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Guava Cake is a tasty, traditional Hawaiian dessert. It is a guava flavored cake with a whipped cream cheese layer and guava gel glaze. Easy and delicious!
Featured With This Recipe
Whether you’re craving a taste of the islands or simply want a unique dessert to enjoy, this Guava Cake will won’t disappoint. It’s a sweet, Hawaiian cake that’s perfect for any occasion, and it’s easy to make at home! You just can’t beat the flavors and textures of the spongy cake layered with creamy frosting and sweet guava glaze.
What is Hawaiian Guava Cake
Guava cake is a classic Hawaiian dessert that was originally created at the famous Dee Lite Bakery in Honolulu. Its popularity grew, and now there are many different versions of this guava cake recipe out there. But this one is by far my favorite! When I worked at the bakery in Hawaii, we would often make this for catered events and it was always a huge hit. Plus, this recipe is so easy to make, you can have a taste of the islands at home!
Guava Nectar vs. Juice
Guava juice and guava nectar are pretty similar. You can use either one in this recipe. Nectar is a little thicker than guava juice, but guava juice still works fine. I was able to find guava concentrate at my local grocery store in the refrigerated juice section. If all you can find is a guava nectar blend (passion-guava, guava strawberry, etc.) that is totally okay, too.
Substitutions and Additions
- If you don’t have or can’t find strawberry cake mix, you can always use white or yellow cake mix instead. I like the strawberry because it complements the guava flavor, but either of those flavors work too.
- To get that gorgeous pink color, add a few drops of red food coloring to the cake batter and whisk together to get that nice pink color.
- You can also swap out the coconut oil for canola or vegetable oil if you would like as well. I like the faint hint of coconut that the coconut oil gives because it isn’t too overpowering and just gives a little added flavor dimension.
- You can also add sliced strawberries to the top for a beautiful garnish. You can’t go wrong with guava and strawberry!
- Make it a poke cake by poking holes in the top of the cake with the back of a wooden spoon before frosting and pouring prepared strawberry Jell-O over the top of the cake. Follow our Poke Cake recipe instructions for more details on how to do this.
Tips for Making this Guava Hawaiian Cake
- Balance Sweetness: Guavas can vary in sweetness, so taste your guava puree or juice and adjust the sugar accordingly in your cake and frosting. You want the cake to be sweet but not overly so.
- Check for Doneness: Test the cakes for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs when the cakes are done.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For the cream cheese frosting layer, be sure to use room temp ingredients to make the frosting nice and smooth.
- Cool Before Frosting: Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. If you frost while warm, the frosting layers may melt and not set right.
- Garnish Creatively: Consider decorating your guava cake with additional tropical elements like fresh guava slices, shredded coconut, or even a drizzle of passion fruit sauce.
How to Store Guava Cake
In my opinion, this cake tastes especially delicious after it has been refrigerated overnight, I suggest chilling the whole thing overnight in the baking pan before serving. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.
Looking for More Tasty Hawaiian Cakes?
Love this Hawaiian guava cake? Try some of these other cakes inspired by the tropical flavors of the islands!
Frequently Asked Questions
Guava cake is made from a strawberry cake mix and has a layer of creamy frosting and a delicious guava glaze.
Guava nectar is a sweet and refreshing fruit juice used for beverages and mixed drinks. Guava concentrate, on the other hand, is a thicker, more potent form of guava flavor used in cooking, baking, and as a concentrated ingredient for adding guava essence to various dishes and recipes.
Guava has a distinct flavor profile that’s sweet and slightly tangy, often described as a tropical-citrus blend with notes of pear, strawberry, and a subtle hint of lemon. The taste can vary depending on its ripeness, with fully ripe guavas being even sweeter and more aromatic.
How to Make Guava Cake
Hawaiian Guava Cake
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 strawberry cake mix
- 1 1/3 cups guava nectar or guava juice
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup coconut oil room temp (liquid)
For the Cream Cheese Layer:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
For the Guava Gel Topping:
- 2 cups guava nectar or guava juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, guava juice, eggs, and coconut oil until well combined. Bake in a 9×13 glass baking dish according to cake mix package directions.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with hand mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Slowly fold in the Cool Whip and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the 2 cups guava juice and sugar to a boil. Make a slurry out of the cornstarch and a small amount of water. Remove guava juice from heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Return to heat and bring back to a boil and boil for one minute. Cool in refrigerator.
- When cake has cooled, spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cake. When cake has cooled, spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cake. Glaze the top of the cake with guava gel. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Glaze the top of the cake with guava gel. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Do you add eggs in it cause i see that there is no egg in the recipe?
There are three eggs in the recipe!
Hi,
Is it necessary to fold the cream cheese mixture in the cool whip?
How does cool whip help the mix?
May I avoid the cool whip?
Regards
The Cool Whip makes the topping more spreadable, but you can use homemade whipped cream if you’d like!
I absolutely love this cake. Was wondering if I can swap out the Guava nectar and use Passion Fruit nectar to switch it up.
Absolutely! I’m so glad you like the cake!
If cake mix calls for 1 cup water & 1/2 cup oil, do I still use 1 1/3 cup guava & 1/3 cup oil?
Yes! You just use the ingredients in the amounts listed in our recipe.
If I can’t be in Hawaii I can eat like I am!! I’m excited to use the box of strawberry cake mix for something other than cupcakes for a Valentine’s Day dessert!
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing!
This is such a nice, tropical dessert. We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. This brings back memories from over 40 years ago.
Wow this was delicious, the perfect cake! Huge hit when I made it
Such a beautiful cake! I love those layers on top. I still haven’t made it to Hawaii, but definitely hope to soon.
Ohhh this makes me miss Hawaii one of my favorite places!! Love how easy this cake is with the cake mix!
Do you pour the guava gel on immediately when it’s still hot? Or do you cool off the guava gel before pouring it onto the cake?
You cool the gel in the refrigerator first!
Make the gel first, then cake, and Cool Whip mixture last. Cool gel completely on the counter, it will pour better. Cornstarch thickened products become pretty solid in the frig, and have to be reheated to liquify or smooth out enough to pour.
My gel was like jello after it cooled down in the fridge, so I couldn’t spread on top. Can I skip the cooling in the fridge and cool it at room temperature? Also the cake was delicious – but it was kind of dry. What did I do wrong.? This is a yummy recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Oh no! I am sorry this didn’t work out how you had hoped. I will try to get down to the bottom of it to see what could have happened. How long did you cool the mixture for? I usually just cool it while I am doing the other steps, so not way long. Maybe 10 minutes? For the dryness… what kind of cake mix did you use?
What does it mean to “glaze” the cake? Do you pour all of the gel on top and just let it sit? What stops it from running off the sides? Do you spread it on with a spatula?
I pour the gel over the cake and smooth it around with a spatula. If you are using a casserole dish with high sides it shouldn’t fall off the edge. Hope this helps!
You could use the whipped cream mixture to create a boarder so the gel doesn’t slide off the edge.
Would this work as a 2-layer 8 or 9 inch round?
If so, would I need to chill first layer for glaze to set before putting 2nd cake on top?
We’ve never made this as a 2-layer cake. I don’t know if the glaze will hold up under the top layer of cake without spilling over to the sides. If you want to give it a try, definitely chill the glaze so it can set before adding the 2nd layer. You could make the cake in rounds and add the toppings to each round without layering. Thanks for asking!
This is so pretty and sounds delicious! I really like that you use a strawberry cake mix as the base.
Sorry it’s a late reply but I make this as a layered cake. I don’t add the gel between the layers just because the layer on top would soak it up so I just have the coolwhip and cream cheese mix between the layers and I just put the gel on the top of the cake. But if you do put the gel between the layers, I would cool the first layer with the gel before placing the second on top so it doesn’t soak it up too much
I followed the directions and my cake did not rise. I used the strawberry cake mix?!
Huh…that’s so weird! Did you check the expiration date on the cake mix? Sometimes I keep mine for too long and then when I use them they don’t work as well.
hi! This looks delicious and I’d like to try the cake but currently do not have access to a strawberry cake mix. Could you suggest a recipe for the cake? Thanks!
You could try adding Strawberry Jello powder to a white cake mix! Or use just a white cake mix base.
I tried to make the gel and the cornstarch got really clumpy and there are chunks in the glaze. Help?:(
Did you mix the water and cornstarch together first? That step is crucial to having a smooth gel.
Amazing! This cake turned out absolutely amazing. I brought it to a cookout and everyone said how delicious it tasted, and they all ate HUGE pieces. Thanks so much. I used a fresh guava syrup that I made from a Barbie guava a few days prior, so it had pieces of guava in the glaze. Really want to thank you for how wonderful the recipe is.
Sooo delicious!
Easy to follow recipe is what made it easy for me to make. This dessert is a hit. Thank you so much
Made this cake twice. Both times came out 😋 delicious. I used yellow cake mix with vegetable oil and added red food coloring. Second time white cake mix with coconut oil, red food coloring, texture denser than the first. Both were good. Couldn’t find Duncan Hines Strawberry cake mix here in Calif.
Can you use frozen concentrate guava to make this?
We haven’t tried it that way before, but let us know how it turns out if you do try it!
This looks incredibly beautiful! I would love to make this for my granddaughter’s birthday – pink being her favorite color!
Any thoughts on the idea of baking in two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans and layering once they have completely set? Maybe do something light like whipped cream around the outside or leave bare like the new “naked style” cakes?
Just brainstorming before I start hunting down the ingredients here in Cali! Thanks again!!
We haven’t made it as a layer cake before so I’m not sure how it would hold up. It is a softer cake texture, so I would be hesitant to try stacking it.
My family loves this cake!!! It’s required for birthdays and holidays!!!
We also make it for our special hosted events. I have made this cake for groups of 100-300 and gotten loads of compliments (as well as people begging for any leftovers)!!!
I have made this cake in Wilton’s fancy cake molds (hearts, flowers, paw prints) as well as mini and full sized cupcakes. No matter the shape/size of this cake, it’s a wonderful treat and very loved by all who try it😀😀😀
Thank you so much for sharing your review!! We are so flattered!!
Have you made this in sheet pans for those big groups? I need to feed 150 so it seems like sheets pans would be best but I’m not sure how to modify the recipe. Thanks for your help!!
I haven’t tried this, but my recommendation would be to use the recipe as it is written for the cake (bottom layer). It will be thin, but the only way it will fit in a sheet pan. For the cream cheese layer and the guava gel layer, I would add an additional 1/2 of a recipe – so 1.5x. Good luck!