Brazilian Bolo de Fuba: Cornmeal Cake with Guava That Keeps All Week

Heat the oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch round or 8-inch square pan, then line the bottom with parchment.

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal (fuba)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp whole fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup neutral oil
• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 oz guava paste, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp turbinado sugar, for the top

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch round or 8-inch square pan, then line the bottom with parchment.
2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and crushed fennel seeds together in a large bowl until evenly combined.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil, yogurt and vanilla until smooth and slightly frothy.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir just until no streaks remain. The batter will look loose; the cornmeal thickens it as it sits.
5. Let the batter rest 10 minutes so the cornmeal hydrates. This is the difference between a tender crumb and a gritty one.
6. Pour half the batter into the pan, scatter the guava cubes evenly across the surface, then cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top.
7. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is deep gold and a skewer inserted away from a guava pocket comes out clean. Cool in the pan 20 minutes before turning out.
8. Store at room temperature under a cake dome for 5 days, or slice and freeze. The crumb actually improves on day two as the cornmeal settles.
9. Bolo de fuba is the everyday cake of the Brazilian interior, especially Minas Gerais, where it is baked in the afternoon and eaten with coffee at any hour by anyone who walks through the door. Fennel seed is the traditional and slightly surprising aromatic, lending a faint anise warmth that keeps the cornmeal from tasting merely like cornbread. Adding guava paste turns it into the flavor pairing Brazilians call Romeu e Julieta, and because the cake stays moist for the better part of a week, it is a natural fit for lunchboxes.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 356 kcal
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 13g
• Carbohydrates: 55g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 32g
• Sodium: 280mg