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Light, fluffy, and loaded with cheese! This is what Cheese Puto Cupcakes are all about! This beloved steamed rice cakes done differently will be a great addition to your puto recipes.

I sometimes wake up in the morning and imagine that there is a hawker outside and shouting “puto, kutsinta!”. This is my fond memory of puto. These steamed rice cakes makes Filipino breakfast or even snacks truly awesome. Exaggerating? Nah, this delicacies are simply delicious!

Is it a bread, a cake?

Traditionally, they are categorized as “kakanin” or delicacies made from slightly fermented rice or “galapong”. These steamed rice cakes goes best with dinuguan or pork blood stew. The term puto applies to a wide variety of other Filipino delicacies like, puto flan, puto lason, and puto bumbong that are all cooked by steaming. So, bring those steamers out from storage and let’s make puto!

What makes Cheese Puto Cupcakes unique?

As I mentioned in the intro, this puto is done differently from the traditional method and cake flour is used. Using cake flour guaranties soft and lighter puto. Also, I placed cupcake liners in each mold to easily remove them and plus looks great if your planning to give them as gifts or even sell them.

Another advantage of placing cupcake liners into the mold is that you don’t need to grease the molds with butter which means less messy.

Adding meringue to make it fluffy.

Meringue is used to lighten soufflés, mousses, and cake mixtures so the same goes when making this recipe. Is it hard to make? Well that depends, here are some techniques to remember when making meringue.

Do not add sugar too quickly – Dumping sugar all at once while beating the egg whites will deflate. Add sugar in batches while beating to give the sugar a chance to dissolve.

Do not forget the cream of tartar – Cream of tartar’s mild acidity helps gives the meringue more structure and volume to achieve a nice glossy stiff peak. You can also use vinegar or lemon as alternatives.

Egg whites should be in room temperature and beat in high speed – Egg whites at room temperature produces more airier meringue and beat at high-speed to reach stiff peak. But, never ever over-beat or you’ll end up with a grainy consistency.

Be gentle – when folding the meringue into the puto batter. You do not want to deflate the meringue while incorporating it in the batter.

Tips for Cheese Puto Cupcakes

Place a clean kitchen towel between the lid and the steamer. This will keep condensation from dripping on to the puto and avoiding soggy or uneven cooking.
Pre-boil the water for steaming in high heat. Once you are ready to steam the puto, turn it down to medium-low heat. This will make for a crack-free dome when cooking the puto.
Sift the dry ingredients three times. It makes it easier to mix into other ingredients when forming the batter.

The secret ingredient is always LOVE

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