dgbaking A Brazo Gitano is a jelly roll cake that is found in latin caribbean countries of Cuba, Puerto Rico and it is a childhood favorite of mine from my time spent in Dominican Republic. This recipe includes the addition of a cream cheese filling, which you can omit but it is reminiscent of cuban “pastelitos” which is a puff pastry treat filled with guava and cream cheese.
You can fill up the roll with any filling that you like in place of the guava. I suggest a strawberry or raspberry jam as these have a flavor that is similar to guava and pair well with cream cheese.
Equipment
- 1 18×13 pan half sheet
Ingredients
Jelly Roll
- butter for pan
- 6 large eggs divided to 6 yolks and 6 whites
- 6 tbsp flour (50g)
- 6 tbsp sugar (70g)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- confectioners sugar-dusting top
Guava Filling
- 1 pack 14-17oz guava paste
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1/4 cup orange juice
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz Cream Cheese-full fat
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
Jelly Roll
- preheat oven at 375 degrees and make sure rack is placed in the middle of your oven
- start by cutting parchment paper to fit your pan. Butter your pan. Place parchment on pan and then butter the parchment-set aside
- start whipping egg whites while whipping, add sugar gradually. Whip until stiff peaks form
- beat egg yolks until they are light and foamy
- add baking soda and salt to flour and mix
- add egg yolks to egg whites and fold gently with a soft spatula
- add vanilla and flour to egg mix and fold gently with a soft spatula
- pour batter into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula
- bake for 15 minutes or until its golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
- while cake is baking, place a kitchen towel flat on your counter and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. The towel should be larger than pan
- once jelly is out of the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes but no more. Take your pan and invert on top of the towel
- immediately roll the cake up starting at the sort end or the shortest width
- let it rest at room temp for about an hour or until cool. If not filling right after its cool, place in fridge and let it stay there for about 2 days or until you are ready to fill.
Guava Filling
- Open the Guava package and cut into pieces
- Start warming up your pan and medium-low heat, I used a 12 inch pan, and add half of the orange juice and begin to stir the guava
- as the guava heat, it begins to soften and melt, when you feel its getitng soften, break the pieces further with your spoon so as to making the process of melting the past easier and faster
- once nearly all the pieces are soft and melted, dd the rest of the juice and lime zest
- continue to stir until you see no lumos and then place all in a bowl-set aside
Cream Cheese Filling
- let the block of cream cheese warm at room temperature for about 10 minutes
- in a bowl, beat cream cheese at high until smooth, about 1 minute
- add sugar, and beat 1 minute more-set aside
Assemble Jelly Roll
- unroll your cooled jelly roll cake
- begin to spread the guava filling, if it has thicken too much, place in microwave for 30 seconds or more, until its consistency is spreadable again
- spread the guava evenly on the roll-making sure to leave 1/2 inch of space on the edges of the cake
- once you are done spreading all of the guava, start by spreading the cream cheese filling. spread evenly and leave about 1/2 inch space on edges of the cake so that fillings don't seep out.
- cut a small piece of each end to reveal fillings inside.
- once you have spread both fillings, roll up your jelly roll by the shortest end or width. Once rolled up, sprinkle the top with confectioners sugar using a sieve-alternatively, if not serving right away, place the roll in fridge and once ready to serve, take out and sprinkle the top with confectioners sugar using a sieve.
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