Guava Swirl Cheesecake with Maria Cookie Crust
There’s no doubt I’m always thinking of new ways to use guava.
Whether it’s in savory recipes like guava BBQ wings or in desserts like pastelitos de guayaba. Either way, whenever you see guava, you probably think of me. Ha! So here we go again. A guava dessert – and this time, she’s rich and creamy.
This guava swirl cheesecake is the perfect blend of sweet, tart, and tangy. The flavors are out of this world and the texture? I mean, I have no words. Smooth, creamy, the way cheesecake was meant to be. Let me show you how to make this easy guava cheesecake!

What is Guava?
Guava is a tropical fruit that is oval in shape with a rough light green skin. Their insides are a light pink color and they taste a little sour-sweet. There are several varieties of guava fruits but the most common one taste like a mix between a strawberry and a lemon. Sounds weird, right? It’s so unique though. Don’t knock it til you try it!
Now because of the fruit’s high pectin content, you’re able to make guava jams, guava marmalade, and guava paste from the fruit. Guava paste is essentially like a fruit leather made by cooking the guava fruit and sugar until it becomes a very thick [delicious] paste. While the jams and marmalade are more drippy, the guava paste is thick and sticky, but still soft enough to slice.
What are Maria Cookies?
Maria Cookies (aka galletas Maria) are crisp, slightly-sweet, vanilla flavored biscuits from Spain. In my Cuban family, we typically enjoy these cookies with slices of guava paste and cream cheese. YUM! They don’t fall apart easily which makes them a great snack with cafe con leche!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For a successful cheesecake, you want to make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.
- Maria cookies, melted butter, and granulated sugar. These are the ingredients we need for the delicious Maria cookie crust. If you can’t find Maria cookies, you can use graham crackers. All you need is a food processor to crush the cookies!
- Cream cheese. We need room temperature cream cheese for cheesecake to ensure they are no lumps in the batter.
- Granulated sugar, vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Flavor enhancers!
- Cornstarch. This will prevent cracks in your cheesecake.
- Sour cream. This will give the cheesecake a little tang as well as provide moisture and help the cream cheese soften. Make sure it’s room temperature.
- Eggs. We can’t have an extra rich and smooth cheesecake without eggs. Just make sure they are room temperature.
- Guava marmalade for swirling on top. YUM!
Recommended For This Recipe
Maria Cookies
If you can’t find Maria Cookies locally, they are available on Amazon and simply delicious!
How To Make Guava Cheesecake
- Prep work! Grease a 9-inch springform pan and preheat the oven at 350ºF.
- Make the crust. In a large bowl, mix crushed Maria cookies, butter and sugar. Transfer cookie crumbs to the springform pan and press evenly into the bottom and slightly up to the sides using the bottom of a glass. Place the crust in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the crust is slightly brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to let it cool.
- Make the cheesecake batter. In a stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and salt until creamy. Stir in sour cream and vanilla then mix until combined. Add one egg at a time and stir to combine until smooth, creamy and silky.
- Swirl the guava marmalade. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled crust then add a few dollops of the guava marmalade over the cheesecake batter. Using a skewer or toothpick, gently make about 3-4 swirls to give a marble effect.
- Bake using a water bath. This isn’t your typical water bath. For this step, we aren’t going to place the springform pan covered in foil inside a water filled pan. Instead, we are going to fill up a different pan with water and use that to create steam inside the oven. This will prevent the cheesecake from possibly filling up with water. I learned this tip from Frosting & Fettuccine.
- So here’s what you do: Place a 9×13 pan filled with water in the bottom rack of the oven then place the springform pan on the other sheet pan and place on the top rack of the oven. Bake the cheesecake for 50-60 minutes.
- Let the cheesecake cool. Remove cheesecake from the oven. The cheesecake is done when the outer rim looks set but the middle jiggles when you gently shake the pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely on a cooling rack. This step is crucial for achieving the perfect cheesecake.
- Chill the cheesecake. Once the cheesecake has cooled, place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

You may also like:
- Pastelitos de Guayaba + Queso (Guava Cheese Pastries!)
- White Chocolate Guava Magic Cookie Bars
- Elderflower Guava Mimosa Recipe
- Guava Cake Bars (Cuban Masa Real de Guayaba)
Easy Guava Swirl Cheesecake with Maria Cookie Crust
Ingredients
Maria Cookie Crust
- 1 3/4 cup crushed Maria cookies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Cheesecake Filling
- 32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup guava marmalade, for swirling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and fill a 9×13 pan with about 2-inches of water that will act as a water bath to create steam in the oven. Set both aside.
- In a bowl, mix together crushed cookies, butter and sugar. Transfer cookie crumbs to the springform pan and press evenly into the bottom and slightly up to the sides using the bottom of a glass.
- Place the crust in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the crust is slightly brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to let it cool.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and salt until combined and creamy. Stir in sour cream and vanilla then mix until combined.
- Add one egg at a time and stir to combine. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until smooth, creamy and silky.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the cooled crust then add a few dollops of the guava marmalade over the cheesecake batter.
- Using a skewer, gently make about 3-4 swirls to give a marble effect. Place the springform pan on a sheet pan so it will be easier to remove from the oven later.
- Place the 9×13 pan filled with water in the bottom rack of the oven and place the springform pan that is on the other sheet pan on the top rack of the oven. This will create steam in the oven helping the cheesecake remain creamy without cracks. Bake the cheesecake for 50-60 minutes.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven. The cheesecake is done when the outer rim looks set but the middle jiggles when you gently shake the pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely on a cooling rack. This step is crucial for achieving the perfect cheesecake.
- Once the cheesecake has cooled, place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, carefully slice into it as the crust will be crumbly. Enjoy!
Hello my dear;
In your instructions for this recipe; you forgot to mention the oven temperature.
Is it at 350 degrees?
Thanks
PS: As a Cuban myself love your recipes.
Hi! The temperature is listed on step 1 – it is 350ºF :)