This classic snack couldn’t be easier to make. Try making these Filipino cheese cupcakes at home!
In the Philippines, it is normal to eat five times a day.
Aside from the three main meals, we would usually eat a snack during mid-morning and mid-afternoon. We call these snacks merienda.
That thing called merienda.
Our merienda often involves simple snacks which are easy to prepare: like boiled bananas, boiled or roasted sweet potatoes (which we would eat smothered in butter and sometimes mashed with condensed milk), boiled cassava tubers, various bread bought from a nearby bakery and an assortment of store-bought snacks.
And we only ate in moderate quantities, enough to tide us over until lunch or dinner.
Growing up, I’ve only had cheese cupcakes from a plastic pack – meaning store-bought. Our friendly neighborhood bakery didn’t sell them. But I still enjoyed them.
What are Filipino cheese cupcakes?
Filipino cheese cupcakes are sweet and salty morsels of goodness.
A sweet vanilla milk cupcake is broken up by bits of salty cheddar cheese and further topped with more cheese.
These cupcakes don’t need any icing.
Recipes for Filipino cheese cupcakes have been teasing me for a while now and I finally gave in and baked a batch.
I cobbled a couple of recipes together (this and this) to come up with this recipe.
I loved it! The cupcakes turned out soft, fluffy, and sweet but offset by the saltiness of the cheddar cheese.
The cheese cupcakes are still on the sweet side, so if you have some use for leftover condensed milk, you might want to reduce it to 2/3 the quantity.
Let’s get baking!
First, preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, on medium speed.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Mix in the vanilla and condensed milk.
With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour. Mix well.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Fold in ¾ cup of the grated cheese.
Scoop a batter into the prepared muffin tin, ¾ full. Top each with more cheddar cheese.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes for normal-sized cupcakes, and 10-12 minutes for mini muffins, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Other recipes for snacks you might like:
White Chocolate Chip Matcha Cookies
Pin recipe for Filipino cheese cupcakes for future reference:
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Tweety
Yields 12 - 24 cupcakes
A childhood favorite snack!
10 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ c (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ c butter (112 g), cubed, at room temperature
- 1/3 c (67g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large can (305 ml) condensed milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated, divided (you might need more if making mini muffins)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, on medium speed.
- Add the eggs one at a time.
- Mix in the vanilla and condensed milk.
- With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour. Mix well.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Fold in ¾ cup of the grated cheese.
- Scoop a batter into the prepared muffin tin, ¾ full. Top each with more cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes for normal-sized cupcakes, and 10-12 minutes for mini muffins, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
