Ube Roll Cake

Light and fluffy sponge cake with a silky smooth cream filling. This ube roll cake is stunningly purple and full of sweet ube flavour.

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, also known as ube jam or purple yam jam, is a popular Filipino dessert made with ube, dairy and sugar and 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 to find Ube flavouring

I know that ube can be difficult to find wherever you are in the world, so the easiest alternative to recreate that ube flavour is using extract.

Ube extract is a very vibrant, strongly flavoured extract that can be used to add ube flavouring to anything. 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!

Tips to make the perfect roll

When making roll cakes there are a couple of tips to take into account in order to create the perfect looking roll.

• Roll the cake while warm

The biggest problem people have with roll cakes is the rolling process. The trick is to roll the cake right after it comes out of the oven. This is when the cake is the most elastic and has the lowest possibility of cracking.

I place the warm sheet of cake on a clean tea towel and top it with a clean sheet of baking paper. Then starting from one end I roll the cake up, tea towel facing out, before letting it cool. By doing this the cake shape has set before any cream has been added, ensuring the perfect roll.

• Wrap the cake in cling wrap

Once rolled and filled with cream wrap the cake tightly in cling wrap and let it set in the fridge. This is one of the most important steps as this allows the cake to set into its shape, preventing it from unravelling.

Ube Roll Cake

Print Recipe

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Light and fluffy sponge cake with a silky smooth cream filling. This ube roll cake is stunningly purple and full of sweet ube flavour.

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 1 roll cake 1x
• Category: Cake
• Method: Intermediate
• Cuisine: Filipino

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

Cake

• 25 g White sugar (I) (2tbsp)
• 85 g Cake flour (3/4 cup)
• 50 g Milk (3tbsp 1tsp)
• 50 g Vegetable oil (1/4 cup)
• 4 Egg yolks
• 4 Egg whites
• 60 g White sugar (II) (1/4 cup 2 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp Ube extract

Ube Cream

• 20 g Sugar (1 1/2 tbs)
• 1/2 tsp Ube extract
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 200 g Thickened/heavy cream (3/4 cup 2 tbsp)

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Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F and line a 25 x 30 cm pan (10 x 12 inches) with baking paper
2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until steaming
3. Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl whisk the egg yolks, oil, sugar (I) and ube extract together
4. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk
5. Sift the cake flour into the milk/yolk mix and whisk until combined
6. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and sugar (II) until stiff peaks
7. Fold the meringue mixture into the yolk mixture 1/3rd at a time until just combined
8. Pour into the lined cake tin and bake for 25 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and invert onto a sheet of baking paper
10. Remove the baking paper and replace with a clean kitchen towel
11. Flip the cake so the towel is on the bottom and the baking paper is ontop
12. Roll the cake from one short end to the other, place seam side down and allow to cool completely

See Also This Recipe:  Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

Ube Cream

1. In a medium sized bowl whip the thickened/heavy cream with sugar to soft peaks
2. Add the vanilla and ube extract, continue whipping until medium-stiff peaks

Assembly

1. Unroll the cake, then remove the baking paper and kitchen towel
2. Spread the cream evenly over the cake, then roll following the curl of the cake
3. Wrap the rolled cake in cling wrap and let rest in the fridge for minimum 2 hours
4. Remove, dust with icing sugar and serve

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Catherine Zhang

My name is Catherine, a food blogger and dessert lover. If I look familiar you may have seen me on NETFLIX's Zumbo’s Just Desserts S2! As an Australian-Chinese pastry chef and recipe developer I share recipes and tips on desserts inspired by amazing flavours, fresh produce and of course my Asian background.

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