Philippines · Southeast Asia

Butter Mamon

Name: Butter Mamon
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 12 mamon
Cuisine: Philippines
Ingredients: 140 g (1 1/4 cups) cake flour; 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar, divided; 5 large eggs, separated; 80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil; 80 ml (1/3 cup) milk; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp cream of tartar; 1 tsp vanilla; 1/4 tsp salt; 60 g (4 tbsp) butter, melted; 3 tbsp sugar; Grated cheese, to finish (optional)

Cloud-soft buttery sponge cupcakes

🛂 Passport Stamp No.025 · Postmarked in Philippines

👦 Baked by Axl

25m

Prep

20m

Bake

12 mamon

Makes

Intermediate

Level

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Postmark · Philippines

🏛 A little history

Mamón is the Philippines' most beloved sponge cupcake — so light and springy it almost bounces back when you press it. The name and the fluffy idea came from Spain, where 'mamón' is a soft, airy sponge cake. During three centuries of Spanish rule it took root in Filipino kitchens and was made even more tender and buttery.

You'll spot mamón in every Filipino panadería (neighbourhood bakery), stacked in fluted paper cups for merienda — the afternoon snack. 'Butter mamón' gets the best finish of all: a brush of melted butter and a snowfall of sugar on top (many bakers add grated cheese too). Its magical bounce comes from the chiffon method — whipping the egg whites into soft clouds and folding them in gently.

👩‍🍳 Let's bake!

Heat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and line a muffin tin with paper cups.
Whisk the egg yolks, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and half the sugar; whisk to a silky batter.
In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy, then add the rest of the sugar a little at a time and beat to soft, glossy peaks.
Fold a third of the whites into the batter to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest — keep all that air! The batter should look like a pale cloud.
Spoon into the cups about three-quarters full. Bake 18–22 minutes, until springy and a pick comes out clean.
While warm, brush the tops with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar (and grated cheese if you like), and cool on a rack.

💡 Chef Axl's tips

Not a speck of yolk in the whites, and a clean dry bowl — that's the secret to a tall, fluffy mamón.
Fold slowly and gently; stirring hard knocks out the air and makes them dense.
Best eaten the same day, super soft — perfect with a glass of cold milk for merienda.

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All-Purpose Flour

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Sugar

Sweetens and helps bakes turn golden and tender.

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Vanilla Extract

A splash of warm, sweet aroma in every batter.

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Baking Powder

The little lift that makes cakes and cookies rise.

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Parchment Paper

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Round Cake Pan

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Offset Spatula

Angled blade for spreading frosting like a pro.

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Butter Mamon

🏛 A little history

👩‍🍳 Let's bake!

💡 Chef Axl's tips

Shop this recipe

All-Purpose Flour

Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Baking Powder

Parchment Paper

Round Cake Pan

Offset Spatula

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