Guava chiffon cake is a Honolulu bakery institution. The cake itself is standard chiffon: tall, airy, tender from beaten egg whites folded into an oil-and-yolk batter. What makes it ours is the guava. Puree goes into the batter for color and tartness, and a second batch gets cooked on the stovetop into a glossy pink glaze that pours over the top after the cake cools. Walk into a local-style bakery anywhere in the islands and the pink layer cake in the case is almost certainly this one.
Old-timers will tell you the gold standard came from Dee Lite Bakery in Kalihi, which closed after decades on the same corner. The version most people eat today comes from Liliha Bakery, sold whole or by the slice across their Oahu locations. At home itʻs a good Sunday-afternoon project: chiffon batter, a tall tube pan, a bag of frozen guava puree from the Asian grocery, and a glaze that sets up while the cake cools upside down.
At a glance
12 to 16
30 minutes
1 hour bake, 2 hours cooling
Moderate
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
- 7 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup thawed frozen guava puree (Goya or similar, unsweetened works best)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 to 4 drops red food coloring (optional, for the classic pink)
For the guava glaze
- 1 cup thawed frozen guava puree
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 to 3 drops red food coloring (optional)
Equipment
- 10-inch tube pan (angel-food style, NOT nonstick)
- Stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment
- Two large bowls
- Rubber spatula
- Small saucepan for the glaze
- Wire cooling rack
To serve
- 2 cups heavy cream + 2 tablespoons sugar, whipped to soft peaks (optional, for a Liliha-style frosted slice)
- A second pour of warm guava glaze on the plate
Method
- Prep the pan and oven. Heat the oven to 325F. Do NOT grease the tube pan. Chiffon needs the ungreased sides to climb. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Pour the oil, egg yolks, guava puree, water, vanilla, and food coloring (if using) into the well. Whisk until completely smooth, scraping the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be thick and a pale salmon pink.
- Whip the whites. In a separate spotlessly clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat to stiff, glossy peaks. The whites should hold a peak that does not flop over.
- Fold. Add about a third of the whipped whites to the yolk batter and stir in to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining whites in two more additions with a rubber spatula. Stop folding the moment no white streaks remain. Overmixing deflates the cake.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the ungreased tube pan and smooth the top. Bake at 325F for 55 to 65 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
- Cool upside down. Immediately invert the pan onto its legs, or balance the center tube on the neck of a bottle. Cool completely upside down, about 2 hours. This is non-negotiable for chiffon. Cooling right-side up collapses the cake.
- Make the glaze. Whisk the guava puree, water, sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan until no lumps remain. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens to the consistency of warm pudding, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in food coloring if using. Cool to barely warm.
- Unmold and glaze. Run a thin knife around the sides and center of the cake to release. Turn out onto a serving plate. Pour the cooled glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides and pool slightly at the base.
- Serve. Slice with a serrated knife. For the full Liliha-style experience, top each slice with a generous spoon of barely sweetened whipped cream and a second drizzle of warm glaze.
Notes from a local cook
Frozen guava puree is the move. Look in the freezer section of any well-stocked Asian or Latin grocery. Goya makes the most widely available bag. Fresh guavas vary wildly in tartness and seediness, and most arenʻt pink enough on their own. Frozen puree is consistent and gives the cake its classic flavor every time.
Use a metal angel-food pan, not silicone or nonstick. Chiffon climbs the sides of the pan as it bakes. That is what gives it the height. A nonstick surface means the batter slides back down and you end up with a dense, dome-collapsed cake. The same rule applies for greasing: do not.
The food coloring is optional but expected. Real guava puree is more salmon than hot pink. If you skip the red dye, your cake will look muted compared to the bakery version. That is fine. The flavor is identical. If you want the showstopper Liliha-style pink, a few drops in both the batter and the glaze do the work.
Make-ahead. The unglazed cake keeps at room temperature, wrapped, for 2 days. Glaze and serve the day you plan to eat it. The glaze will weep into the cake if you store the assembled version more than 24 hours.
While You're on the Islands
Eat it made by someone else. If you want to taste it before you bake it, start at Liliha Bakery. They list six Oahu locations; the Nimitz Highway flagship and Ala Moana Center are the easiest stops for most visitors. Order it by the slice with a cap of whipped cream, and grab a box of Coco Puffs while youʻre at the counter. On Kauai, Kauai Bakery at Kukui Grove in Lihue is a solid local-style stop with the classic version in the case. Across the islands, some grocery store bakery cases keep a guava chiffon in rotation too — worth a glance if you're already there. See our full guides to Oahu dining and Hawaii Eats for more bakery stops.
Buy the ingredients fresh. Guava puree or concentrate is sold in the juice aisle at any island grocery store under local brands — easy to grab a few bottles if you want to bake this yourself in a vacation rental.
Bring It Home
What to stock up on before you fly home: a bottle or two of guava puree or nectar concentrate travels well and is the one ingredient most mainland grocery stores don't reliably stock — everything else in the cake (flour, eggs, oil) is standard pantry stuff.
