Recipe

Guava Scones with Cream Cheese

Name: Guava Scones with Cream Cheese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 350 g of all-purpose wheat flour; 12 g of baking powder (chemical leavener); 50 g of white sugar; 2 g of salt; 80 g of unsalted butter, very cold and diced; 180 ml of cold whole milk; 120 g of firm guava paste, in cubes of about 5 mm; 15 g of additional wheat flour, divided between the guava and the work surface; 1 beaten egg; 160 g of plain cream cheese, cold (20 g per scone)

British shortcrust-style scones with small cubes of guava paste folded in, baked and served warm with cream cheese on the side.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation20 min
Cooking20 min
Total time1 h 5 min
Servings8 scones
DifficultyEasy

Scones are a quick bread from British afternoon tea: a short dough made with cold butter, a chemical leavener and very little kneading, which rises in the oven and stays tender inside. This version is a contemporary fusion. The base and technique come from the scone of the United Kingdom, and the Cuban touch is the pairing of guava with cheese.

The guava paste goes into the dough in small cubes and the cream cheese is served on the side, cold, to spread on each warm scone. There is no fermented bread dough and no sealed filling: it is a true scone with the flavor of a Cuban afternoon snack.

Method

The dough

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
Add the cold diced butter and rub it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until you have crumbs. Leave some small pieces of butter visible.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Lightly flour the guava cubes with part of the additional 15 g of flour, so they don't stick together, and fold them into the crumbs.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Pour in the cold milk and bring everything together with a spatula, without kneading. The dough should be soft and somewhat uneven.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Shaping and baking

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold it over twice at most and shape it into a slab 2.5-3 cm thick.
Cut 8 round pieces with a plain cutter of about 6 cm. Press straight down, without twisting. Gently gather the scraps only once to make up the remaining pieces.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Place the scones on a tray lined with parchment paper, slightly apart, and refrigerate them for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C/390 °F with top and bottom heat.
Brush only the top of each scone with the beaten egg, without letting it run down the sides.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until they have risen, are golden and the crumb looks cooked.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Transfer them to a rack and let them rest for 10 minutes.

To serve

Serve the scones warm with 20 g of cream cheese per piece alongside, cold and straight from the refrigerator. The cheese is not put inside before baking.

Tips and variations

Very cold butter: the little pieces that remain in the dough are what give tender layers and a good rise. If your kitchen is very warm, put the bowl with the crumbs in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before adding the milk.

Don't knead: the dough should be soft and uneven. If you overwork it, the scones turn out tough and rise very little.

Straight cut: press the cutter straight down without twisting. If you twist it, you seal the edges and the scone rises crooked.

Leavener: use only baking powder. Do not replace it with baking soda alone or with baker's yeast.

Storage: they are best the same day. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature until the next day and warm them for a few minutes in the oven at 160 °C/320 °F. The cream cheese keeps in the refrigerator until serving time.