Guava cheesecake

Guava cheesecake is what happens when the tropical pantry meets the classic New York formula: creamy vanilla cheesecake swirled through with guava, crowned with a glossy pink guava glaze. In Brazil, where goiabada (guava paste) is a national love affair, this pairing needs no introduction.

The guava-and-cheese logic is ancient in Latin America — Romeu e Julieta, Brazilians call the pairing — and the cheesecake format simply gives the romance more square footage.

The water bath is the one non-negotiable technique: it is the difference between a silken cheesecake and a cracked one. Everything else is patience and refrigeration.

Guava Cheesecake Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 5+ hours cooling and chilling) · Cook time: about 1 hour 20 minutes · Total: about 7 hours, mostly waiting · Servings: 6 · Calories: ~366 per serving

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• For the filling:
• 24 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup guava puree (store-bought or homemade)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• For the topping:
• ½ cup guava jelly or paste, melted
• 2 tablespoons water
• Whipped cream and fresh guava slices, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom in foil.
2. Mix the crumbs, butter and sugar, press into the pan, bake 10 minutes and cool.
3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
4. Fold in the guava puree and cream gently, and pour over the crust.
5. Set the pan in a roasting dish with hot water halfway up the sides.
6. Bake 60 to 70 minutes — set edges, wobbly center.
7. Cool 1 hour in the turned-off oven with the door cracked, then to room temperature out of the bath.
8. Mix the melted guava jelly with the water and pour over the cooled cake.
9. Chill at least 4 hours (overnight wins), then garnish and slice.

Recipe Notes

• Guava paste (goiabada) and puree live at Latin markets — the paste melts down with a splash of water.
• Room-temperature cream cheese is the anti-lump insurance.
• A pinch of salt in the crust flatters all that tropical sweetness.