5 Ways to Bake with Guava Paste

Guava paste is a common denominator of many baked goods in South America and Spain, but few people in the West use this versatile ingredient in their daily recipes. The sweet, fruit-leather like consistency of the paste is easy to weave into several pastry and dessert recipes, and guava paste can also be used as a filling for sandwiches and cookies.

You may have seen it in a shiny gold tin at the at the international food market or ethnic grocery store, and it's typically cheaper than jam and preserves. Here are just five ways you can use guava paste in cooking or baking:

Use Guava Paste to Make Guava Cake

A dense butter cake filled with guava paste or topped with a guava paste and sugar glaze can be a tasty alternative to a cake filled with fruit jams or preserves. Guava paste can be combined with unsweetened applesauce to bring out the rich fruit flavors and create a rich, dense cake. Try easy this recipe from RecipeZaar to make a delicious guava cake topped with a vanilla glaze.

Make Guava Paste Squares

You'll find these at many South American bakeries, and they make a great breakfast or brunch food. Guava paste squares are simply layers of puff pastry, sugar and guava paste baked together. You can add a sweet cream cheese filling as a layer if you wish, but these squares work just as well with only the paste in between the puff pastry dough. Follow these easy directions from BigOven.com to make Guava Paste Squares at home.

Make a Guava Cheese Pie with Guava Paste

If the day calls for a rich and dense cheese pie, grab the guava paste and layer up a graham cracker crumb crust for a superb treat. You'll need to melt 1 cup of guava paste cubes with ½ cup of heavy cream in the microwave; beat 3 eggs and mix with 1 pound of cottage cheese. Use a sieve to strain the egg and cheese mixture, and mix it with the guava paste, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Pour the thick cream mixture into a prepared graham cracker crust and bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve completely cooled.

Make Sweet Potatoes with Guava Paste

Want to liven up your usual sweet potato side dish? Heat up 1 cup of guava paste with 2 tablespoons of butter, then drizzle ¾ of the glaze over cut sweet potatoes. Bake the dish for at least 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then turn the potatoes and drizzle the rest of the glaze over the top to baste; serve warm.

Use Guava Paste to Make Guava Bars

If you're a fan of apple or cranberry oat bars, you'll fall in love with these tasty guava bars. The guava paste is used to make a thick fruit layer that's nestled between sweet oats and butter. The bars can be wrapped tightly and stored in the pantry to seal in the flavors, and can be served warm with ice cream for a decadent treat. Try this simple recipe for Guava Bars via RecipeZaar for a delicious year round treat!