I've spent over two decades perfecting the art of making ube cake. This vibrant purple dessert has captured hearts worldwide, and today I'm sharing my best recipe so you can enjoy this delicious treat at home. Whether you're looking for an easy ube cake recipe or want to create something special with ube halaya, this guide covers everything you need to know about this beloved Filipino dessert.
What Is Ube Cake?
Ube cake is a delightful dessert made with purple yam (ube), giving it a naturally vibrant purple color and unique, mildly sweet flavor. Originally from the Philippines, this cake has gained international popularity for both its striking appearance and delicious taste.
Place of Origin
Ube cake originated in the Philippines, where purple yam is a staple ingredient in many traditional desserts. The Filipino people have been incorporating ube into their culinary traditions for generations, creating various sweet treats that showcase this versatile ingredient.
Why You'll Love This Ube Cake Recipe
Customizable: Works with cream cheese frosting, macapuno strings, or simple whipped cream
Perfectly moist texture: This recipe ensures your ube cake stays moist for days
Authentic flavor: Uses real purple yam for the most genuine taste
Versatile: Can be made as a layer cake, sheet cake, or even mini cakes for parties
Visually stunning: Natural purple color makes a statement without artificial dyes
Jump to:
- What Is Ube Cake?
- Why You'll Love This Ube Cake Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make Moist Ube Cake
- Troubleshooting: Why Is My Ube Cake Dense?
- Variations
- Where to Find Ube Cake Near Me
- Equipment
- Storage Tips
- Tips for the Best Ube Cake
- Other Cakes to Try If You Love Ube Cake
- Final Thoughts on Ube Cake
- FAQs
- Related
- Pairing
Ingredients
Ingredients for Ube Cake
For the Cake:
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs, room temperature
- Ube halaya (purple yam jam) or ube extract with mashed purple yam
- Whole milk
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil (for extra moisture)
- Optional: Purple food coloring (if using ube extract and want deeper color)
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream cheese, softened
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
- Optional: Ube extract for purple frosting
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Moist Ube Cake
Prepare and Mix
Preheat your oven and prepare your pans. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. In another, cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and ube. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk, then fold in vanilla and oil.
Bake and Cool
Pour batter into pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans briefly before transferring to wire racks.
Frost and Decorate
Make cream cheese frosting by beating ingredients until fluffy. Layer cake with frosting between layers, then cover the entire cake.
Add Filipino Touches
Consider adding traditional elements like macapuno strings between layers or using ube in the frosting for extra flavor.
Troubleshooting: Why Is My Ube Cake Dense?
If your ube cake turns out dense instead of light and fluffy, here are some common issues:
Opening the oven door: Avoid opening during the first 20 minutes of baking
Overmixing the batter: Mix just until ingredients are combined
Old leavening agents: Check that your baking powder is fresh
Incorrect measuring: Use the spoon and level method for flour
Oven temperature: An oven thermometer helps ensure proper baking temperature
Variations
Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, Variations of Ube Cake
Ube Chiffon Cake
For a lighter texture, try an ube chiffon cake. This variation uses whipped egg whites folded into the batter for an airy result.
Ube Sponge Cake
Ube sponge cake relies on beaten eggs for leavening, resulting in a springy, less sweet cake perfect for layer cakes.
Vegan Ube Cake with Coconut Milk
Replace eggs with flax eggs, butter with vegan butter, and milk with coconut milk for a delicious vegan version.
Gluten-Free Ube Cake
Substitute cake flour with a gluten-free flour blend and add xanthan gum for structure.
Ube Cake Roll
Bake the batter in a jelly roll pan, cool slightly, then roll with a towel. Once cool, unroll, fill with cream, and re-roll for a stunning dessert.
Mini Ube Cakes
Pour batter into cupcake tins or mini cake pans for individual servings perfect for parties.
Where to Find Ube Cake Near Me
If baking isn't your thing, many Filipino bakeries offer authentic ube cake. Popular chains like Red Ribbon specialize in Filipino desserts including ube cake. You can also check Asian markets or specialty bakeries in your area.
Equipment
- Two 9-inch round cake pans
- Electric mixer (stand or hand mixer)
- Large mixing bowls
- Sifter or fine-mesh strainer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Cooling racks
- Cake turntable (optional but helpful for frosting)
- Offset spatula for frosting
- Parchment paper
Storage Tips
Refrigerator Storage
Store frosted ube cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Freezer Storage
Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
Preserving Moisture
To maintain the cake's moisture, store with a slice of bread in the container. The bread will go stale instead of the cake drying out.
Leftover Frosting
Extra ube cream cheese frosting can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for up to three months in an airtight container.
Tips for the Best Ube Cake
Moisture matters: The addition of oil helps keep this cake moist for days after baking.
Use real ube when possible: While ube extract works in a pinch, authentic ube halaya gives the best flavor and natural color.
Room temperature ingredients: Ensure butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature for a smoother batter.
Don't overmix: Stop mixing as soon as ingredients are incorporated to avoid a dense cake.
Check doneness carefully: Ube cakes can be deceptive due to their color. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Other Cakes to Try If You Love Ube Cake
If you enjoy the richness of ube cake, try a German Chocolate Bundt Cake. The combination of chocolate cake with coconut pecan filling creates a similarly complex flavor profile but with warm, toasty notes instead of ube's subtle sweetness.
For another vibrantly colored cake with complex flavor, blackberry chocolate cake combines fruity tartness with rich chocolate. The purple-tinged frosting can even mimic the visual appeal of ube cake while offering a different taste experience.
Those who appreciate ube cake's nutty undertones might enjoy a Nutella cake. The hazelnut chocolate flavor shares ube's complexity but leans more toward rich, chocolaty notes rather than the subtle sweetness of purple yam.
Final Thoughts on Ube Cake
Ube cake represents the perfect blend of Filipino culinary tradition and modern baking techniques. Its captivating color and unique flavor make it a standout dessert for any occasion. Whether you're familiar with Filipino desserts or trying ube for the first time, this recipe provides an authentic taste experience that's sure to become a favorite.
I hope this recipe helps you create a delicious ube cake that brings a touch of Filipino sweetness to your table. Enjoy the process of making this vibrant purple dessert, and remember that practice makes perfect when working with unique ingredients like ube!
FAQs
What does ube cake taste like?
Ube cake has a distinctive sweet, nutty flavor with vanilla undertones and subtle earthy notes. It's often described as more complex than vanilla but less intense than chocolate. The flavor is mildly sweet with hints of coconut and pistachio, creating a unique taste that's both comforting and exotic.
What fruit is ube?
Ube is not actually a fruit; it's a purple yam, which is a root vegetable. Scientifically known as Dioscorea alata, ube is a starchy tuber with vibrant purple flesh inside a brownish skin. While sometimes confused with purple sweet potatoes or taro, ube is a distinct root vegetable widely used in Filipino desserts.
What is the ube flavour?
The ube flavor is distinctively sweet with nutty undertones and a subtle vanilla-like quality. It offers a complex taste profile with earthy notes, mild coconut hints, and a natural sweetness that's less intense than artificial flavors. This unique combination makes ube especially popular in desserts, where its subtle sweetness pairs well with creamy ingredients.
Is ube Japanese or Filipino?
Ube cake is primarily Filipino in culinary tradition. While the purple yam grows across various parts of Southeast Asia, it has been a cornerstone ingredient in Filipino desserts for generations. The Philippines has embraced ube in numerous traditional sweets like halaya (jam), ice cream, and of course, ube cake. Though other Asian cuisines occasionally use purple yam, the celebration of ube as a dessert star is distinctly Filipino.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this ube cake:
Ube Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 9-inch round cake pan Grease and line with parchment
- 1 Electric mixer Hand or stand mixer
- 2 Mixing bowl One for dry, one for wet ingredients
- 1 Sifter or strainer For dry ingredients
- 1 set Measuring cups/spoons Use for accuracy
- 1 Spatula For folding and scraping batter
- 1 Cooling rack For cooling cake layers
- 1 Offset spatula For even frosting
- 1 Cake turntable Optional; helps with smooth frosting application
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 ¼ cups Cake flour Sifted
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder Fresh
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted butter Softened
- 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar
- 4 Large eggs Room temperature
- 1 cup Ube halaya Or mashed cooked purple yam
- ¼ cup Whole milk Room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil Adds moisture
- ½ teaspoon Ube extract Optional, for enhanced color/flavor
- Purple food coloring Optional, for deeper purple if desired
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz Cream cheese Softened
- ½ cup Unsalted butter Softened
- 2 ½ cups Powdered sugar Sifted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2–3 tablespoon Heavy cream Adjust for consistency
- Ube extract Optional, for purple tint and extra flavor
Instructions
- Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Mix in eggs one at a time.
- Stir in ube halaya and ube extract.
- Alternate adding dry mix and milk; stir in vanilla and oil.
- Divide into pans and bake for 28–32 minutes.
- Let cool in pans for 10 mins, then on racks.
- Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add cream.
- Layer cake and apply frosting.
- Add macapuno or extra frosting details.
- Slice and enjoy at room temperature.
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