Cornmeal Cake with Guava - Tasty Recollections

Equipment

1 Stand Mixer or Handheld Mixer
1 Small Saucepan
1 Bundt Pan

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Cake:

3 egg whites
3 egg yolks
1 cup of sugar
200 ml of milk
1/2 cup of oil
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal* see notes
1 tablespoon of baking powder
200 g of guava paste (optional)
butter to grease the pan
1 tablespoon sugar to dust the pan
1 teaspoon cinnamon to dust the pan (optional)

Ingredients for the Guava Frosting:

300 g guava paste
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Instructions for the Cake

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Mix 1 tablespoon of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Then grease a Bundt pan with butter and dust it with the sugar and cinnamon mix.
1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, butter
Cut the guava paste into little cubes, coat it with flour, and set aside.
200 g of guava paste
In a mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
3 egg whites
Add yolks one by one, and mixing after each addition
3 egg yolks
Alternate between adding sugar, oil, and milk and mixing after each addition.
1 cup of sugar, 200 ml of milk, 1/2 cup of oil
Turn your mixer off and mix in flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
Add fine ground corn flour and turn your mixer back on to gently combine everything together.
1 cup cornmeal*
Turn mixer off, add baking powder and gently combine using a silicone spatula.
1 tablespoon of baking powder
Transfer 3/4 of the batter to the pan, add half the guava cubes, top with remaining batter and finish with another layer of guava on top. (optional- if using guava in the batter)
200 g of guava paste
Bake at 400°F for 35 mins, then lower to 350°F for 10 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool.

Instructions for the Guava Frosting

In a small sauce pan add the water and the remaining guava cubed. Keep stirring until all guava dissolves and you are left with a velvety glaze. Pour over the cake while the glaze is still hot. Enjoy!
1/2 cup water, 300 g guava paste

Video

Notes

What Kind of Cornmeal to Use (for Fubá)

For the best results, use fine Brazilian cornmeal, often labeled as fubá. My favorite is the Yoki brand, which I buy from BrazilianMarket.ca — it gives the cake that authentic corn flavor and soft texture.

You can use regular corn flour from a standard grocery store, and the cake will still turn out fluffy, but I find it lacks that distinct corn taste.

If you can't get Brazilian fubá, a great workaround is to buy Bob’s Red Mill medium grind cornmeal, then sift it through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the coarse bits. This gives you a flavorful cake that’s much closer to the original.

You could also just use the medium grind cornmeal as-is. It works, but it will give your cake a slightly crunchier texture — still delicious, just not quite the traditional Brazilian softness.

Please note: calories are only and estimate. In this case it does not include the guava paste glaze, since the app I use, does not seem to know what guava paste is :)

Nutrition