Guava Chiffon Cake

November 26: National Cake Day

Islander’s all-time favorite cake is the guava chiffon cake from St. Germaine’s/Dee-Lite Bakery in Hawaii. Her Daddy would buy it for the ‘ohana (family) for Valentine’s Day and on Islander’s birthday. The light and fluffy cake is covered in a whipped cream frosting with a guava glaze gel on top. It truly is a delicious and dee-lite-ful dessert!

Apparently, this is also many people’s favorite cake as several have requested the recipe. But the bakery has kept its best-seller a secret! A similar recipe for guava chiffon cake has been posted in the state’s newspaper archives but it just doesn’t taste the same. Several foodie forums have featured frustrations, commentsand suggestions about the elusive recipe. But for now, everyone has to settle for this version. The cake is still good enough for a guava fix!

For National Cake Day, here is a recipe for guava chiffon cake.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Honolulu Advertister)

For the guava chiffon cake

• 2 ¾ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup guava nectar concentrate (we used Hawaiian Sun brand), thawed
• 5 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue), slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla (we used Hawaiian Vanilla Company brand)
• 10-15 drops red food coloring

For the meringue

• 7 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup sugar

Directions

Lightly grease the bottom of a cake pan (9×13-inch rectangle or 12-inch round) with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add the vegetable oil, water and guava nectar.

Beat the egg yolks and add to the mixture. Stir in the vanilla and food coloring.

Make the meringue by beating the egg whites witih the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff.

Gently fold the meringue into the batter. Then spread into the prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to a cake board or plate. Prepare the frosting and topping.

For the whipped cream frosting

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream until thickened. Add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread a generous amount of the frosting on top of the cake.

Frost the sides of the cake. Add decorative shell borders on the top and bottom edges.

For the guava topping

• ¾ – 1 cup guava nectar concentrate or juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• red or pink food coloring, if necessary

Directions

In a saucepan, pour the guava nectar/juice and bring to a boil. In a cup, make a paste with the cornstarch and water. Stir this into the guava nectar/juice until thickened. If necessary, tint with food coloring. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Spread the guava topping evenly on the cake insde the frosting shell borders. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Notes

• This guava chiffon cake recipe yields a dense instead of airy cake. We recommend adding a few drops of guava oil/extract in the batter to boost the fruit flavor.
• Pink food paste instead of red liquid drops makes a deeper and more vibrant color in the cake batter.
• Double or triple the recipe for the whipped cream frosting if icing and decorating a multi-layered guava chiffon cake.
• National Cake Decorating Day is October 17. Search our blog for simple tips and techniques on decorating cakes.
• Prefer pies over cake? National Pie Day is on December 1 and National Pi (π) Day is March 14 (3.14). Search our blog for more pie recipes.
• Gaga for guava flavor? Try making guava macarons.