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Corn Cake with Guava Frosting is a flavor combo inspired by Colombian Mazzamora. The cake is super fluffy with a hint of cornmeal. Its topped with a super delicious guava buttercream that lends a nice fruity flavor to the cake. This simple, yet impressive cake can be made in 40 minutes with a handful of pantry staples plus a little bit of cornmeal and guava paste! Serve with Arepas for a Colombian and Latin-inspired dinner!
Some desserts have a unique character to them that is surprising yet incredibly delicious. Some of these desserts are this Meyer Lemon Blueberry Cornbread and Sweet Corn Creme Brûlée. Or if you are in love with guava check out Pastelitos de Guayaba, its a flaky puff pastry stuffed with a sweet and fruity guava/cream cheese filling!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Corn Cake and Guava Frosting
- Cake flour. This is to help make the cake nice and fluffy. Usually I like to use all-purpose flour for cake but this cake needs cake flour since we’re adding cornmeal which will make it denser.
- Cornmeal. This is where we get the corn flavor from. Think of cornbread and the corn flavor that has and divide it by about half. Not a ton but just enough to pair nicely with the guava.
- Butter and oil. Butter adds flavor while the oil ensures the cake stays moist.
- Guava Paste. You can find this in a Hispanic market either fresh or canned.
- Heavy Cream. Key to a good American buttercream, it helps lighten the whole thing and not taste as much like powdered sugar.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How to Make Fluffy Corn Cake with Guava Frosting:
- Prep the pans. Preheat your oven and grease the pans and line with parchment.
- Mix dry ingredients together. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream the butter, oil, and sugar. Beat it together until light and fluffy then add the eggs, one at a time.
- Add the dry ingredients and milk. Alternating between the two makes it a fluffier cake.
- Bake. Add the batter to the prepared pans and bake just until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the guava puree. We need to thin the guava puree out for the buttercream. Cook down the paste with a little bit of water then set it aside to cool.
- Make the buttercream. Beat together the butter with the powdered sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add the guava paste and heavy cream and beat together until fully combined.
- Assemble. Cut the cake into 4 layers or leave as is. Frost the cake as desired then add sprinkles if you want!
Tips and Tricks
Make sure to sift the powdered sugar. You don’t want to end up with clumps of powered sugar in your frosting!
Cool cake to room temperature before frosting. The cooling process can take well over an hour to complete, but it’s best to frost the cake once its completely cooled to room temperature so that the warmth of the cake doesn’t melt the frosting.
Where to find guava. Often times I find guava paste at Hispanic markets. In place of guava paste, you can always use strawberry jam. You won’t need to make a syrup first like with the guava paste, simply add 2 tablespoons of jam to the frosting measurements, then you’re good to go!
Leftover guava. Use any leftover guava puree for cocktails or some other dessert!
Recipe FAQs
Cornbread is a savory bread made with half cornmeal and half flour and it’s very dense with a strong corn flavor. This corn layer cake is a dessert made with mostly flour and a hint of cornmeal to provide a subtle corn flavor!
Guava is a tropical fruit native to Central America and the Caribbean. It’s citrusy and floral tasting with a hint of strawberry and pear flavors!
You can, but I would highly suggest using heavy cream because it will make your frosting silky smooth and airy. If you only have milk on hand, add just a little bit at a time so it doesn’t become too loose.
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Corn Cake with Guava Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- 2 (8-inch) cake pans
- 1 medium bowl
- Stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- 1 small skillet
Ingredients
Fluffy Corn Cake Layers:Â
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup cornmealÂ
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon saltÂ
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oilÂ
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milkÂ
Guava Frosting:Â
- 4 ounces guava pasteÂ
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature , or 4 sticks
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon of saltÂ
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
To Make the Cake Layers:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.Â
- In a medium bowl, add the cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined. Set aside.Â
- To the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar and vegetable oil. Beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.Â
- Turn the mixer to low speed and, alternating between the dry ingredients and the milk, add them to the butter/oil/sugar mixture until the batter is relatively smooth.Â
- Divide the batter amongst the two prepared baking pans and transfer to the oven to bake for about 17 to 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.Â
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. It’ll probably take a good hour.Â
To Make the Guava Puree (for the frosting):Â
- To a small skillet, set over medium heat, add the guava paste and water. Stirring gently and regularly, cook until the guava paste has turned into a puree. This may take 2 to 3 minutes until the guava paste has softened and combined with the water. Transfer to a small bowl and allow to come to room temperature before adding it to the frosting. If needed, you can stick it in the fridge to chill it faster. Measure out 2/3 cup guava puree. Â Save any leftover puree for cocktails.Â
To Make the Frosting:Â
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar and salt. Cover your mixer with a clean kitchen towel and beat until smooth, about a minute. Covering the mixer will prevent a bunch of powdered sugar from flying everywhere. Pour in the 2/3 cup guava puree and mix until combined. If there are a few little chunks of guava, that’s ok! Mine had them too. Add the heavy cream and beat for a full minute. This will make the frosting light and fluffy.Â
To Frost the Cake:Â
- So, I sliced each cake layer into two so that I had four cake layers. This is one hundred percent optional. You can definitely just use two cake layers for your cake.Â
- Place the first cake layer on your cake board (or plate), and add about 1/4 cup of frosting and smooth out to an even layer. Repeat with the second, third and fourth cake layer. Add a crumb coat to the outside and chill for about 15 minutes in the fridge.Â
- Add the second outside layer and add sprinkles of choice to the sides.Â
- Slice and serve with a cup of Nespresso. My favorite blend is Fortado Gran Lunga! I usually add a splash of almond milk and it’s so good.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to sift the powdered sugar. You don’t want to end up with clumps of powered sugar in your frosting!
- Cool cake to room temperature before frosting. The cooling process can take well over an hour to complete, but it’s best to frost the cake once its completely cooled to room temperature so the warmth of the cake doesn’t melt the frosting.
- Where to find guava. Often times I find guava paste as Hispanic markets. In place of guava paste, you can always use strawberry jam. You won’t need to make a syrup first like with the guava paste, simply add 2 tablespoons of jam to the frosting measurements, then you’re good to go!
- Leftover guava. Use any leftover guava puree for cocktails or some other dessert!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this for some Puerto Rican family members, and it was a hit! I had access to fresh guava so I added a layer of fresh jelly within the cake which brought a great flavor. It also took a tad longer to bake, but I took it out as soon as the knife came out *almost* clean to make sure it didn’t dry out as it cooled. Would make it again!
So good, thank you for sharing this recipe! I was expecting a dense cake but it was fluffy and light. I made cupcakes and I got a 2 dozen, baked for 12-14 minutes. I also used guava puree instead of paste and used a full 4 oz. This recipe is a keeper.
Wondering if it’s possible to use gluten free flour here. I know you use mcake flour to get it nice and light and fluffy but would love to make this for my husband who has celiac. Thanks for any advice.