Guava Cake Bars (Printable Version)

Buttery pastry bars layered with lush guava paste, balancing sweet fruit and tender cake in every bite.

# Ingredient List:

→ Dough

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
06 - 3 large eggs, at room temperature
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - ⅓ cup whole milk

→ Filling

09 - 12 oz guava paste, sliced into thin strips

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
06 - Spread half the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.
07 - Arrange guava paste strips in a single, even layer over the dough.
08 - Gently spread remaining dough over guava layer using a spatula or damp fingers to cover completely.
09 - Bake for 38-42 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the pastry comes out clean.
10 - Allow to cool completely in the pan. Lift out using parchment and cut into 16 bars.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The contrast between tender, buttery cake and that jammy guava layer feels indulgent without being heavy or overly sweet.
  • These bars come together in under two hours and taste like you spent all day in the kitchen, which is exactly the kind of magic we're after.
02 -
  • The guava paste layer can shift or sink if your base batter is too warm when you spread the filling, so let it rest for just a minute after spreading if needed.
  • Underbaking is worse than slight overbaking here—you want the top pastry set and golden, not the guava paste itself cooked through, or the bars will be mushy when cool.
03 -
  • Weighing your flour by grams (250g) rather than measuring by cups gives you far more consistent results from batch to batch, especially if you're baking these regularly.
  • A bench scraper or offset spatula makes spreading that top layer so much easier and keeps you from accidentally mixing it into the guava layer below.
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