Ube Cake
Ube chiffon cake is one of my favourite cakes to bake, not only because of its pretty colour, it is also fluffy, not too sweet, and full of purple yam flavour that I love so much! If you are craving ube cake or you’re trying ube for the first time, you have found the right recipe!☺️
Unlike dense butter cakes, chiffon cakes are light, airy and moist thanks to whipped egg whites folded into the batter. When you add the unique flavour of ube halaya (ube jam) and swirls of whipped cream cheese frosting, it’s hard not to fall in love with this cake. This recipe is one I’ve tested again and again to get the perfect fluffiness and I am happy to share the secrets with you.
Tip #1
Use room-temperature eggs: This helps you get maximum volume when whipping the egg whites.
Tip #2
Don’t grease the pan sides: The chiffon cake needs to cling to the sides to rise properly, greasing can make it collapse.
Tip #3
Fold gently: When combining the meringue and yolk batter, use a spatula with light, circular motions. Overmixing deflates the air and ruins the fluffiness.
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Ube Chiffon Cake Recipe
Preparation time: 2–2.5 hours
Yield: 1 tall 8-inch cake
Serves: 10–12 slices
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
220 g cake flour (~1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp)
10 g baking powder (~2 ½ tsp)
85 g caster/granulated sugar (~⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
5 g salt (~¾ tsp)
Wet Ingredients:
7 egg yolks (about 140 g)
105 mL canola or vegetable oil (~7 tbsp)
160 mL whole milk (~⅔ cup)
100 mL ube halaya (~⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
12 mL ube extract (~2 ½ tsp)
4 mL purple food colouring gel (~¾ tsp, optional)
Meringue:
7 egg whites (about 210 g)
¾ tsp cream of tartar (you can substitute with 1 ½ tsps of white vinegar or lemon juice)
130 g caster sugar (~⅔ cup)
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
200 g cream cheese (room temperature)
112 g icing sugar (¾ cup) or 90 g caster sugar (~⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
5 mL vanilla extract (1 tsp)
420 mL cold heavy cream (~1 ¾ cups)
Preparation
🍰 Cake
Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C) (fan forced oven). Line the bottoms of two 8-inch x 3-inch round pans with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides.
Make the Wet Batter: Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add egg yolks, oil, milk, ube halaya, ube extract, and food colouring. Whisk until smooth.
Make the Meringue: Beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, beat to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Set aside.
Gently fold meringue into the cake batter in 3 additions. Don’t overmix.
Divide batter between the two pans. Tap gently to remove bubbles.
Place pans in a deep baking tray. Pour hot water (1–2 cm deep) into the tray.
Bake at 340°F / 170°C for 30-35 minutes, or until cake springs back and a toothpick comes out clean. Avoid opening the oven early.
Invert pans immediately onto cooling racks. Let it cool completely before unmoulding.
Assembly: Slice each cake in half to get 4 layers total. Use 3 layers for stacking and 1 layer to crumble for coating. Use a manual food chopper, a food processor or your hand to crumble one cake layer into ube cake crumbs.
🧁 Frosting
Beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add vanilla and sugar, beat until fully combined.
Slowly pour in cold cream while whipping.
Beat until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to be used use.
🎨 Decoration
Stack cake with frosting between each layer
Cover entire cake with frosting
Coat sides and top with ube cake crumbs
Pipe swirls with remaining frosting
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Nutritional Information (per slice, est. for 12 slices)
(Note: values are approximations)
Calories: 350 kcal
Carbohydrates: 32g
Protein: 6g
Fat: 22g
Sugar: 20g
Sodium: 200mg
Watch how to make it
