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Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

August 12, 2023

Celebration in the Philippines is never complete without desserts, and one of the famous cakes you will see on the party table is the Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake), made with ube cake layers and cream cheese frosting.

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You may want to try my Ube Custard (Leche Flan Cake) Recipe as well.

This Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake) is typically made as round cakes or swiss rolls. Either way, it is always soft, moist and delicious. Some ube cakes have macapuno (coconut string jam) or leche flan (custard), these 2 are absolutely perfect partners for ube cake.

What is Ube Cake Made of?

The layers of ube cake are typically prepared similarly to mamon (chiffon cake) or sponge cake, adding mashed purple yam to the recipe. It is traditionally made with cake flour, eggs, sugar, salt baking powder, vanilla, oil, milk, cream of tartar and freshly grated ube.

You may also like my other Filipino sweet recipes, Sapin Sapin, Cassava Cake and Maja Mais.

What does Purple Ube Cake taste like?

Purple ube cake has a slightly nutty taste with a hint of vanilla. Its sweet flavour is mild and gentle, not too intense. It is usually mistaken for taro and purple sweet potato.

What are the frostings used for Purple Ube Cake?

When it comes to frosting for ube cake, there are a few options you can consider:

Ube Buttercream Frosting: This is a classic choice for ube cake. Ube buttercream frosting is made by incorporating ube halaya (ube jam or purple yam spread) into a basic buttercream recipe. This gives the frosting both the purple color and the rich ube flavor. To make this frosting, you’ll need to prepare or purchase ube halaya and then blend it into your buttercream mixture until well combined.
Cream Cheese Ube Frosting: Combining cream cheese with ube creates a delightful balance of tanginess and sweetness. You can make this frosting by mixing softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, ube extract or ube halaya, and a bit of vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Whipped Cream Ube Frosting: For a lighter and less sweet option, you can make a whipped cream-based frosting infused with ube flavor. Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form, and then gently fold in ube extract or ube halaya to achieve the desired taste and color.
Ube Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Swiss meringue buttercream is a smoother and less sweet frosting option. To make it ube-flavored, you can prepare the meringue base using egg whites and sugar, then add ube halaya or ube extract. Once the meringue is cooled, gradually add softened butter until the frosting is silky and well combined.
Ganache with Ube Flavor: While less traditional, you can also consider using a chocolate ganache flavored with ube extract. This creates an interesting fusion of flavors and adds a unique twist to the cake.

When choosing a frosting for your ube cake, consider your personal taste preferences and the overall flavor profile you want to achieve. Keep in mind that ube has a naturally sweet and nutty flavor, so pairing it with complementary frosting options will enhance the overall experience of the cake.

Try our Ube Pandesal. It is delicious.

How to make Purple Ube Cake?

Making ube cake involves a few steps, including preparing the batter and baking it, and then optionally frosting the cake. Here’s a basic recipe for making a delicious ube cake:

INGREDIENTS:

For the Ube Sponge Cake:

7 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cups milk
1 tbsp ube extract or concentrated ube flavouring
1 tsp purple ube colouring
1/2 cup grated fresh ube

For the Frosting:

500 ml whipping cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
200 grams cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Ube Sponge Cake:

Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or line them with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whip 7 egg whites until frothy. Then add 1/2 tsp cream of tartar. Gradually add the 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Whip until stiff peak form
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 3/4 cups sugar and 1 tsp salt.
Add the 7 eggs yolks one at a time, 1/2 cup oil, 2/3 cups milk, 1 tbsp ube extract or concentrated ube flavouring, 1 tsp purple ube colouring and 1/2 cup grated fresh ube.
Mix with a mixer until just combined. Then scrape the sides with a spatula.
Gradually fold in 1/3 of the egg whites first to lighten the batter. Then fold another thirds. Then the rest of the whipped egg whites. Fold carefully and slowly to avoid deflating the egg whites. Do not over mix.
Line 2 8-inch round pans with baking paper but don’t grease them.
Pour in the batter into the prepared pans. Tap for excess air.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
Put the pans upside down on a cooling rack. Let them cool completely in the pans. The cakes will slowly detached from the pans when it is cooled.

For the Ube Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the 200 grams softened cream cheese and 2/3 cups granulated sugar until creamy and smooth.
Add the vanilla and slowly pour the whipping cream. Continue whipping until the consistency of the frosting is good and stable. Scrape the side of the bowl with a spatula.

Assembling the Cake:

Once the cakes are completely cooled, you can level them if needed to create even layers.
Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread a layer of frosting over the top.
Place the second cake layer on top. Spread a layer of frosting over the top.
Place the third layer on top. Spread a layer on top and frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting.
Put the last layer of the cake in a food processor to create ube cake crumbs. Cover the entire cake with ube cake crumbs.
Decorate the cake as desired, pipe in some rosettes with the remaining frosting, place additional ube halaya, grated coconut, leche flan or other toppings.
Allow the cake to set in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before slicing and serving.

Serve and enjoy this Ube Custard (Leche Flan) Cake with your family and friends!

Do you want to try our Ube Puto?

NOTES:

This cake is good for 8 inch round pan.
If you are using an ube powder instead of coooked ube halaya, make sure to cook it first to remove the raw yam flavour.
You can use any. ube flavouring you want, but be mindful that others may have a stronger flavour than others.
Do not grease the pans. Just line them with baking paper.
After removing the cakes from the oven, turn the pans upside down to cool the cakes.