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Bahamian · Caribbean

Guava duff

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A Bahamian steamed pudding: soft dough rolled around sweetened guava, steamed until tender and sliced into spirals, served warm with a rich buttery rum sauce.

Guava duff is a Bahamian dessert from The Bahamas, ready in about 2 hours 5 minutes and made with guava and all-purpose flour. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
35 min
Cook
1 h 20 min
Rest
10 min
Total
2 h 5 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
517

Ingredients

8 servings

Filling

Dough

Rum sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the guava (opens in a new tab) with the sugar (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab) for 10 minutes until thick and jammy; cool.

  2. Step 2

    Mix the flour, raising agent, salt and nutmeg (opens in a new tab), rub in the cold butter (opens in a new tab), then bind with the egg (opens in a new tab) and milk (opens in a new tab) to a soft dough.

    • 8 min

  3. Step 3

    Roll the dough to a 1 cm rectangle on a floured surface, spread with the guava (opens in a new tab) leaving a border and roll up like a Swiss roll. Wrap loosely in greased foil, sealing the ends.

  4. Step 4

    Steam over simmering water, covered, for 1 hour, topping up the water as needed.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile, beat the softened butter (opens in a new tab) and powdered sugar (opens in a new tab) until fluffy, then gradually beat in the rum (opens in a new tab). Slice the warm duff and serve with spoonfuls of sauce melting over it.

    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
The Bahamas · Well documentedMore food from The Bahamas
Dish
Dessert · Desserts
Cooking method
Steamed, Whipped
Taste
sweet, fruity, buttery
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Guava · All-purpose flour · Sugar · Cinnamon · Baking powder · Nutmeg
Techniques
Simmering · Steaming · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

517 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 175 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 51%
  • Fat 44%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy517 kcal296 kcal
Protein6.7 g3.8 g
Carbohydrate65.1 g37.3 g
Net carbohydrate61 g34.9 g
Sugars32.9 g18.8 g
Added sugars27.2 g15.6 g
Fibre4.1 g2.3 g
Fat25.3 g14.4 g
Saturated fat15.4 g8.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol86 mg49 mg
Sodium392 mg224 mg
Salt equivalent1 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
304 mg
Calcium
108 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
23 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
230 µg
Vitamin C
126 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
141 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Leave room in the foil for the dough to expand.

Serve with

  • Warm, with the rum sauce or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storage

  • Wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Re-steam slices for 10 minutes or microwave briefly.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Rum sauce

Used in steps 2, 4, 5

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 35 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Rest · about 10 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 1 h

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 45 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

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