Tasty Recipes for the Home Cook

Dessert

Queijadas (Portuguese Custard Cupcakes)

Queijadas are custardy, sweet, and creamy Portuguese cupcakes with golden brown edges. If you like custardy desserts, you will love these!

Can’t get enough of custardy desserts? You might want to try this Apple Cinnamon Croissant Breading Pudding!

Queijadas (Portuguese Custard Cupcakes)
  Instagram  Yummy

This recipe was first posted in April of 2014. I have just now had a chance to update it with new photos, content, and a couple of minor recipe tweaks.

The first time I had queijadas was at an Easter egg hunt party many, many years ago. Two of our good friends hosted the event every year for their families and friends. There was always so much food. No one ever left hungry.


While my children looked forward to the egg hunt and the pinata year after year, I secretly looked forward to the queijadas. It was truly love at first bite. Custardy desserts rank high on my list, and these cupcakes immediately made it to the top. The outside is ever so slightly chewy while the interior is smooth, creamy, and custardy. Lemon zest provide a subtle citrusy note and the crispy caramelized edges make these cupcakes simply heavenly!


Eventually, I started to make my own and have done so for years. Over time, I tweaked the recipe to my liking. My first attempts at making queijadas yielded delicious results, but my success with subsequent batches were inconsistent. Sometimes they came out custardy and smooth and other times, not so much. Some batches separated into layers of solids and custard. I discovered that the secret is to make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Thoroughly mixing after adding ingredients and using hot milk ensure everything blends harmoniously.

Queijadas (Portuguese Custard Cupcakes)

Recipe Highlights:  

  • Combine flour and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Melt butter and add milk. 
  • Cream eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add vanilla extract and lemon zest.
  • Slowly incorporate the flour and baking powder mixture with milk mixture.
  • Fill prepared cupcake tins 3/4 full with the batter. 
  • Bake for 35-38 minutes or until the cupcakes are set and edges are caramelized.
  • See recipe card below for detailed instructions.

View the how-to video or save for later with this Pinterest Pin.


Be warned: the batter is very watery and will splash a when all of the milk is incorporated. Don’t wear your good shirt 🙂  I assure you, the result will be worth the little bit of splash cleanup!

Queijada has a tendency to sink in the center, which is what it is intended to do. It does not typically contain baking powder. I like to add a little bit of baking powder to give it just a little lift and reduce the amount of sinking. If you choose to go the traditional route, omitting the baking powder is not a sin for this recipe.

Queijadas (Portuguese Custard Cupcakes)

In the original post published in 2014, I separated the batter into three equal portions. Food coloring was added to two so that each portion contained a different color. Each muffin tin was filled with one of the colors. I decided to keep the updated version undyed and au naturel. Feel free to add food coloring if that’s what you desire!

Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)


YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE RECIPES

Queijadas (Portuguese Custard Cupcakes)

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 35 minutesTotal time: 50 minutesServings:30 Servings

Description

Queijadas are custardy, sweet, and creamy Portuguese cupcakes with golden brown edges. If you like custardy desserts, you will love these!

Ingredients

  • Suggested supplies (affiliate links):

Instructions

  1. Note: These queijadas are meant to be very sweet. If you choose to make them less sweet, you can reduce up to a cup of sugar.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray standard size muffin pans with cooking spray (enough for 30-count).
  3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add milk, stirring occasionally, until it is warm. Turn off and remove from heat.
  4. Whisk flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. In a deep mixing bowl, beat eggs for 1 minute. Slowly add sugar, 1 cup at a time. Continue beating for 1 minute after the last addition.
  6. Add vanilla extract and lemon zest. Blend. 
  7. On medium speed, gradually add in 1 cup of the milk and melted butter mixture. Beat for 30 seconds. Slowly add half of the flour mixture, followed by 1 cup of the milk mixture, beating for  30 seconds after the milk addition. 
  8. Slowly add the rest of the flour, then 1/2 of the remaining milk. Beat for 1 minute. The batter will be watery and will splash. Reduce speed to medium low, if needed. Angling a large paper plate over the bowl with help contain the splashing. 
  9. Add the rest of the milk. Beat for 30 seconds. 
  10. Fill muffin pans 3/4 full. 
  11. Bake for 35–38 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set. 
  12. Cupcakes will sink slightly in center upon standing. 
  13. Store refrigerated and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Keywords:Portuguese dessert, Custard cupcake

Disclosure: This site contains paid advertising and affiliate links. In Good Flavor is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


31 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    These desserts are very delicious!!

  2. Susan says:

    My most savory and just plain yummy dish was chicken pram meatloaf, with pasts and a garden salad. It is one of our favorite meals! Thank you "In Good Flavor".

  3. good blog

  4. I'm so glad you found my blog too! And I'm happy to know that the blog is showing up on searches. It's good to hear that you like it. Thank you for commenting!

  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

  6. What size muffin pans do you use?

  7. I use standard size muffin pans…not mini, not jumbo. You would need to adjust baking time accordingly if you use the latter two sizes. Thanks for asking!

  8. Thank you! I couldn't tell how big they are. Now I'm ready to go ahead and try them! 🙂

  9. OMG these sound amazing! I've never had these before and it sounds like something right up my alley. I don't know how many recipes I've made that come out inconsistent. Sometimes I just throw up my hands!

  10. I can't ever have just one of these, Danielle. They are so addicting. I wanted to be able to make these on my own so much that I was determined to get it right. They are so worth it!

  11. Love custard! And these would be so practical baked in a cupcake tray!

  12. Custard is so good! These queijadas are self-contained, all the more reason to love them!! They go straight from the cupcake pans straight to your mouth!????

  13. Berni says:

    I found these a little on the sweet side. Next time I will cut the sugar probably by 1/3

    1. Yes, cut down on the sugar if it’s too much for you. It is a dessert for the sweet tooth. Some people cut down on the sugar and loved the result. I hope you’ll like the change as well!

      1. Is this the same thing as “sugar pie” or Hoosier pie ? Sounds like it

        1. They are similar in the sense that they are both custardy. The main differences I can see are that queijadas contain eggs and are slightly lemont while Hoosier pies have the warm flavors of nutmeg or cinnamon and are eggless. Depending on the variety, queijadas (as the ones in this recipe) don’t always have a pastry crust.

  14. Gretchen says:

    I want to try these for a special Portuguese themed dinner, but need to make them “milk free” Do you think coconut milk, oat milk or almond milk would work? Which would you suggest I try?

    1. Hi Gretchen. I have not tried queijadas with non-dairy milk. If you want to try milk free version, pick one that has similar fat content as whole milk. You need the fat for the creaminess and richness. I suggest decreasing the recipe by half to avoid too much waste just in case it does not turn out as expected. I’m sorry can’t be of more help. Good luck if you decide to try it!!

  15. Angela says:

    Would it affect the result if paper muffin liners were used? Looking forward to making these.

    1. I’m so glad you want to make them! I don’t recommend using paper liners, because the batter is liquidy. The liner will fuse to the queijadas. If you want to put them in liners for presentation, I suggest you do it after you have remove the queijadas from the muffin pans.

  16. Oh my these are so pretty! And they’re so delicate!

    1. Thank you Mimi! They are delicate but sturdy enough to pick up and eat with your hands. I love that about them!

  17. Narelle says:

    Look delicious, Can I use Gluten Free flour?

    1. I have not made gluten free versions, but I think you should be able substitute regular flour with gluten free. I suggest making a half batch at first as a test batch.

  18. Oh my heavens!! These are so good. Especially after they’re chilled. I halved the recipe my first time making these tonight. We had them after a gumbo dinner. SO delicious. I can see myself making these often.

    1. That makes me so happy!!!! That sounds like an amazing dinner!! I agree with you, the queijadas are so good cold. Thank you so much for stopping by!!

  19. Hi! I have a similar recipe I got at a Christmas party decades ago and the cook said they were just called “Delicious.” I have been trying to find out what they are really called, so glad I saw this post! Similar ingredients, different proportions, but oh my gosh, addicting! I did make them with almond milk, worked just fine. Thank you!

    1. Thank you for stopping by, Donna!! I like the cook’s name for these because they are delicious. I’m glad this is the recipe you have been looking for. Enjoy!!

  20. can you add coconut to mix and leave out the lemon zest

    1. I have not used coconut milk, but you can substitute the milk in this recipe and omit the lemon zest.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *