• We refer to this white chocolate and guava cake as ‘The Ultimate Indulgence’, and with good reason. Creamy, sweet and fruity, this is heaven.

    Recipe by Greta Bester

    Photographs by Graeme Borchers 

    White chocolate and guava cake

    Serves: 1 cake

    Ingredients

    • Guava purée

    • 750ml (3 cups) water
    • 450g sugar
    • pinch of salt
    • 10ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
    • 1kg fresh guavas, peeled and quartered
    • Cake

    • 125g white chocolate, melted
    • 125ml (½ cup) warm water
    • 125g butter
    • 230g castor sugar
    • 2 extra large eggs
    • 150ml sour cream
    • 200g cake flour, sifted
    • 80g self-raising flour, sifted
    • pinch of salt
    • Cake filling and covering

    • 380g butter
    • guava purée and syrup
    • white chocolate shavings

    Instructions

    1

    For the guava purée, boil the water and add the sugar and salt and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes.

    2

    Add the vanilla extract and guavas. Continue to boil until the guavas are soft, about 15 – 20 minutes. Leave to cool completely. Reserve the syrup.

    3

    Purée the guavas with enough of the syrup to form a thick purée. Put through a fine sieve and set aside. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

    4

    To make the cake, spray and line 2 x 20cm cake tins with baking paper.

    5

    Put the chocolate in a mixing bowl and add the water. Stir well and leave to cool.

    6

    Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

    7

    Beat in the chocolate mixture, sour cream, flours and salt.

    8

    Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. Level with a pallet knife. Reduce the oven to 180°C. Bake until firm, about 15 – 20 minutes. Cool completely.

    9

    For the filling, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the guava purée and enough syrup to form an emulsion.

    10

    To assemble, place one layer of cake on a cake stand and brush well with the remaining guava syrup. Spread with half the filling. Repeat.

    11

    Decorate with white chocolate shavings and serve.