Guava Chiffon Cake
Adapted from a recipe by Guava Rose
Preparation time: 120 minutes plus cooling time
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 10
This cake is best made 2 days in advance and can be made in parts over 1-2 days
For chiffon cake:
- 175g/6.2ozs. egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 100g/3.5ozs. caster or superfine sugar (first lot sugar)
- 180g/5.6ozs. cake flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 150g/5ozs. caster or superfine sugar (second lot sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 50ml/1.7flozs oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 175ml/6.2flozs guava nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- A few drops pink food colouring
For Syrup
- 2 cups/500ml guava juice
- 1/2 cup/100g/3.5ozs. white sugar
- Pink food colouring
For Guava Cream
- 700ml/23.7flozs. cream
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs of syrup above
- Pink food colouring
For Guava Jelly Glaze
- 2 cups/500ml guava nectar
- 3 tablespoons cornflour/fine cornstarch
- Pink food colouring
- 2 sheets titanium gelatine
Step 1 - First make the chiffon cake. Line the base of a 24x29x5cms or 9.4x11.4x2 inch rectangular baking tin (not a non stick tin) but do not grease the sides of the tin (this is to allow the cake batter to cling to the sides to rise). Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Step 2 - Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until very foamy. Add the first lot of sugar and whip until you get stiff peaks. Set aside. In another bowl sift the flour and baking powder twice and then add the sugar and salt. Add the oil, eggs, guava nectar, vanilla and pink colouring and mix on low speed for a minute until all lumps have disappeared.
Step 3 - Fold in the stiff egg whites in 3-4 lots making sure to not deflate the mixture. Scoop the mixture up and down and make sure that there are no streaks left and that the mixture is a uniform colour (sometimes there's some mixture hiding right at the bottom of the bowl). Scoop into the prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes.
Step 4 - Have a cake rack on top of a towel or tea towel ready as you will invert the cake onto this as soon as it comes out of the oven. When the cake has cooked place the rack on top of the cake tin and then upturn it and place it on the towel to absorb the condensation. Leave it to cool completely.
Step 5 - Make the syrup. Heat the guava nectar with the sugar and colouring and reduce it to 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs. Cool completely.
Step 6 - Make the guava jelly glaze. Heat the guava nectar in a saucepan on low to medium heat and then add the cornstarch and stir until it comes together to become a thick, uniform mixture without any lumps. Take the mixture off the heat. Soften the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Then squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves and place the softened leaves in the glaze mixture and stir to combine. Cool on the counter for 20 minutes. Then place in the fridge for 20 minutes so that the heat is taken off the mixture but it isn't set (if it is hot, it will melt the guava cream).
Step 7 - Make the guava cream. Divide the cold guava syrup in 2 x 1/2 cup quantities, one for brushing on the cut cake and one for the guava cream. Whip the cream until soft peaks and then add the 1/2 cup guava syrup and pink colouring until you get firm peaks.
Step 8 - It's time to assemble the cake. Cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife and slide a thin flexible mat between the two halves to separate the halves. Take the top half and place cut side up on a serving plate. Brush the cake with some syrup going all the way to the edge. Then brush the cut side of the other cake half (which should still have the parchment attached to it which will help to lift it on top of the cake).
Step 9 - Spread the bottom cake with a third of the guava cream. Then carefully lift the other cake slice parchment side up and place on top of the bottom layer and then gently peel the parchment off. Spread the remaining cream around the top and sides of the cake.
Step 9 - Spread the cooled but not set guava jelly glaze on top of the cake spreading out almost to the edge. Allow the cake to sit covered in the fridge for 2 days if possible-it's also delicious straight away too. This cake will be delicious for up to 6 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container.