I’ve had this recipe for almost 25 years. The brazo gitano prepared by Franco in Mayaguez is a favorite in Puerto Rico. perhaps though my homemade version isn’t a perfect replica, I think it’s just as excellent or perhaps better. To suit your tastes, mix & match the fillings. One of many people’s favorite foods is cream cheese with their preferred fruit.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Servings: | 10 |
| Yield: | 1 jelly roll |
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sifted self-rising flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, or as needed
- 1 cup guava paste, softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan.
- Break eggs into a small mixing bowl; beat with an electric mixer until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in sugar gradually. Add water, lime zest, and vanilla extract and blend well. Beat in flour gradually until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and loosen the edges with a sharp knife. Turn out immediately onto a tea towel sprinkled with powdered sugar.
- Cut guava paste into chunks and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until spreadable. Be careful, it will get hot because of the high sugar content.
- Trim any stiff edges off of the cake and spread guava over. Roll up carefully in jelly roll fashion from the narrow end, using the towel to ease the cake over. Let cool in the towel on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the towel carefully and sprinkle additional powdered sugar over the top if desired. Slice to serve.
- You can use guava jelly instead of paste, or any jam of your choice for a different flavor.
- You may also spread a layer of cream cheese (plain or sweetened to your taste) before the guava. If you do this, watch the temperature of the guava paste; if it is too hot it will melt the cheese and it will make a mess. Keep things just warm enough for spreadability.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 233 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 52 g |
| Cholesterol | 56 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 181 mg |
| Sugars | 23 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This recipe shines due to its simplicity. Change the filling to your liking — but guava is one of the best!!