Soft and fluffy ube cake layered with vibrant purple light whipped cream, a traditional Filipino cake that melts in your mouth.
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What is ube?
If you aren't familiar with ube, it is a purple root vegetable originating in the Philippines. It has a sweet, slightly nutty, vanilla-y taste and is commonly used in desserts.
Ube is often confused with taro and purple sweet potato. Taro is not as vibrant in colour and sweetness, and is used more often in savoury dishes. On the other hand purple sweet potato has a more intense purple colour and sweetness. If you can't find ube, purple sweet potato is often a great alternative.
Ube halaya, aka purple yam jam or ube jam, is a popular Filipino dessert made with ube, dairy, and sugar and is the most common way to prepare ube for desserts. This can be eaten as it is, but ube halaya is often used as a base to create ube cakes, cookies... donuts?! You can make it at home from scratch from fresh or frozen ube, or you can find it pre-made in asian grocery stores. However, it can be difficult to find ube halaya, let alone fresh or frozen ube...
Where can I find ube flavouring?
Ube can be difficult to find depending on where you are in the world, so the easiest alternative is to use ube extract. In fact, in many cases, ube extract is the most efficient way to create ube flavoured desserts without adding extra fibre or moisture into your desserts. This is due to the concentrated nature of ube extract, and when added to anything, will provide a distinct ube taste and vibrant purple colour.
It's available in most asian supermarkets, but also very readily ordered online. You won't have any trouble finding it, so I'm sure you'll be able to make this cake!
How to get the perfect sponge cake
Sponge cakes may be one of the basics, however, achieving a cotton-soft, fluffy sponge cake isn't as easy. Follow these tips for a perfect ube sponge cake!
Whip a stable meringue
Whipping a stable meringue is one of the most important aspects of creating a light sponge cake. The meringue forms the foundation of the sponge cake, giving it structure and helping it rise throughout the baking process.
The secret to creating a stable meringue is whipping the meringue on medium speed. Whipping the meringue on a slower speed allows the egg whites to form smaller air bubbles. Smaller air bubbles creates a stronger network, and a more stable meringue. It also gives the sugar time to dissolve into the meringue, which helps strengthen the egg whites.
A stable meringue should have a dense foam and shiny surface!
Fold the batter carefully
It is essential to fold the meringue into the egg yolk batter as carefully as possible. If you mix the batter too roughly it will cause the meringue you just whipped to deflate.
I recommend whisking ⅓rd of the meringue into the egg yolk batter first, before transferring the lightened egg yolk batter into the remaining meringue.
This ensures that the heavier elements are at the top of the batter and gives it a more even distribution when folding everything together.
Bake in a water bath
The key to a moist sponge cake that doesn't crack excessively is a water bath. The water bath creates a moist oven environment that not only evens out the internal temperature but also keeps moisture in the cake as it bakes. Fluctuations in temperature are what cause cakes to crack, so it's super important!
Bake until the cake springs back
Everyone's oven is different, whether that be the heat distribution or the temperature. That's why you can't rely solely on your oven temperature indicator and the time indicated in the recipe, as the result might be different for you. One solution to this is using an oven thermometer to measure the exact temperature of your oven, but another solution is simply keeping an eye on your cake and knowing what it should look like when it is ready.
When the cake is done it should spring back when pressed lightly. The top of the cake should also have flattened a little!
Tap the cake on your counter
Once the cake comes out of the oven sharply tap it on your counter. This releases any steam that has built up in the cake and will reduce shrinkage as it cools. Make sure you don't tap it too hard that the cake collapses though!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my sponge cake deflate?
The sponge cake can deflate for a couple of reasons:
- The meringue was not stable enough (see whip a stable meringue above)
- The cake was underbaked
Why didn't my cake rise?
There are a couple of reasons why your cake didn't rise:
- The meringue was underwhipped
- The meringue was not stable enough (see whip a stable meringue above)
- The batter was over-mixed
- The meringue deflated, either as a result of mixing or after sitting for some time
How come my cream is lumpy/split?
The longer you whip your cream the more likely it'll split. The moment you find your cream at medium-stiff peaks, stop whipping, this is the perfect consistency for icing your cake. Any further and the frosting will begin to spread lumpily over the sponge cake.
How long does this cake last?
This cake will last up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Let's Get Cooking
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
Print📖 Recipe
Ube Cake
Soft and fluffy ube cake layered with vibrant purple light whipped cream, a traditional Filipino cake that melts in your mouth.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 inch cake 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Intermediate
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Ingredients
Ube Cotton Sponge Cake
- 3 Egg yolks
- 45ml Milk (3 tbsp)
- 35ml Vegetable oil (2 tablespoon 1 tsp)
- 40g Cornstarch (⅓ cup)
- ¼ tsp Ube extract
- 40g All-purpose flour (40 g)
- 3 Egg whites
- 65g White sugar (⅓ cup)
Ube Whipped Cream
- 480ml Thickened cream
- 100g White sugar (½ cup)
- ½ tsp Ube extract
- Sprinkles, to decorate
Instructions
Ube Cotton Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/ 300°F fan forced
- Line the bottom of a 6-inch cake tin
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk the egg yolks, milk, vegetable oil, cornstarch and ube extract together
- Sift in the flour and whisk until just combined
- In another bowl whip the egg whites until foamy
- Add the sugar and whip at medium speed until stiff peaks
- In three additions fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture, being careful not to deflate the bubbles
- Transfer the batter to the cake tin
- Fill a larger baking tray with 1cm of boiling water and place the cake tin in the tray
- Bake for 60 minutes, or until it springs back when touched
- Once cooled run a knife around the edge of the cake tin and invert the pan
- Wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge until assembly
Ube Whipped Cream
- Combine the cream, sugar, and ube extract in a large bowl and whisk until medium stiff peaks.
- Reserve in the fridge until assembly
Assembly
- Cut the cake into four equal layers
- Place a cake layer on a turn table and spread over a layer of cream
- Top with another sheet of sponge
- Repeat and cover with the remaining two layers of sponge
- Using a palette knife spread cover the cake in a thin layer of cream, spinning the turntable as you go to create a smooth finish
- Place the remaining cream in a piping bag fitted with a French star tip and pipe a border around the edge of the cake
- Decorate with sprinkles and place in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours before enjoying
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Tweetie
Hey there! Great blog and beautiful pictures you've got! I am going to try this for my mother's birthday. I love whipped cream and have made it plenty of times fresh. I noticed you didn't stabilize your whipped cream. Doesn't the cream turn liquidy after a few hours for you? I tend to stabilize with agar or gelatine. I hear you can do it with cornstarch also, but I have never tried that method.
Catherine Zhang
Hi Tweetie, If you use thickened or heavy cream and whip it to medium-stiff peaks there shouldn't be any problems with it becoming liquidy. Always keep your cake refrigerated and it'll be perfect 🙂
CL
Made this recipe and it tastes awesome 🙂
1) Is there a reason why when the cake is taken out of the oven it separates from the edge of the pan leaving a gap?
2) found that the bottom of the cake was still a bit wet as well! (I use an oven themometer at exactly 150- is there a reason it isn’t 160 like your mango cake recipe?
3) colour at the top was a lighter purple than the bottom which was darker purple despite mixing it through and trying not to overmix!
4) do the eggs have to be room temperature before they are used ?
Thank you!
Catherine Zhang
Hi CL! So glad you liked the recipe,
(1) The cake separates from the edge of the pan if it is underbaked. I would suggest baking it for 10 to 15 minutes longer
(2) The bottom of the cake can be a little wet if it is underbaked too! Feel free to increase the temperature to 160 as it seems like the lower temperature isn't working for your cake. The lower temperature is for a slower more even bake
(3) This hasn't happened to me but could be the result of the ube extract you used, if you mix the batter thoroughly this shouldn't be a problem
(4) Eggs don't need to be room temperature, I usually use them straight out of the fridge
Hope these tips help!!
Jen
Hi Catherine!
Thank you for the recipe, I can't wait to try it this weekend!! With these sponge cakes, can I use a non stick cake pan or will they affect the rise of the cake?
Thanks for your help!
Catherine Zhang
Hi Jen, I would highly recommend using an aluminium pan without a non-stick coating as it helps the cake rise higher. If you don't have one you can line the sides with baking paper. 🥰
Melody
Hello Catherine,
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
I was wondering if this recipe is okay to be used as a cupcake instead. If yes, will you still have to cook it in the water bath? Or can I directly bake them as it is in the cupcake trays?
Thank you!
Catherine Zhang
Hi Melody,
you can, but keep in mind that they will be a little flat/sunken as a cupcake 🙂 Keep a mug of hot water in the oven to bake instead of the hot water bath.
A.C
hi catherine! love this recipe but I used a 6 inch cake tine like it said in the recipe but the batter came all the way to the top! is this how it is supposed to be or should i use a bigger cake tin?
Catherine Zhang
Hi! It depends on the height of your cake tin, I used a deep cake tin that is 4 inches high in order to achieve a tall cake 😊
Rosemary
Hi I wanted to try your beautiful cake but for me it came out awful and the cream bounded up. I must be doing a lot of things wrong please let me know what's happening your new foodie follower.
Catherine Zhang
Oh no! Let me know what went wrong and I'll give you some tips you can follow next time.
Isabelle
Hey Catherine! I tried out your recipe and doubled the ratios to have a bit more cake. I think the amount of cornstarch added made the first base clump quite a lot (I measured everything with a scale). The moment I added that ingredient, the whole mixture became hard to mix. I also tried to add a little bit of meringue at a time to have it emulsify better, but it still ended up having little purple lumps in the end, once cooked. Is there a way to reduce or omit the cornstarch entirely? 🙂 Thanks!
Catherine Zhang
Hi Isabelle! The cornstarch really helps to lighten the cake mixture. Add the cornstarch with the flour and mix until its a smooth paste. If the milk is too hot it can also cause the mixture to clump up too so keep that in mind!
Karissa
Hi! I've tried your recipe twice now and have a question about the thickness of the egg yolk mixture. Each time I've prepared the mixture it has turned very thick, like a giant clump, and certainly isn't whisk-able. When I incorporate the meringue this causes the batter to become lumpy and when baked the lumps become hard and chewy. I've gotten quite the workout trying to work those clumps out! I am using the US measurements and have doubled the ingredients per the pre-select buttons in the recipe table, for reference.
Have a done something wrong? How can I fix this?
Catherine Zhang
Add a little bit of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture and whisk it until it's smooth and less thick. Once it's thinner it'll be a lot easier to incorporate the rest of the meringue. Try using a scale a well! This will help for more precise measurements 😊
Marti
In your recipe for the ube whipped cream (filling) you list thickened cream that is then whipped. What is thickened cream exactly, and where to I find it or do I just measure out heavy whipping cream?
Catherine Zhang
thickened cream and heavy cream are the same so either can be used 🙂
Kozu
Hi, Catherine. I'd love to try this recipe. Can I froze this cake?
Catherine Zhang
You can freeze the sponge cake but i wouldn't recommend freezing the cream!
Flora
Can you bake this in a sheet pan?
Catherine Zhang
Yes you can!
LG
hi! I'm excited to try this cake for my grandma's bday. just wondering if this recipe is too light for a smaller top teir cake to make a 2 tier cake? or will it be stable enough ? i was going to use another cake board and put bubble tea straws to the bottom tier to help support....thanks!!
Catherine Zhang
This cake is super soft so I wouldn't recommend using it for a 2 tier cake! I'd recommend a firmer butter cake instead, hope that helps!
Issy
Hi Catherine! I have Ube Halaya on hand, how can I incorporate it to the cake? Can I use it in the batter? Or just filling? Should I mix it with cream for frosting? Thank you in advance.
Catherine Zhang
I'd add it to the cream rather than the cake!
Jessica
Love this recipe! How long should it take for stiff peaks to form in the meringue? I set it to medium and it takes almost half an hour and if it still doesn’t form, then I speed it up.
Catherine Zhang
It should take about 10 minutes, your mixer might run a little slower so you can speed it up! 🙂