with a thin layer of buttercream. Roll the meringue cookie sandwich in biscuit crumbs covering everything.
Place the Sylvanas in the fridge for at least some minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 143mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 0gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 270IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg
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Comments
Cinnamon says
This is really a great pastry and my favorite ever since .
But how do you make a perfect circle or oblong shape sylvanas. Even if I make a pattern I could harldly make it rounded when I start piping the merengue on the patternReply
Bebs says
It is almost impossible to make them perfectly shaped, practice helps but I usually just pair them according to size and then scrape the excesses while holding a pair together. The filling and coating will hide the rest of imperfection..
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Cherisha says
Hi Bebs! This is long overdue but needless to say the recipe is easy to make and product is really good. I make this for lunch party at home.I gifted this to a customer her mom liked it and now orders a lot from me. Thank you for sharing this recipe .Reply
Seth says
Hi Bebs,
I am a fan of your recipes. And in this article you mentioned that Sylvanas is in your top 5 best desserts of all time. May I know what are the other four? And are they posted in your blog? Thank you…Reply
Bebs says
My 4 other personal fave would be leche flan, ginataang bilo-bilo, pichi-pichi and Cassava cake
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Trish Banda says
Hello, how can I cut the list of ingredients into half if i only want to make like 12pcs? thank you
Reply
Bebs says
Sure you can.
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mae says
hi. can i use cashew flour instead of grinding the whole cashew?
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Bebs says
Sure you can, Mae.
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Anne says
Hi. I just want to ask if I can skip the cream of tartar if I don't have any?
Thanks!Reply
Bebs says
sure, you can also add a teaspoon of vinegar to the whites instead.
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Lerry says
Hello!
Why the meringue of my sylvanas is getting chewy after freezing it? After baking its crispy meringue. Initially, its crispy after freezing it. Or because i made it ahead of time before assembling it. ThanksReply
Bebs says
Freezing meringue will let it absorb moisture, thus losing its crispiness. If assembled already then freezing them, the crumbs somehow prevent this from happening.
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Neng says
Hi Bebs, i made my silvanas and have a lot of buttercream left, can I keep them in the fridge and use it for my next day batch? Thanks a lot😊Reply
Bebs says
Hi Neng, sure you can refrigerate it for some days.
Reply
Neng says
Hi Bebs, i made my silvanas and have a lot of buttercreamvleft, can I keep them in the fridge and use it for my next day batch? Thanks a lot😊Reply
Jess says
Hi I was wondering if you could give me any advise on how I make the meringue cookies at a higher elevation (6500 ft). They always turn out flat and crunchy. I wish they were thick and chewy. TIAReply
Bebs says
Hi Jess, it being flat could be the result of overbeating or using high speed while beating the egg whites. The meringue cookies are supposed to be crunchy, they will turn chewy when they absorb some moisture from the filling.
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Lerry says
How to prevent being chewy after freezing it? I’m having problem with that. Initially, it was perfect but now its getting chewy.
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Jamison Hignite says
I agree with you
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Menchu says
Hi...i only have convection oven. What will be the setting of the knob? Is it low heater, up and down or convection+both heater?
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Bebs says
I normally do not use the convection function in making these. But I think it should work, try reducing the heat to 325°F/140°C.
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Anj says
Hello. Where do you keep the batter while the others are still in the oven? Because waiting for 30mins for the next batch is quite some time. what more if you have more than 2 batches waiting to be put in the oven. Thanks.
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Bebs says
Yes, I recommend doing not more than this per batch, if you do not have a big oven. As for the other half, I pipe them into the parchment paper right after the first and just let them sit on my kitchen counter until ready to put in the oven.
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Rhea says
I love this recipe of yours, I did it and the first couple of times were successful. Now I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong with the cookies. I can’t attain the chewy consistency like the first time. Oven setting maybe? Baking tools are all clean, clean egg whites, maybe the beating time. How long should I beat the egg whites? Any tips. Thanks very much.Reply
Bebs says
Did you change any of the ingredients you used from the first times?
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fay xenia r. c.barcenas says
thanks for giving me more knowledge .Reply
Bebs says
you are welcome..
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Haze says
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It’s good and easy to follow. In fact, with convenience of the video, it’s a streamlined walk through the process. Even a non baker and cook like me can follow.
Thank you, me and my family love them.
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Bebs says
That is great Haze, Glad that the video helped, and good job if you find this easy. Others are scared of making this. 😉
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BB says
Hi there - can I make this into Ube Sylvanas by just adding Ube extract in the butter cream? If so, what measurement do you recommend?Reply
Bebs says
I am pretty sure you can add some flavoring to the buttercream but as for the measurement, I would say, start with a small amount and adjust as you go. I cannot give a specific amount as I do not know what (type and brand) flavoring you'll use and I have not tried it myself.
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Raceil garcia says
Hi! I’ve tried this recipe (and a lot more of our recipes lol) and this reminds me of the sylvanas from Nueva Ecija. Do you have a recipe for nut free sylvanas for allergy prone individuals? TIA!Reply
Bebs says
You can just skip the cashew in this recipe.
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Marj says
Always a hit!
I've been following this exact recipe for 2 yrs now. Everybody loves it. Before the covid thing, it was a frequent request for potlucks and parties. Thank you very much po. Much love from Canada ❤❤❤Reply
Bebs says
Hi Marj, thanks for your lovely comment and I am happy that you like our recipe.
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Rhoma says
Can you used ground almonds instead of cashews?
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Bebs says
They are not as sweet as cashew but should still be good.
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Lhaiza Sison says
Hello po. Any recommendation po ng pang coat dito sa USA? Thank you po
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Bebs says
You can use crushed graham or any sweet biscuit or even ladyfingers.
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Eleanor Bejar says
Hello! I wanna thank you for all your recipes, I've made a lot coming from your great recipes! I wanted to ask if I can use cashew flour instead of ground cashews?
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Bebs says
If you will not miss the crunch from the crushed buts then sure go ahead.
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Mabs says
Hi Bebs, can we prepare the meringue ahead of time?after baking the meringue can you freeze it or keep it in a container? Also what is the shelf life?
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Bebs says
Hi Mabs, meringue cannot be prepared ahead of time. It will deflate into a runny batter after a while so you have to do it immediately. Definitely no freezing.
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Mabs says
Hi Bebs thank you for replying...I mean can we bake the meringue ahead of time?After baking the meringue do we have to freeze or just keep it in a container?
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Bebs says
I see. I should work, but put something in between each cookie so they will not stick together when you freeze them. Or assemble them already and freeze them, they are normally sold frozen anyway.
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Mabs says
Hi Bebs! This is my 2nd recipe i used on your site..super love them...can you make the mering ahead of time and do the buttercream the next day?Reply
Cindy says
Hi there. If I want to double the recipe, is it as easy as doubling the portions? Or will the portions be different? For example for 12 eggs, is it 1 full teaspoon of cream of tartar?
Thanks
CindyReply
Bebs says
Hi Cindy, yes simply double the recipe.
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Jillian says
Hi! can i use foil instead of parchment paper for the meringue?
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Bebs says
Sure you can, Jillian!
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Angelica says
Can i substitute powdered sugar to caster sugar?
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Bebs says
Sure you can but you need more because powdered sugar is less sweet than caster.
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JazzTracey says
Can i just thank you for the button you have when you print this recipe and you can scale it down? <3 <3 <3
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Cindy says
Hi there!
Can the batter for the meringue be frozen? Or is it possible to make a smaller batch just by cutting the portions in half?
Thank you!
Reply
Bebs says
Hi Cindy, you can never freeze beaten egg whites as they will deflate if not used immediately. Yes, just cut the recipe into half.
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