Guava Cake is a Hawaiian Cake dessert with moist sponge cake soaked in guava syrup and topped with whipped cream cheese frosting and guava sauce.
This Cake Recipe has the perfect sweet and light tropical flavor for the ultimate summer dessert. For more fruity cakes perfect for summer check out my Key Lime Cake, Hawaiian Cake or Chantilly Cake.
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Sabrina’s Guava Cake Recipe
A Honolulu bakery first created Guava Cake, which has since become a popular Hawaiian dessert and is now being baked by dessert lovers worldwide. It’s the perfect cake to add to a dessert menu for a party, serve for a birthday, or enjoy during a summer cookout.
My Guava Cake recipe starts with a simple sponge cake. I add a homemade guava simple syrup that seeps into the airy cake to make it extra moist and sweet. I finish this layer cake with a light, sweet and tangy whipped cream cheese frosting and homemade guava sauce.
Chef’s Note: Buying Guava Paste
Guava paste is a special ingredient you will need to make this delicious tropical cake. It may be harder to find in your regular grocery store, so I suggest heading to a grocery store that sells Latin American food items or possibly an Asian foods grocery store. You could also order it online or if feeling real adventurous, make a homemade guava paste. Make sure you get guava paste though, because guava jelly is very different and won’t work well in this recipe.
Ingredients
- Eggs: This sponge cake recipe’s base is made with 5 eggs. The eggs give the cake structure, stability, and flavor. You can create an airy mixture by beating the egg yolks and egg whites with granulated sugar. The air bubbles in the mixture ensure that the sponge cake turns out with a tender, moist crumb.
- Flour: Use 1 ¼ cups flour for the vanilla sponge cake. Cake flour is ideal because it has more gluten and creates a fluffier cake. But all-purpose flour works as well. Be sure to sift the flour before adding it to the egg mixture to remove any lumps before mixing the cake batter together.
- Guava Sauce: Simple syrup is typically made with equal parts water and sugar. But for this version, you’ll add guava juice to the mixture. The cup of guava juice enhances the syrup with a beautiful tropical flavor.
- Guava Paste: To flavor the guava sauce, you’ll need 8 ounces of guava paste. Guava paste is made from guava fruit and sugar. It’s a thick mixture sometimes made with pectin, which can thicken the guava sauce. After mixing it with the ingredients to make a sauce, pour it over the cake frosting.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- 9-inch Springform Pan: A springform pan has removable sides to easily remove the baked cake.
- Stand Mixer: A stand mixer lets you mix the cake ingredients hands free which helps with adding in more ingredients slowly while the cake is constantly mixing.
- Large Serrated Knife: You’ll need a large knife to cut the cake into layers.
- Cake Stand or Cake Plate: The Cake Stand features a raised base that elevates the cake above the countertop, which makes decorating the cake easier as well as display the cake nicely.
How to Make
Time needed: 3 hours.
- Prep time:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, grease a 9-inch springform cake pan with butter and baking spray and add a parchment paper liner.
- Cream Wet Ingredients
Add the eggs and granulated sugar to your stand mixer. Beat at high speed for 8 minutes, then add the vanilla extract and beat the wet ingredients for another 20 seconds.
- Combine into Cake Batter
Sift the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer, and use a spatula to fold the flour mixture into the eggs until just combined.
- Baking Time
Spread the cake batter evenly into the springform pan. Then bake for 35- 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Cake
Let the baked cake cool completely on a wire rack before adding the syrup and other toppings.
- Simple Syrup:
Add the water, guava juice, white sugar, and food coloring to a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and keep the mixture at a simmer. Let the recipe simmer for 18-20 minutes until it’s thickened and reduced to syrup. Then let guava simple syrup cool.
- Guava Sauce:
Add the guava paste, water, sugar, and lime juice to a clean medium saucepan. Stir well to bring the recipe to a simmer, then remove from heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the mixture if the guava sauce is too thick. If it’s too thin, return to heat and cook for 1-2 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency. Then, let the recipe cool.
- Whipped Cream Frosting:
Add softened cream cheese and powdered sugar to your stand mixer. Then, turn the mixer to medium speed for 1 minute or until stiff peaks form. Remove the sweetened cream cheese from the stand mixer and set it to the side. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and coconut extract to the stand mixer. Then, beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Decrease the speed to medium and add the cream cheese mixture back to the mixer. Beat at medium speed until combined with the whipped cream.
- Prep Cake Layers
Using a large serrated knife, cut the sponge cake into three even layers and discard the excess pieces and crumbs. Brush the homemade simple syrup over the top of each cake layer.
- Assemble
Add a spoonful of the whipped cream cheese frosting to your cake stand. Add the first layer of cake to the cake stand over the dollop of frosting. Then add a cup of frosting and ⅓ of the guava sauce. Spread the toppings over the first cake layer evenly. Then add the second layer, spread a cup of frosting over the top, and add ⅓ of the guava sauce. Top with the third cake layer.
- Frost
Frost the top and sides of the cake with half of the remaining cream cheese frosting so it covers the entire cake.
- Decorate
Add the rest of the frosting to a piping bag and pipe swirly mounds around the top of the cake. Pour the remaining guava sauce over the top of the cake.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Sponge Cake:
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Simple Syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup guava juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
Guava Sauce:
- 8 ounces guava paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 drops red food coloring
- 1 drop yellow food coloring
Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 24 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Instructions
Sponge Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and spray a 9" springform pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper.
- Add eggs and sugar to a stand mixer and beat on high speed for 8 minutes.
- Add vanilla extract and beat for 20 seconds.
- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the eggs with a spatula, folding it in gently until just combined.
- Spread into the springform pan evenly and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cake completely.
Simple Syrup:
- Add water, guava juice and sugar to a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat.
- Let simmer for 18-20 minutes until thickened and reduced to a syrup.
- Let cool.
Guava Sauce:
- Add guava paste, water, sugar and lime juice to a medium saucepan.
- Stir well, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
- If the sauce is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water. If the sauce is too thin, cook down for an additional 1-2 minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Let cool.
Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Remove from stand mixer and set aside.
- Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and coconut extract to the stand mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add in the cream cheese mixture and beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
To Finish:
- To your cake stand add a spoonful of whipped cream frosting.
- Cut the cake into three even layers horizontally with a large serrated knife and discard the excess pieces.
- Brush off excess crumbs.
- Brush the simple syrup onto the top of each cake layer.
- Add the first layer of the cake to the cake stand.
- Top with 1 cup of whipped cream frosting and ⅓ of the guava sauce, spread evenly.
- Top with the second layer of cake, add 1 cup of frosting, spread.
- Add the ⅓ of the guava sauce.
- Top with remaining layer of cake.
- Frost the cake with half the remaining whipped cream frosting.
- Pipe swirly mounds onto the top of the cake with remaining frosting and top with remaining guava sauce.
Nutrition
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Can this be made ahead of time?
If you want to prep this cake in advance, it’s best to wait to add the syrup, frosting, and other toppings. Instead, bake the sponge cake, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and store it for later. When you’re ready to assemble the Guava Cake, let it thaw to room temperature and make the toppings to add to the recipe.
Nutritional Facts
Baking Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use Measuring Cups and Spoons: Accurate measurement of ingredients, especially for baking powder, flour, and sugar, is crucial for achieving the right texture and flavor.
- Prevent Sticking: Grease and flour your cake pans or line them with parchment paper to prevent sticking. This is especially important for cakes with moist batters.
- Cool the Cake: Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. This helps prevent it from breaking apart.
How to Store
- Store: Cover the cake or store leftover pieces in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Keep the cake in the fridge for 3-4 days, then let it come to room temperature again before serving.
- Freeze: You can freeze sponge cake for up to 30 days, but the recipe won’t freeze well after adding the frosting and guava syrup.
Ideas to Serve Guava Cake
When serving Guava Cake, you can top it off with fresh fruit like pineapple and strawberry slices. They make great decorations and taste delicious with fresh guava flavor. You can also serve the cake slices with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream. The cool and creamy topping makes the perfect combo with this refreshing tropical treat on a hot summer day.
Frequent Questions
Guava is a tropical fruit with green or yellow skin but pink insides. Its sweet taste is like a cross between a pear and a strawberry. You can add the sweet, tropical fruit flavor to this cake recipe using guava syrup.
Sponge cakes use whipped eggs or whipped egg whites as the recipe’s base. This creates an airy texture, and like a sponge, the cake can soak up syrup toppings. That’s why it’s the perfect base cake recipe for Guava Cake: It absorbs the guava flavor from the homemade simple syrup.
Variations
- Cake Mix: To make the guava cake recipe easier, you could make a simple cake batter with cake mix. Feel free to use strawberry, vanilla, or yellow cake mix. To make the cake mix batter turns out perfectly moist, you can change the instructions on the back of the box. Replace the water with milk, the oil with melted butter, and the additional egg. Using a strawberry cake mix, you will have a pink cake.
- Coconut Frosting: Instead of making the cream cheese frosting as usual, you can make coconut cream cheese frosting. Add coconut extract to the cream cheese mixture. Guava cake and coconut cream cheese frosting make this cake a coconut lover’s dream. You could also sprinkle sweetened coconut flakes over to top to make this cake true coconut heaven.
- Fruit Mix-Ins: Another way to add amazing flavor to your cake is with fruit. You can mix in pineapple tidbits, diced strawberries, or raspberries.
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