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Home > Baked Goods > Cake

Butter Puto with Cheese

Published: Dec 14, 2019 • Updated: Jun 9, 2021 by: Mella • 9 Comments

252 shares

This Butter Puto Cheese is soft, fluffy, and milky. The brown butter gives a nice nutty buttery flavor while the cheddar makes it rich and cheesy. Once you bite into these Filipino steamed cakes you’ll surely be asking for more!

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Brown Butter Puto Cheese Recipe

Soft and Fluffy Butter Puto Cheese

Finally! A Puto cheese recipe for keeps. I've made a lot of variations of this Filipino style steamed cakes over the years and I've never loved any of it until this one! This one's just too good and addicting if I say so myself.  I think the husband agrees because he devoured it as soon as I was done taking photos hahaha.

Puto Cheese Ingredients

This Puto Cheese recipe has a perfect balance of sweetness and savoriness and it smells so good too! But what's exactly in it?

  • All-purpose flour is generally used but cake flour can also be a good substitute. To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour.
  • Baking Powder is the main and only leavening agent for puto i.e. it's what will make the steamed cake rise and fluffy.
  • Evaporated Milk and Water - regular milk can also be used. If using low fat, use the one with 2% fat no less.
  • Sugar and salt because any cake is not complete without these two!
  • Eggs for moisture and stability. You don't want a crumbly puto.
  • Cheddar Cheese (mild or sharp) is the only cheese I can recommend for this recipe. Its flavor balances the sweetness of the cake. Sugar and cheese? Oh yes! Filipinos love pairing those two! Check out my two Ensaymada recipes.
  • Brown butter - more on this later 🙂
Buttered Puto Cheese Recipe

Why brown butter?

Browning the butter makes it tastier, nutty, and deliciously fragrant. It is a technique usually used for baked goods but I figured it would be awesome for steamed cakes too! And I was right!

How to make it

Browning butter is super easy—add butter in a small pan. Turn on the heat and set to medium heat. Once it melts, set heat to low. It will be foamy at the beginning but when the water starts to evaporate, it will slowly change in light brown color and the buttery flavor will start to intensify; even your entire house will smell like butter for a good few minutes. I swear!

Butter Puto Cheese

Golden TIPS for making PUTO CHEESE

  • Steaming in continuous high-heat causes the puto to crack at the top. Some may like it that way but I don't. To prevent this from happening, a gentle boil or simmer should be applied when steaming.
  • Strain the batter to remove lumps. This will yield a softer textured steamed cake.
  • Use slice cheese instead of grated and place it in between the batter. It's an unexpected surprise to bite into the steamed cakes. Of course, if you prefer grated, feel free to do so and mix it with the batter before filling the cups.
  • To prevent water from dripping into the batter, place a damp cloth in between the racks and lid.
  • Sudden change in temperature may cause the steamed cake to shrink and collapse. To prevent this from happening, open the top lid barely for 10 seconds before completely removing it
  • Storage/Shelf life: Refrigerate in an airtight sealed container. When properly stored, it can last 3 to 5 days.

More Filipino dessert recipes for you to try!

  • Ensaymada Cupcakes
  • Cassava Cake
  • Sweet and Creamy Fruit Salad (Filipino Style)
  • Buko Pandan (Coconut Pandan Salad)
  • White Puto Flan (Leche Flan Puto)
  • Ginataang Bilo-Bilo with Sweet Potato Rice Balls
  • Turon with Dulce De Leche
  • Sweet Potato Palitaw
  • Oven-Baked Bibingka with Peanuts and Coconut Strips

Watch the video on how to make Butter Puto Cheese

Butter Puto Cheese

Butter Puto with Cheese

Recipe Video Above: This Butter Puto Cheese is moist, fluffy, milky and not too sweet. The brown butter gives a nice nutty buttery flavor while the cheddar makes it rich and cheesy. Once you bite into these Filipino steamed cakes you’ll surely be asking for more!
prep 20 mins
cook 15 mins
5 from 1 vote
author: Mella
Servings 15 cups
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Ingredients
 

  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup evaporated milk (or fresh milk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (see note 2)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • sharp or mild cheddar cheese (sliced into strips, divided-see note 5)

Instructions

  • In a small pot, melt butter slowly over low heat until it turns brown. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat-proof large bowl. Residual heat may burn the butter. Let it cool completely.
  • Add sugar, eggs milk, water, and vanilla to the brown butter. Stir until sugar has completely dissolved.
  • Sift flour, baking powder together using a strainer. Gradually add to liquid ingredients. Whisk just until well combined. Strain to remove lumps. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the steamer.
  • Grease the muffin cups with oil or butter then place it in the steamer rack. Fill the muffin cups one-third full with the puto batter. Add strips of cheese then top with remaining batter. Cover the rack with steamer lid wrapped in a damp cloth.
  • Steam for 2 mins in med-high heat, then lower heat to med-low. Continue steaming for another 10 mins until a toothpick comes out clean (see notes 3, 4, and 5 for tips). Remove from heat then top with slices of cheese. Cover and steam for another 1 to 2 minutes to slightly melt the cheese. Cool completely before removing from the cups. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes and Tips:

  1. Sugar - add more up to ¼ cup for a sweeter cake and if you're using a savory-salty cheese.
  2. Baking Powder: Make sure baking powder is fresh and not expired.
  3. Steaming in continuous high-heat causes the puto to wrinkle and crack at the top. To prevent this from happening, use a gentle boil.
  4. To prevent water from dripping into the batter, place a damp cloth in between the racks and lid.
  5. Sudden change in temperature may cause the steamed cake to shrink and collapse. To prevent this from happening, open the top lid barely for 10 seconds before completely removing it.
  6. Cheese: You can also use processed cheddar cheese. Don't use easy melt or quick melt cheese as it will "obviously" melt easily and won't look good as a topping.
  7. Storage/Shelf life: Refrigerate in an airtight sealed container. When properly stored, it can last 3 to 5 days.
Jump to Video
Course : Dessert
Cuisine : Filipino
Keyword : brown butter cake, buttered puto, puto cheese recipe, steamed cake
Nutrition Facts
Butter Puto with Cheese
Amount per Serving
Calories
137
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Cholesterol
 
31
mg
10
%
Sodium
 
177
mg
8
%
Potassium
 
46
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
21
g
7
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
11
g
12
%
Protein
 
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
 
157
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
86
mg
9
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anna Nudalo says

    July 21, 2020 at 12:48 pm

    what cheese are you using? any suggestion please.
    brand or product name would prefer

    Reply
  2. JM says

    July 17, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    What's the measurement of I use cake flour? 🙂

    Reply
    • Mella says

      July 19, 2020 at 3:46 pm

      Use 1 1/2 cup + 2 tbsps cake flour

      Reply
  3. JM says

    July 17, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    What’s the measurement if I use cake flour? ?

    Reply
  4. Anne says

    April 08, 2020 at 4:06 pm

    5 stars
    "Puto! puto!" my son would be chanting this everytime he would smell the aroma of the steaming puto in the kitchen! thank you for this recipe. I tried it using cake flour following the ratio you advised??

    Reply
    • Mella says

      April 08, 2020 at 11:59 pm

      you're welcome Anne! Glad your son loved it.

      Reply
    • Giselle says

      October 11, 2020 at 5:00 am

      What is my mistake if my puto cheese is not fluffy.and its looks like puto kutsinta...

      Reply
      • Mella says

        October 14, 2020 at 8:38 am

        Hi Giselle, did you let the batter sit for 15 to 20 minutes before steaming?
        - Mella

        Reply
  5. leah says

    April 02, 2020 at 10:42 am

    i want to try this! I need to make something without yeast ? reminds me of my childhood too.

    Reply

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My name is Mella and welcome to my blog. Here I share Filipino, Asian, and many easy-to-follow recipes. Enjoy and happy cooking!.

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