Hawaiian Guava Cake

Name: Hawaiian Guava Cake
Total time: 50 min
Yield: One 9-by-13 cake (about 24 servings)
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups/320 grams cake flour; 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature; 1 1/4 cups/250 grams granulated sugar; 6 large egg whites; 1/4 cup/60 milliliters neutral oil, like canola or vegetable oil; 1 cup/240 milliliters whole milk; 1 cup/240 milliliters guava concentrate or reduced guava juice (see Tip); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 drops of red food coloring (optional); 1 cup/240 milliliters heavy whipping cream; 8 ounces/230 grams cream cheese, at room temperature; 1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar; Pinch of kosher salt; 3 drops of red food coloring (optional); 1/2 cup/120 milliliters guava concentrate or reduced guava juice (see Tip)

Recipe from Alana Kysar

Adapted by Kiera Wright-Ruiz

Hawaiian Guava Cake — Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

Total Time: 50 minutes, plus chilling
Rating: 4(1,389)
Comments: Read comments

Now considered a classic Hawaiian dessert, guava cake was created at Dee Lite Bakery in Honolulu, where it became widely popular. This version is adapted from blogger Alana Kysar’s “Aloha Kitchen: Recipes From Hawai‘i,” a cookbook of traditional Hawaiian dishes. Outside of Hawaii and California, pink guava concentrate can be tough to find, but you can also use white guava concentrate or 100 percent guava juice. (If using juice, you’ll need to reduce it; see Tip below.) To mimic that lovely pink color, add a few drops of red food coloring. If you don’t, the cake will still taste like guava, but will look more like a vanilla cake. —Kiera Wright-Ruiz

Featured in: The 12 Best Cookbooks of Spring 2019

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Ingredients

Yield:One 9-by-13 cake (about 24 servings)

For the Cake

2½cups/320 grams cake flour
2½teaspoons baking powder
¾teaspoon kosher salt
½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1¼cups/250 grams granulated sugar
6large egg whites
¼cup/60 milliliters neutral oil, like canola or vegetable oil
1cup/240 milliliters whole milk
1cup/240 milliliters guava concentrate or reduced guava juice (see Tip)
2teaspoons vanilla extract
4drops of red food coloring (optional)

For the Frosting

1cup/240 milliliters heavy whipping cream
8ounces/230 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
3drops of red food coloring (optional)
½cup/120 milliliters guava concentrate or reduced guava juice (see Tip)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with a parchment sling, leaving some over hang on the long sides.
Step 2
Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder and kosher salt until combined. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium until well combined, about 3 minutes. Add the egg whites, in three additions, beating about 1 minute after each. Reduce speed to low, add the oil and mix until combined, about 1 more minute.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, guava concentrate, vanilla and food coloring (if using). On low speed, alternate between adding the wet and dry ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer, mixing well after each addition.
Step 4
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5
Make the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually increase the speed to high and whip until it’s light and fluffy with stiff peaks, another 2 to 3 minutes. (Don’t overwhip!) Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl.
Step 6
Replace the bowl on the stand mixer and fit the machine with the paddle attachment (there’s no need to clean the bowl). Place the cream cheese in the bowl and mix on medium until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar and kosher salt and increase the speed to high. Beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 7
Lower the speed to medium and add the food coloring (if using). Add the guava concentrate in four additions, mixing well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after the second and the final additions. Increase the speed to high and beat until smooth and well incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from stand and, using the spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream in three additions, incorporating completely after each addition.
Step 8
Spread the frosting on the cooled cake, using an offset spatula to smooth it over the edges. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Cut into 24 pieces and serve immediately.

Tip

If using guava juice, reduce it: Boil two liters of juice over high heat until it’s reduced by half, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely before using. Avoid juices that contain any added sugar so the cake does not become overly sweet. Ms. Kysar likes Ceres brand guava juice.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,389 user ratings

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Comments

Crystal6 years ago

I used a 14 oz bag of Goya frozen guava pulp and the cake turned out wonderfully. The 14 oz bag was also had exactly the right volume for the recipe. I used the defrosted pulp straight out of the bag without reducing it or adding water.

Prakash Nadkarni6 years ago

Ceres guava "juice" contains Apple and/or Pear Juices plus Guava Puree (guava fruits are about as juicy as avocados). Check the ingredients on Amazon. "No added sugar" is meaningless: the first two have enough sugar. I'd substitute the more widely available (and considerably cheaper) Guava paste (guava pulp, sugar, citric acid) - 120 gm plus 120 ml water. The paste has a lot of added sugar, so I'd reduce the sugar in the recipe from 250 to 180 gm.

SFLiam6 years ago

DaFruta has a concentrate without added sugar, 100% guava. I purchased a bottle from my Latin food market but it is also available on Amazon! About $5.99 a bottle.

StuartNYC1 month ago

I used liquid gel food coloring which worked perfectly. The gel is more concentrated.

Miranda2 months ago

The cake is dense and I think it is supposed to be that way. Now that I look at my completed cake, it looks similar to the photo. For the frosting, I worried about it being runny as many complained, so I used powdered sugar instead of granulated in the cream cheese. I used 2/3 cup powdered sugar (vs. 1/2 cup granulated). I also used a tablespoon of powdered sugar in the whipped cream. I reduced the concentrate to 2 tablespoons from 1/4 cup. All of this resulted in a stable, delicious frosting.

Cybil6 months ago

This cake was a waste of time and money. I had to go out and buy ice cream because it turned out inedible. The guava flavor was way too subtle and the texture was dense. This recipe needs revising.

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