Glenn Lindgren: When I first came to Miami more than twenty years ago, I had never even heard of a guava let alone tasted one.
Raúl Musibay: I played a little joke on Glenn and his son Dennis. I gave them each a very unripe guava and told them to take a big bite. You should have seen the looks on their faces!
Glenn Lindgren: Let's just say we were lucky we were standing outside because we both started spitting green guava all over the grass!
Raúl Musibay: I love green guavas -- most Cubans do!
Glenn Lindgren: I discovered that guava -- and I'm talking very sweet ripe guava -- is the favorite flavor of Cubans.
Jorge Castillo: This simple cake has a delicious guava filling. Best of all, you can even serve this one indoors.
Glenn Lindgren: This recipe is very similar to another Cuban cake favorite -- masa real.
The sweet guava cake that will remind veteran Cubans of Masa Real.
INGREDIENTS:
Filling
1 (32-ounce) can guava shellsCake
16 tablespoons butter, softenedAdd the guava shells and the juice from the can to a blender. Puree the shells until you get a smooth, thick sauce with no lumps. Blend in the lemon juice.
Cook uncovered over low heat until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. OK, we know it was thick to begin with. The idea is to let some of the water evaporate from the filling. Set aside and let cool.
For the Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together the butter, sugars, and eggs. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually blend in the flour.
Lightly butter a 9- inch round springform pan. (You can also use a standard square pan.)
Spread a little less than half of the batter onto the bottom of the pan. Spread the guava filling on top of this first layer. Top the guava filling with the rest of the cake batter.
TIP: Use a wet knife to spread the cake batter because it will be thick and very sticky. When doing the top layer, distribute the batter by large spoonfuls around the top of the cake to minimize spreading. Don't worry if some of the filling "breaks through" the topping.
Bake the cake until the top browns and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean -- about 35 to 45 minutes.
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Cuban, Spanish, and Latin American food recipes, Miami/Little Havana Travel Guide, Miami Restaurant Guide, Hispanic Culture & Food
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