Brazilian Cornmeal Cake With Guava Paste: Golden, Tender and Studded With Sweet Ruby Jewels

Ingredients for Brazilian Cornmeal Cake With Guava Paste

This recipe makes one 10-inch bundt or tube cake, about 12 slices.

For the cake

• 3 large eggs: at room temperature.
• 1 ½ cups sugar.
• 1 cup whole milk.
• ¾ cup vegetable oil.
• 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal.
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour.
• 1 tablespoon baking powder.
• ½ teaspoon salt.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract: optional.
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds: optional, a traditional Brazilian touch.

For the guava

• 6 ounces guava paste: cut into ½-inch cubes, about 1 cup.
• 1 tablespoon flour: for tossing the cubes.

For the pan

• Butter and flour or cornmeal: for greasing and dusting.

About the Ingredients

Guava paste is easy to find in the US. Look in the Latin American or international aisle of most supermarkets, where it is sold in flat rectangular tins or plastic-wrapped blocks. It keeps for months in the pantry. If you cannot find it, use small dollops of thick quince paste or a firm strawberry or raspberry jam.

Use fine yellow cornmeal, not coarse polenta or grits, for a tender crumb. In Brazil, cooks use fubá, which is a very finely ground cornmeal. If yours seems coarse, give it a quick pulse in the blender before measuring.

Cutting guava paste can be sticky. Lightly oil your knife, or chill the paste for 15 minutes before cutting. Tossing the cubes in a spoonful of flour helps keep them suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.

Fennel seed is optional, but many Brazilian families add it to cornmeal cake for a gentle, sweet anise aroma. It pairs especially well with the guava.