Caribbean

Serving

Guava Duff

Name: Guava Duff
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup butter, softened; 3/4 cup milk; 2 cups ripe guava pulp, mashed (fresh or canned); 1 cup sugar, divided; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 cup dark rum (for the sauce); 1 egg (for the sauce)

A Bahamian steamed guava dumpling served with a rich buttered rum sauce.

120 minutes

Serves 8

Dessert

42 min prep

66 min cook

Contains common allergens

Egg Dairy Wheat

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Instructions

8 steps

1
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2
Stir in the milk to form a soft, slightly sticky dough, then turn it out onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
3
In a bowl, mix the mashed guava pulp with 1/2 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon, and nutmeg, then spread this filling evenly over the dough.
4
Roll the dough up tightly into a log, starting from a long edge, and wrap it snugly in cheesecloth or foil, tying off the ends.
5
Set the wrapped duff on a rack inside a large covered pot with a few inches of simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the duff, and steam for 1 1/2 hours, topping up the water as needed.
6
While the duff steams, make the sauce: melt the remaining sugar with a splash of water in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns amber, then whisk in the rum carefully (it will bubble up) and simmer for 2 minutes.
7
Beat the egg in a separate bowl, then temper it with a little of the hot rum sauce before whisking it back into the pan to thicken slightly; keep warm.
8
Unwrap the steamed duff, slice into rounds, and serve warm with the buttered rum sauce poured over top.

Guava Duff — plated and served — Serving moment. How Guava Duff looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

65/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 70

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 51

Budget-friendly 84

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 45

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

455

Calories

1 g

Protein

11 g

Carbs

46 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Guava duff is a Bahamian boiled dessert, a descendant of British steamed puddings adapted to the islands by swapping suet and currants for tropical guava. The dough is traditionally tied in a cloth and dropped into simmering water, a method that predates reliable home ovens and produces a dense, moist roll rather than a baked cake.

Listahan note

This version keeps the cloth-boiled technique because it is what gives duff its springy, almost dumpling-like crumb, and it spreads the guava as a jam spiral so every slice shows the pink swirl.

Technique cues

Spreading the guava jam thinly before rolling matters: a thick layer slides out during boiling and leaves a hollow, so aim for an even film right to the edges before you start the spiral.
Boil the wrapped roll at a steady simmer rather than a hard boil; aggressive bubbling forces water through the cloth and makes the dough gummy on the outside.
The butter rum sauce is finished off the heat after the boil so the rum keeps its aroma instead of cooking off into the simmering water.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Cook the guava jam and bring the boiling water up to temperature while you mix and rest the dough.
Make-ahead: The guava jam and the butter rum sauce both keep for days, so only the rolling and boiling are left for serving day.
Leftover move: Slice cold leftovers and pan-toast them in a little butter for a caramelized-edge breakfast.
Cleanup rhythm: Rinse the boiling cloth immediately while it is still warm so the dough does not dry and cement into the weave.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Guava

Fruit filling

Purpose: Its bright, slightly tart pulp cuts the richness of the dough and gives duff its signature pink spiral.

Handling: Cook the guava down to a thick spreadable jam so it holds its shape inside the roll instead of weeping.

Adaptation: Strawberry or quince preserves work; the color stays but the flavor turns less floral and more candy-sweet.

dough

Pudding base

Purpose: The soft, lightly sweet dough is the body of the duff and sets the springy boiled-pudding texture.

Handling: Roll it to an even thickness so the spiral cooks through at the same rate without a doughy center.

Adaptation: A self-rising biscuit dough gives a similar lift; expect a slightly more tender, less chewy crumb.

butter rum sauce

Finishing sauce

Purpose: The warm, boozy butter sauce is poured over each slice and is the dish's defining flavor, not an optional drizzle.

Handling: Whisk butter and sugar until glossy, then stir in the rum away from the heat to keep its aroma.

Adaptation: A vanilla-spiked butterscotch sauce keeps it family-friendly while staying warm and rich.

butter (in sauce)

Sauce fat

Purpose: Butter emulsifies the rum sauce into a glossy, clingy pour rather than a thin boozy splash.

Handling: Melt it gently with the sugar and whisk so it stays emulsified before the rum goes in.

Adaptation: Browned butter deepens the sauce with a nutty note; plant butter keeps it dairy-free.

Technique notes

Flour the cloth lightly before wrapping so the cooked duff releases cleanly instead of tearing.
Tie the roll with a little slack; the dough swells as it cooks and a tight wrap splits the spiral.
Let the boiled roll rest five minutes before slicing so the crumb firms up and cuts into clean rounds.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Build the sauce on a plant butter and a splash of coconut cream; it stays glossy with a faint coconut note.
Alcohol-free direction: Replace the rum with rum extract plus a spoon of orange juice for warmth without the spirit.
Weeknight shortcut: Use store-bought guava paste thinned with a little water as the filling to skip the jam-cooking step.

Serve alongside

A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream
Fresh mango and pineapple salad
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Spiced black coffee on the side
Bahamian-style rum punch
Strong black coffee
Hibiscus iced tea

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate sliced duff in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat slices in a covered skillet with a splash of water or in short microwave bursts so they steam rather than dry out.
Freeze the whole roll wrapped tightly for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Equipment

Clean cotton cloth or cheesecloth for wrapping
Large deep pot for boiling
Kitchen twine
Small saucepan for the sauce

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