The Unlikely Baker

Easy and Delicious Recipes for the Home Baker!

Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

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Ube cake (or Filipino purple yam cake) is unlike any cake you’ve had before. It’s sweet and earthy and purple! A staple in any Filipino celebration.

Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

Ube (or purple yam) is not unique to the Philippines but it is definitely a national favourite. It’s made into all sorts of treats like ice cream, candy, rice cakes and, my personal favourite, jam.

I must admit, it is very difficult for me to describe how ube tastes like because it’s so unique it doesn’t taste like anything. Seriously. The best I can come up with is it tastes a little like sweet potato but that’s not even an accurate (not even close!) description. Looks like GQ had the same problem – see their article on ube here.

Let me just say this – if a whole nation can be obsessed with ube, won’t you want to know what the fuss is about? So how about it? Ready to explore?

The hunt for the perfect ube jam

Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

When I went home last October, at the top of my foodie to-do list was to go to the Good Shepherd Convent so I can buy boatloads of ube jam that I can take back to Toronto. The Good Shepherd sisters are known for making excellent ube jam and it’s not uncommon for people to drive all the way there (Manila traffic notwithstanding) to get some.

Mission accomplished. I can only bring so much given the (very annoying) luggage weight restrictions so I was treating my stash like gold.

Time flies (or maybe I just like ube jam that much) and I am down to my last tub and I’m thinking, I should make something out of this (I mean, as opposed to just sitting on the sofa eating it like ice cream).

Ube cake with ube Swiss meringue buttercream

Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

So this ube cake was born. For my previous ube cakes, I used either ube extract or ube powder but now, since I have the real thing, I thought to use ube jam. And the result was an ube cake that’s bursting with ube flavour I could cry.

Ube cakes are technically chiffon cakes that taste like ube but this version, while still soft, is much denser, I’m thinking because of the jam which was very thick. But it is delicious nonetheless. And the ube frosting is just to-die for.

The holidays and ube cake

Like I mentioned before, Filipinos love Christmas and ube cake is a huge part of that. It will almost certainly be served and enjoyed at family gatherings during the holidays.

So if you’re looking to serve something unique this holiday season, why not take a crack at ube cake? I apologize for the awful job I’ve done of describing how it tastes like however, hope you believe me when I say it is absolutely delightful.

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Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

Ube Cake (Filipino Purple Yam Cake)

Ube cake (or Filipino purple yam cake) is unlike any cake you’ve had before. It’s sweet and earthy and purple! A staple in any Filipino celebration.

Ingredients

    For the Ube Cake Batter:
  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ube extract (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 8 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup ube jam (see notes)
  • Purple gel food colour (optional)
    For the Meringue:
  • 8 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
    For the Ube Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
  • See this recipe
  • Ube extract, to taste

Instructions

    For the Ube Cake:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line the bottom of 3 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, sift 2 1/2 cups cake flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a smaller bowl, combine 2 teaspoons ube extract, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1/2 cup milk. Set aside.
  3. In another large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat egg yolks while gradually adding 1/3 cup sugar until the mixture is light yellow (about 7 minutes on medium-high speed). Add 1/2 cup ube jam and beat until smooth and no big lumps remain. If you want your cake to be a vibrant purple, you can add gel food colour at this stage and give the batter a stir until the colour is evenly distributed.
  4. Fold a third of your flour mixture into your egg mixture just until combined. Then add half of your milk mixture, another third of your flour, the rest of your milk and finally the rest of your flour, folding each addition just until combined. Be careful not to overwork the batter.
  5. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or your handheld electric mixer - making sure that the beaters are clean, dry and grease-free), beat the 8 egg whites on medium-high speed until they start to get foamy. Then add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar and beat until very frothy.
  6. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar into egg whites until you reach stiff peaks. Then take about 1 1/2 cups of the meringue and fold it into your cake batter to lighten it. Then fold your cake batter into the meringue in thirds until incorporated.
  7. Transfer the batter to prepared pans and bake for 20-30 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with minimal crumbs.
  8. Put the pans upside down on a cooling rack and cool completely.
    For the Ube Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
  1. For the frosting, once your buttercream has come together, start adding 1/4 teaspoon ube extract at a time until you get the flavour you desire (I put 1 teaspoon total). Whip until the flavour is fully incorporated and the buttercream is evenly coloured.
    Assembly:
  1. Trim the tops of your cakes if they are uneven. Trim the sides too to get rid of the brown edges so you're left with a vibrant purple cake.
  2. Fill and decorate with frosting as desired.

Notes

You can find ube extract in Asian supermarkets. And there's always Amazon (see below).

You may need to adjust the sugar content depending on the kind of ube jam you find. Ube jam can be found in Asian supermarkets as well.

https://theunlikelybaker.com/ube-cake-filipino-purple-yam-cake/

(Cake recipe adapted from My Sweet Ambitions).

Happy baking!

Did you make ube cake? Tell me about it in the comments section below. Have you tried ube before? I’d love to hear all about it.

Here are other Filipino desserts you might like:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I live in gta area, been to T&T , Foody and A1 Premium, but not able to find the ube flavor ectract anywhere. Can you let me know which asian supermarket you found and bought the the extract from.

    Thanks in advance.

    Reply

    • Hi Seb. There’s this small Asian supermarket in Mississauga called Oriental (Dundas and Confederation) and I remember buying a couple there. Ocean’s is also pretty complete. If all else fails, Amazon has it. TBH though, last time I was in Manila I bought several because they were so much cheaper there! So if you know someone going home to the Philippines this Christmas, it would be a good “padala” idea 🙂 Good luck!

      Reply

        • Hi Abbie. Do you mean the ube extract from McCormick? The recipe does require it. If you can’t find ube jam, you can probably use frozen grated ube or ube powder that you’d need to rehydrate. I haven’t used these personally though so I can’t say what they taste like – just see if you need to adjust the sweetness if you do use them in the recipe. Good luck!

          Reply

  2. I made the cake this evening. It was wonderful. I didn’t have ube extract on hand, so I used coconut. After all, a lot of ube cakes are also made with macapuno, which is coconut. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Caroline! So happy to hear that! And yes, coconut extract is a great alternative. Must try your version next time 🙂

      Reply

  4. I just moved to Denver and still new to this whole high altitude baking. Any ideas on how to adjust thw recipe for people like us who lives 5000ft above sea level?
    Thanks

    Reply

  5. I tried your recipe but used homemade ube halaya instead. The cake was light and moist without the overwhelming artificial ube flavor. I really loved it. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

    Reply

    • So happy to hear that Eyk! Homemade ube halaya sounds wonderful (it’s really hard to find ube halaya here so making homemade jam is kinda out of the question for me). And you are most welcome 🙂 More ube recipes are coming so hope you stay tuned (I’m a little obsessed with ube LOL)

      Reply

  6. Hi, i wanted to ask if i can use the sweet purple yam spread (yun lang available dito) instead of the just plain purple yam. should i modify the recipe, which one?

    Reply

    • Hi Ann! I actually used ube jam, which I guess is similar to sweet purple yam spread. The ube jam I used was pretty sweet (where are you based now? Do you by any chance remember how the Good Shepherd jam tastes like?? That’s what I used) so I had to adjust the sweetness of the cake.

      Reply

  7. Hi Jojo!
    Ikaw pala to! Idol! 🙂
    I will try out your recipe for my daughter’s bday. She loves ube!!!
    I’ve always struggled with frosting!
    I’ll let you know how it turns out
    It was nice finding your blog!

    Reply

    • Ging! OMG HS throw back kung throw back haha! It’s so nice to hear from you. Hope you and your daughter like the cake. Swiss meringue buttercream is by far my favourite frosting and I especially love it here (ube kung ube lol!). PS: Don’t you agree my blog name is so appropriate?? Who would have thought right? Teehee.

      Reply

  9. It looks so good and festive. It’s definitely something that I would serve during the Holidays. I’m sure it’s going to be a huge hit!

    Reply

  10. hi, can i use McCormick’s Ube Flavor in place of the ube extract as indicated in the ube cake batterrecipe? thanks.

    Reply

  13. Oh my goodness! Purple is my favorite color! My recent trip to the Asian market prompted me to buy some Korean yams, thinking they were purple yams. I didn’t realize the mistake until I got home. This is such a unique and beautiful cake!! Definitely will be making this soon!
    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  16. Wow, wow, wow, this is one gorgeous cake! I would love to bake this, and I’m sure I’d just stare at it for a long time. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great week. Love this cake!

    Reply

  19. I went to a Philippine event one day with my Filipino friends and they suggested me to try ube ice cream. Oh, so delicious, I could eat two more portion LOL. The taste is special, but really yummy! Your ube cake is so pretty! Love the purple color!

    Reply

    • Ube ice cream is one of my favourites 🙂 It’s hard to describe the flavour though isn’t it? Just that it’s delicious 🙂 Thanks Rose! Hope your Filipino friends get you ube cake one of these days!

      Reply

    • Thanks Tiina! Ube is yam, so it’s a kind of root crop like sweet potato. Does that make sense? Or did I confuse you more? LOL!

      Reply

  21. I have two friends that are Filipino. They bring food to church but never dessert. I’ll have to ask them if they’ve ever made this.

    Reply

  22. Gosh being a lover of cakes and especially looking ones this one is amazing. It looks devine and mouth watering. The purple colour is to die for. I’d love to taste Ube jam sometime.

    Reply

  23. Love your little tale of how you got the jam. Precious stuff.
    The ube has me intrigued also. Not come across it myself.

    The purple colouring is crazy, but I know a friend who would absolutely go nuts for this. Looks lovely.

    Reply

    • Hi Helen! Thanks! Hope you find ube jam, the good stuff, it’s really quite a unique delicacy. And +1 on purple, such a happy colour!

      Reply

  24. I always have a foodie list when I travel too! There are just too many places I want to visit and too many products to buy! This cake looks and sounds awesome! I can see why it’s a favorite amongst so many!

    Reply

  25. It certainly sounds unlike any other cake I’ve had before! I haven’t heard of ube but the cake looks amazing and I would love to try it! I can imagine it must be rather special at Christmas time.

    Reply

  31. I have never heard of a ube cake but it looks and sound delicious. I would have to at least try it once to get a feel for this culture’s favorite treat.

    Reply

    • Thanks Janella! I don’t think I’ve ever seen purple yams around here but I have seen ube jam in Asian supermarkets. I can’t vouch for specific brands, hope they’re good! 🙂

      Reply

  36. Wow! This is one of the most beautiful cakes that I have ever seen. My Grandmama just passed away but purple was her favorite color so this reminds me of her.

    Reply

  42. Whoah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more gorgeous cake! And now I’m absolutely dying to know what ube tastes like. It sounds so mysteriously delicious. You have piqued my curiosity! I’ll have to see if I can find some in store around here…or Amazon 🙂

    Reply

    • Haha thanks Liz! I do hope you find a nice ube jam brand. They are not all created equal! If you can find purple yam, you can make your own jam if you’re so inclined (just saying lol!).

      Reply

  43. I’m pretty curious about that taste now! I’m definitely liking the look of the cake and it’s always fun trying out traditional food from different cultures.

    Reply

    • Thanks Suchi appreciate it! 🙂 Sorry to hear about the ube roll…I hope you find a really good quality jam so ube can redeem itself!

      Reply

    • Thank you Tania 🙂 I have no idea if you have Asian supermarkets there? Or perhaps you have Filipino friends who you can…encourage…to swipe you some homemade ube jam lol!

      Reply

  48. I’m very intrigued by this whole ‘ube’ think. Even the name intrigues me. I’ve never heard of it before. And just look at this cake!! Looks so pretty! How could you possibly even cut into it? The colour is gorgeous and you’ve done a perfect job decorating it. Why don’t ya send me a slice so I can taste test this ube thing 😉 Happy Monday, Jolina 🙂

    Reply

    • It’s quite mysterious isn’t it? 🙂 Thanks Dawn! This was a labor of love I must say. I mean, I had to let go of my last ube jam tub so I might have cried a little teehee. Hope you’re having an awesome week!

      Reply

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