Guava and Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

As a native Angeleno, I grew up with cakes and goods from Porto’s. Every birthday party or holiday, we needed to go to Porto’s and get some pastelitos, papas rellenas, bolillos and of course, cake. I eventually went on to work at the bakery in Burbank for about two years. That’s where I learned how to decorate cakes. I loved working there. I say all this to say that because of all that, I always have a soft spot for Porto’s Bakery. Every time, I see a guava and cheese pastelito, I instantly think of my childhood. That’s why I’m bringing you these Guava and Cheese Cinnamon Rolls. It’s like the classic Cuban pastry but with a fun new twist. If you’re looking for some other Cuban treats, then these papas rellenas and meat pies are great as well!

To make the dough, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the warmed milk, egg yolk, vanilla and butter. Attach the dough hook and knead on low until the dough comes together.

**Note: You don’t necessarily need a stand mixer for this, you can definitely do this by hand with a bowl and a wooden spoon. You’ll just need some elbow grease but it’s doable!**

Raise the speed to high and knead until smooth and the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic and a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

**Tip: You want to place the bowl to rise in a warm spot. If you find that your kitchen is cold, you can turn on the oven for a bit and once slightly warm, turn it off and let the dough rise there.**

To make the cream cheese frosting, beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

**Note: Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature because that’ll allow for a smoother and creamier filling.**

To make the guava filling, combine the guava paste, hot water, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom until smooth and spreadable. If the mixture is hard to mix, you can add a tablespoon or two more of hot water. Or you can also heat in the microwave for short 30 second bursts until smooth.

**Note: Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture for the frosting and set aside. This will help flavor the glaze later on, so don’t skip this step!**

Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out into a large rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.

Spread out the cream cheese filling in an even layer, going pretty much all the way to the edges. Top with the guava filling and spread out evenly as well.

Roll the dough, lengthwise, into a tight log and pinch the seam together to seal. Cut into 12 even slices, using a piece of unflavored dental floss. This makes it super easy to slice, but you can also use a very sharp serrated knife as well.

Arrange onto a 9×13-inch baking pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

For the glaze, in a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and the reserved 1/4 cup guava filling. Add as much of the milk as needed to create a smooth spreadable glaze. 

Once the rolls have risen, uncover and bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Spread the glaze onto the slightly warm rolls.

These are amazing while slightly warm, as are most cinnamon rolls. Any leftovers can be cooled completely and then stored in the fridge (because of the cream cheese). Then just rewarm slightly before serving.

Guava paste can sometimes be a bit difficult to find, most often, I find it at my local Latin American grocery store. You can also find it online. You can also use guava jam instead if you can find it!

As an FYI, you can easily make these cinnamon rolls the night before and bake off the morning you plan on serving them. Just assemble the rolls up until the second rise. Then cover and place in the fridge until ready to bake. Then the day of, remove from the fridge and allow to rise at room temperature. Then bake off as directed.

I know there are a lot of steps to this recipe, which is normal for homemade breads, but honestly when it comes to cinnamon rolls, it’s always 10000 percent worth the effort. The warm bun at the end is always a happy treat. Let me know what you think below and thank you so much for reading and following along!