Cornmeal Cake with Guava

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

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

Video