Cuban recipe
Cuban Vanilla Cake Filled with Guava and Topped with Meringue
Cuban birthday cake with vanilla panetela, guava filling and white meringue topping. A fluffy sponge cake with classic decoration.
- Preparation55 min
- Cooking50 min
- Total time2 h 45 min
- Servings1 20 cm cake, 10 servings
- DifficultyMedium
Cuban birthday cake is one of the sweets that evokes the most nostalgia among families on the island and in the diaspora. This version keeps the lightly syrup-soaked vanilla panetela and generous meringue decoration, but adds a thick guava filling that is visible when each slice is cut.
The result is a round celebration cake, with soft sponge, a bright red guava center and waves of white meringue. It is neither a cheesecake nor a pie: it is an authentic panetela cake with a tropical filling.
Ingredients
Check off the ingredients you have.
For the vanilla panetela
For the syrup and filling
For the Swiss meringue
Method
Bake the panetela
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Grease and line the bottom of a tall-sided 20 cm (8-inch) round cake pan with parchment paper.
- Beat the six eggs with 180 g sugar for 8–10 minutes, until the mixture triples in volume and is very thick. Mix in the vanilla.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Fold it in using a spatula in three batches, taking care not to lose the air.
- Pour into the pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the center is cooked and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Guava filling and assembly
- Boil 180 ml water with 90 g sugar for 3 minutes to make a light syrup. Let cool.
- Heat the chopped guava paste with 70 ml water over low heat, stirring until it forms a thick, spreadable mixture. Let cool until lukewarm.
- Cut the cooled panetela horizontally into two layers. Moisten both cut surfaces with some of the syrup, without soaking them. Spread the guava mixture over the bottom layer and top with the other.
- Refrigerate the assembled cake for about 20 minutes to stabilize the filling.
Meringue and decoration
- Put the four egg whites and 200 g sugar in a heatproof bowl over a gentle water bath, without letting it touch the water. Whisk by hand and heat to 71 °C (160 °F), stirring continuously.
- Remove from the heat, add the teaspoon of lime juice and beat with an electric mixer until the meringue is firm, glossy and cool to the touch.
- Cover the sides and top of the cake with a layer of meringue. Use a piping bag to make the white waves and peaks typical of Cuban bakeries.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting; serve 10 slices showing the guava center.
