Puerto Rican Panetela (Guava Cake)
A delicious Puerto Rican Guava Cake (Panetela). Layers of almond cake, sweet guava paste, topped with powdered sugar. Panetela has a crumbly soft texture that is best served with hot coffee.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour (sifted)
- 10 -14 oz of guava paste
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (soften)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup of powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda (only for panetela con queso)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)
- With a hand mixer or whisk, cream the soften butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Roughly 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly add in the eggs, one at a time.
- Once smooth and silky, add in the extracts and quickly mix.
- In another bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift until fully incorporated.
- In small batches, fold the wet and dry ingredients together. It is best to use a spatula in this step, since the batter while be thick.
- Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and add half of the cake batter. Smooth the top ensuring the layer is even.
- On top of the bottom layer, add slices of guava paste. Slices should be 1/4- 1/2 inch thick. Cover the entire bottom layer.
- Cover the guava paste with the remaining cake batter and smooth evenly.
- Bake the panetela for 35 minutes until a very light brown exterior.
- Cool the cake for 15 minutes, before sprinkling the powdered sugar on top.