Plantain Cake with Guava and Fresh Cheese

Roasted Plantain with fresh cheese, guava paste, and arequipe

Colombian desserts most often include at least one of the following:

Baked or Roasted Plantains
Fresh Cheese
Arequipe (also known as dulce de leche or "caramel spread"
Bocadillo (guava paste)

And, if you are lucky enough, the dessert may just include all four. The first time I was faced with this unconventional combination was at Andres Carne de Res, a trendy, trippy restaurant on the outskirts of Bogota. I will admit that at first I was taken aback by the fusion of so many unique flavors, both sweet and savory. However, that was nearly 10 years ago, and I have learned to love the crispness of roasted plantains and the coalescence of guava paste with fresh cuajada cheese ingeniously topped with a portion of what is often loosely translated as "caramel spread".

In my mother-in-law's kitchen, the combination of plantains, cheese, arequipe, and bocadillo is very familiar, often served in the form of Torta de Platano or Plantain Cake. It is one of my favorite Colombian desserts. I can eat plantain cake for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. It seems to serve as a fine accompaniment with just about any dish. If you find the ingredients a little daunting, guave paste can be found at any Colombian Market. For those of you that live in DC, there is a Colombian Market and Restaurant in Arlington called Restaurante Monserrate where you can find all of the ingredients for this cake. Your local Latin Market may also carry everything.

I highly suggest you try the fabulous Plantain Cake recipe below that astutely combines all four of these popular Colombian ingredients.

Plantain Cake Ingredients

4 or 5 Ripe Plantains
2 Eggs
1 stick of Butter
1 cup of Flour
1 tsp of Cinnamon
4 squares of Bocadillos of Guava, sliced (found in Colombian Market). You could make it without if you can't find it.
Fresh Cheese, shredded (Mozzarella would also work) (enough to cover entire cake)

Bocadillo (Guava Paste) wrapped in a plantain leaf

Arequipe/ Dulce de Leche

Plantain Cake Directions
Peel plantains and cook them in sufficient water until they are soft. Drain water and and pure plantains. Mix in eggs and butter. Continue to mix well with a fork. Then add flour and cinnamon. Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Grease a cake-sized pan and sprinkle with flour. Pour in half of the plantain mixture. In the middle of the cake, first add to the mixture the layer of bocadillo and then add the layer of cheese. Pour the remaining plantain mixture on top. Cook in the oven set at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Let the cake set and cool for 10 minutes before serving. For extra Colombian-ness serve with a dollop of Arequipe on top.