Puto with Melted Cheeze

This recipe is dedicated to my good friend “E” Fructuso.  I couldn’t believe he’s gone now let alone that it has been a year. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.

E has touched so many lives from his relentless community service keeping the youth of San Francisco off the streets through his work at UP (United Playaz), as well as from his volunteer work at Bindlestiff Studio, the epi-center of Pilipino Arts in the Bay Area.

I was one of the lucky ones who have had the chance to get to know him, be his friend, and discover his kindness. We used to share many many laughters together that would always reverberate good vibes all across the room and to everyone around. I could attest that our Bay Area community is at tremendous loss of a real gem.

As a tribute, family, friends, and community members gathered over the weekend at a community center in San Francisco and shared wonderful stories about his life and work. Many of his friends, who are also talented artists, performed on stage. The event was also a potluck so I brought my homemade Puto with melted cheeze on top, a popular Filipino cake.

I’m sorry if I sound a little downer on this post but at least the Puto Cheeze looks cheerful, yeah?

VEGAN PUTO WITH CHEEZE ON TOP

INGREDIENTS:

•  6 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons Flax meal + 9 tbsp water (to replace 6 eggs)
• 1 1/2 cup soy milk (or any vegan milk of choice)
• 3 1/2 cups water
• vegan butter (coconut oil is also good)
• 1 pack Daiya cheddar shreds (or any vegan cheddar of choice)
• 2 cups water and a steamer

HOW TO:

1. Mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the egg replacement, soy milk, and water
3. Combine the two mixture. Blend well and evenly.
4. Grease the molds with butter and pour the mixture about 3/4 full in each mold.
5. Top each mold with cheddar shreds.
6. Pour some water in the steamer and turn on the heat
7. Arrange the molds in the steamer and steam for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.
8. Turn off the heat and let the cakes cool down.
9. Remove Puto from the molds and transfer to a serving container.

 

Aside from steaming, I also baked the Puto which has cut the time in half. However, shortcuts are not always the best especially when it comes to baking/cooking. The baked Puto had a dried, instead of melted, cheeze on top and the cake wasn’t as moist as the steamed version. So definitely, go with steaming.

Feel free to serve them warm or at room temperature. The cake also works fine after reheating in the microwave. You may serve it as snack or side dish (it works well with Pancit).

 

Here are a couple of images from the event:

We miss you E!