Guava Cake

This is a butter cake with a fruit filling and topped with a light guava whipped cream frosting.

Remember a few weeks ago, when I said I was playing with guava? You didn’t think that the guava sweet rolls were it, did you?

One thing I enjoy doing when I bake is to bake with unique flavors that aren’t typical for local bakeries. Sure, you can find chocolate and vanilla cakes, but where can you get a guava cake?  This unique flavor makes the cake special for the recipient as well.

The cake is a simple butter cake. For the filling I added strawberry puree to supplement the guava. Strawberries goes really well with guava. I may have mentioned that their flavor complex are very similar (at least to me). You can also skip the filling completely and just filling with the guava whipped cream frosting. The recipe makes enough to fill and frost this cake plus a few more cupcakes.

For the frosting, I used my whipped cream frosting recipe and added about 3 tablespoons of guava puree and a drop of food coloring.

Guava Cake (Butter Cake)

2 2/3 cups (340 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (118 ml) guava puree (pulp)
1 cup (237 ml) milk (could be whole or reduced fat)
2 sticks (227 g) softened unsalted butter
1 cup (201 g) white sugar
1 cup (220 g) lightly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Grease (butter and flour) three 9 inch pans and line with parchment or wax paper.
• Start by sifting the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Also stir together milk, guava puree and add food coloring (if desired).
• In bowl of a mixer fitted with a beater blade, add butter and sugars. Beat until creamy and gets lighter in color.
• Then add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Don’t forget to scrape your bowl.
• Incorporate your flour and guava milk mixture in batches, alternating the two mixtures. Start with third of flour mixture, half of guava mixture, third of flour mixture, other half of guava mixture, then ending with last third of flour mixture.
  Beat until just combined and uniform looking about another 30 seconds.
• Divide the batter equally amongst the prepared pan.
• Bake for 18-22 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.

Strawberry Guava Filling

1 cup (237 ml) strawberry puree
¾ cup (177 ml) guava puree
¼ cup (50 g) sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
3 tablespoons water

• In small sauce pan, add strawberry puree, guava puree and sugar. Bring to simmer.
• Make a slurry with cornstarch and water and add to the pan. Allow the cornstarch to cook off. It will thicken.

Strawberry Guava Whipped Cream Frosting

Use my Whipped Cream Frosting and add 3 tablespoons of guava puree plus a drop of food coloring if desired.