Ube cake flan is your favorite ube cake with leche flan on top. And yes, it’s as delicious as it sounds! Easy to make too. Perfect for the holidays and all your celebrations.
(Can’t get enough of ube? Check out this collection of must-try ube dessert recipes.)
If you think ube cake is fantastic and leche flan is amazing, wait until you put them together in this extraordinary ube leche flan cake (some people also call this ube custard cake).
It looks stunning, is straightforward to make, and so good.
Let’s get to it.
Why you’ll love ube flan cake
It’s ube and leche flan together so I suppose the real question is, what’s not to love?
- Two of your favorite Filipino desserts. Ube chiffon cake and leche flan are two of the most beloved Filipino desserts of all time. Putting them together is a dream!
- You bake them at the same time. And while you prep them separately, you bake them at the same time in one pan — easy and simple. You can also make it up to 2 days ahead. Bonus: the longer it’s chilled, the creamier the cake layer gets, giving it texture close to ube cheesecake!
- The cake looks stunning and impressive. Just look at those layers!
- But it’s secretly easy to make. This recipe is easier to make than it looks. Nobody will ever know you didn’t spend hours and hours baking it.
- It’s delicious! Soft and tender ube sponge cake topped with rich and creamy leche flan. It’s so good and hard to beat! Goldilocks and Red Ribbon, watch out lol.
How to make
Leche flan ube cake has two layers but they are baked in one pan and at the same time.
Baking magic happens in the oven, similar to how this magic custard cake separates into 3 layers.
Ingredients
To make this ube cake flan recipe, you’ll need pantry staples like sugar, eggs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. A few thing to note:
- Condensed milk — use full-fat sweetened condensed milk for best results.
- Evaporated milk — leche flan is traditionally made with evaporated milk because it’s richer and creamier than regular milk. You can substitute with regular milk but you’ll need to make it more concentrated first.
- Milk — this recipe also uses regular milk. I usually use 2% skim or whole milk.
- Oil — you’ll want to use a bland, flavorless oil. I use canola oil because that’s what we use for cooking. Vegetable oil is a good one to use, too.
- Cream of tartar — we use cream of tartar to help achieve stiff peaks for our cake. Check out these substitutes for cream of tartar if you’ve run out.
- Ube extract — this is what gives the cake its ube flavor and that deep purple color. You can buy it from Asian supermarkets or from Amazon. I use the McCormick brand.
Baking tools
Leche flan is usually baked in a llanera but for this leche flan cake, you’ll want to use a deep pan to show off the cake’s layers.
I like using 2 6×3 inch round pans or 2 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Sometimes, a combination (like in the pictures).
You can use different-sized round pans, whatever you have available, but note that if the height of your pan is less than 2.5 inches, the layers will be thinner and won’t be as pronounced.
I’ve never used a 9×13 inch rectangular pan because I think the layers will be too thin, but mostly because we don’t own a cake platter big enough to invert the cake onto.
I also use a handheld electric mixer for the cake batter and a stand mixer to make the meringue.
Step-by-step photos
To make the caramel syrup, place sugar and water in a sauce pan and cook on medium heat. Swirl — don’t stir — the mixture around a few times so the sugar doesn’t burn.
Cook until the mixture turns a nice golden brown.
Transfer to your preferred pans and swirl to ensure the caramel evenly coats the bottom. Set aside.
Note that you need to move fast — but carefully — because the caramel will harden quickly. I have an alternative way to make caramel, check out Expert Baking Tips.
Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all flan ingredients — eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and salt.
Whisk until blended and set aside.
In another large bowl, cream egg yolks and sugar.
Mix until light and fluffy.
Add oil, milk and ube extract.
Whisk until combined.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt directly into your egg yolk mixture.
Stir just until combined. Set aside.
In a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer or using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar…
…until foamy.
Add sugar gradually, i.e. a little at a time.
And continue whisking until you reach stiff peaks.
Add a dollop of meringue into your egg yolk mixture.
Gently fold to lighten the batter.
Add the rest of the meringue…
…and fold until well blended.
Strain the leche flan mixture to your prepared pans.
Then pour the ube cake batter over the flan. Do not over-fill pan.
Place a roasting pan or baking pan in the oven and pour hot water to fill it halfway.
Place your cake pans in the water bath and bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on your pan) or until a tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Run a thin sharp knife around the edges of your pan and invert on a platter. Enjoy!
Expert baking tips
Easy, right? Here are more tips to help you make the best ube cake with leche flan every time.
When making caramel
I find making caramel sauce very challenging.
Cooking sugar down is a finicky process and over the years, I’ve learned that when making caramel:
- Don’t stir. The best way is to just swirl your pan so the sugar cooks evenly. Do it often so the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Don’t walk away. At the beginning, it would seem like nothing is happening to your sugar but resist the urge to walk away. It can brown and burn in an instant.
- Watch your mixture closely. This is also the reason why you need to watch it closely. It can go from gorgeous amber to burnt brown in a second so take it off the heat as soon as all the sugar is completely melted and you get that beautiful golden color.
Happily, I have an alternative way of making caramel that I’ve had more success with.
All I do is sprinkle sugar on the pan I’m using, enough to cover the whole base or bottom of the pan.
Then I place the pan directly on the stove (we have an induction stove).
The sugar cooks quicker this way so you’ll really have to watch the pan and swirl it around so the caramel is evenly distributed. Remember to use oven mitts because the pan will be hot.
I know most baking pans aren’t made for stove-top cooking but this has worked so well for me so many times and my pans survive!
When making the flan layer
Leche flan is supposed to be rich and creamy. For the best flan every time, remember:
- Don’t over-stir. Avoid vigorously whisking or stirring your ingredients because this results to extra air bubbles unnecessarily forming.
- Strain. Some bubbles will inadvertently form though so best to strain your flan mixture through a fine mesh sieve as you gently and carefully transfer the mixture into your pans. Gently scoop out the air bubbles that float up to the top with a spoon.
- Cook in a water bath. Bake your leche flan cake in a water bath. Put your cake pans in a roasting pan (or any baking pan that will fit the pans you’re using) and fill with hot water that comes up to sides of the cake pans halfway.
- Allow time to set. The flan needs time to set so give your cake and your flan time to cool. Don’t take out of the pan immediately.
When making the cake layer
I make this cake like how I make my vanilla Swiss roll and ube roll cake i.e. beat the egg yolks separately from the eggs whites.
Three things I always do:
- Separate the eggs while cold. They’re easier to separate straight out of the fridge.
- Use room temperature eggs. Once separated, I allow the yolks and egg whites to come down to room temperature. They are easier to combine and using room temperature egg whites results to a more stable meringue.
- Beat egg whites on low speed. Speaking of meringue, don’t go higher than medium speed (using my KitchenAid stand mixer, I stay on speed 3). It takes longer to get stiff peaks but this results to a more stable meringue that won’t deflate after baking.
Troubleshooting guide
| Problem | Possible Cause/s | Possible Solution/s |
| Flan doesn’t firm up | Undercooking | Cook the cake all the way through or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean or with minimal dry crumbs |
| Wrong ratios | Read the recipe carefully and make sure to add the correct amounts of ingredients | |
| Didn’t have time to set | Make sure to allow time for your flan to set and cool completely; don’t invert into a platter immediately out of the oven | |
| Flan isn’t smooth and creamy; or rubbery | Temperature too high and/or flan was overcooked | Ensure you’re baking at the correct temperature (an oven thermometer helps with this) and use a water bath because it helps regulate the heat |
| Cake layer deflated | Meringue isn’t stable enough | When beating the egg whites, do so slowly to create more stable air bubbles that won’t burst during baking |
| Cake stuck in the pan | Caramel not evenly distributed | Make sure the caramel layer is evenly distributed at the bottom of the pan before pouring your flan in |
| Cake sticking to sides | Run a thin sharp knife around the edges of the pan before inverting into a platter to make sure no pieces of cake are stuck to it |
You can also use this troubleshooting guide when making classic leche flan cake.
Recipe FAQs
You’ll want to use a deep pan to show off the cake’s layers.
I like — and recommend — using 2 6×3 inch round pans or 2 9x5x3 loaf pans.
Although I’ve never used it, a tube pan might work well too.
You can make this cake up to 2 days ahead of when you’re serving it. Keep it in the pan in the fridge and invert into a platter before serving.
We never have leftovers! But in case you do, just store the cake in a covered container in the fridge. Should be good for up to 3 days.
More flan desserts
Flan is such a rich and decadent dessert that’s so easy to make! Check these out:
We hope you enjoy this ube leche flan cake. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Easter and all your other celebrations.
Happy baking!
Did you make this ube flan cake recipe? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Ube Cake Flan
Equipment
Ingredients
Caramel Syrup
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
Leche Flan
- 4 pieces large eggs room temperature
- 1 10-oz can condensed milk
- 1 12-oz can evaporated milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Sponge Cake
- 4 pieces egg yolks form large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup canola oil can also use vegetable oil
- ¼ cup milk I use 2% skim, or whole milk
- 2 tsp ube extract see note
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Meringue
- 4 pieces egg whites from large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- To make the caramel syrup, place sugar and water in a sauce pan and cook on medium heat. Swirl — don’t stir — the mixture around a few times so the sugar doesn’t burn.¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup water
- Cook until the mixture turns a nice golden brown.
- Transfer to your preferred pans (see FAQs) and swirl to ensure the caramel evenly coats the bottom. Set aside. Note that you need to move fast — but carefully — because the caramel will harden quickly.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all flan ingredients – eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and salt.4 pieces large eggs, 1 10-oz can condensed milk, 1 12-oz can evaporated milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, pinch salt
- Whisk until blended and set aside.
- In another large bowl, cream egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.4 pieces egg yolks form large eggs, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add oil, milk and ube extract and whisk until combined.¼ cup canola oil, ¼ cup milk, 2 tsp ube extract
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt directly into your egg yolk mixture and stir just until combined. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
- In a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer or using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.4 pieces egg whites from large eggs, 1 tsp cream of tartar
- Add sugar gradually, a little at a time, until you reach stiff peaks.⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Fold a dollop of meringue into your egg yolk mixture to lighten it.
- Then fold the rest of the meringue until well blended.
- Strain the leche flan mixture to your prepared pans.
- Then pour the ube cake batter over the flan. Do not over-fill pan.
- Place a roasting pan (or any baking pan that will fit the cake pans you're using) in the oven and pour hot water to fill it halfway.
- Place your cake pans in the water bath and bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on your pan) or until a tester comes out clean and the edges of your cake start to pull away from the pan.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
- Run a thin sharp knife around the edges of the pan then invert on a platter and serve.
Video
Notes
- Pan options: (2) 6×3 inch round pans or (2) 9x5x3 inch loaf pans or a combination. The layers will be more pronounced in a 3-inch tall cake pan. Using a bigger pan will result to thinner layers.
- Also note that the baking time will differ depending on the pan you use. Make sure to check at the halfway mark to see how much longer you need to go.
- I provide an alternative way to make caramel sauce. See expert baking tips.
- I use 2 tsp of ube extract but if you want a more pronounced ube flavor, add another tsp.
- For a more stable meringue, stay on low speed and add sugar gradually (about 1 tbsp at a time).
- Check out the post for more tips, FAQs, a troubleshooting guide, and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
C
Thank you for the recipe! It’s my first time trying one of your recipes, so surely this won’t be my last! I cut the recipe in half and I used egg yolks for the flan instead of whole eggs, the same way I do my leche flans. Any tips how to make the edges smooth? Mine looks a bit crumbly on the sides
Jolina
You’re most welcome C! Glad you liked it 🙂 If you notice my cake in the pictures, it doesn’t have perfectly smooth edges either. When I take my cake out of the pan, I run a thin sharp knife around the edges of the pan, I think it helps a little bit.
Lisa
Thank you Jolina for another delicious ube recipe (your ube cheesecake is our fave). My family loved it and asking to do it once more
Jolina
Glad you and the family liked it Lisa!