We love where we live. Eagle Rock is a thriving artistic community just twenty minutes from downtown L.A. Our quiet neighborhood is tucked away up in the hills far from the noise and traffic, surrounded by tall trees and expansive views. And though the city is nearby, it doesn’t feel that way, especially with the variety of wildlife that live in the area. Just the other evening, we had our second close encounter with a skunk!
While walking down the steps to go check on our fruit trees, the striped black and white creature appeared from under a bush just six feet away. Without a word, and in perfect unison, we both immediately turned around and walked quickly and quietly back up the stairs hoping it wouldn’t notice us. As soon as we reached the top, we sprinted all the way back to the house.
We have also been very fortunate to see a beautiful bobcat. The first time she was lounging on our front porch, and we thought it was just a large house cat, but after looking more closely we noticed tuffs on her ears and her iconic short tail. We have families of mischievous raccoons that like to eat the fruit from our trees and hide our small garden decorations. There are rabbits, harmless snakes, hawks, owls, and even wild parrots—yes, large green ones with red faces—that have also made their home here. We get the best of both worlds: it feels like we live out in the country with crickets chirping and owls hooting throughout the night, but we are a short walk away from all the new restaurants, coffee shops, and bars popping up all over town.
We love exploring this up-and-coming neighborhood, and recently tried a local burger joint called the Oinkster that is so popular, there are often lines out the door. While this place is known for burgers and fries, they also have a delicious selection of homemade shakes made with real ice cream. There are classic choices like chocolate and vanilla, and seasonal flavors like pecan pie during the holidays, but they are famous for their ube shake.
Although we had never heard of ube before, people were raving about it on yelp and we were curious to give it a try. Topped with a dollop of whipped cream, it arrived in a clear plastic cup, showing off an attractive lavender color. From the first taste we were hooked: It was rich and creamy with a sweet coconut flavor and hints of vanilla. We fell in love with the delicate taste and couldn’t wait to cook with it. We became ube fans on that day, and have never looked back.
So what is ube anyway? Unless you are familiar with Filipino cuisine, you may not have encountered this intensely-colored root vegetable before. Ube is the Filipino name for purple yam, and its sweet, coconut-like flavor is featured in desserts and sweet treats like ice cream, tarts, cookies, and pastries. This cake recipe uses both powdered ube and ube extract, so its unique flavor can be enjoyed in every bite. These two ingredients are common at Filipino grocery stores and also available online.
Making a cake feels like a special occasion. While you can easily whip up a batch of cookies when the craving hits—which is often—and pies are always fun to make, baking a cake is an event. Whether it’s for a birthday, an anniversary, or simply a special dinner, a towering layer cake, filled, frosted, and lovingly decorated, will turn any gathering into a memorable celebration.
In this recipe, four layers of rich and moist ube cake are stacked high and filled with ribbons of the fluffiest vanilla marshmallow cream. It is draped with silky ube frosting, giving it a stunning purple color. This beautiful pastel tower will be the centerpiece of any party, and is sure to attract attention for its beauty alone, and the irresistible flavor will have everyone coming back for a second slice.
The delicate lavender color of this cake makes it perfect for spring, and we decorated it using blossoms from the bougainvillea currently blooming outside our kitchen door. It is fun to get creative so decorate however you feel inspired! Try fresh flowers, or use the violet frosting to pipe designs on the cake. No matter what you do, it will be beautiful! This is the dream dessert for anyone who loves the color purple, and the irresistible coconutty flavor makes it a dream dessert for everyone.
Looking for more Ube Inspiration? Check out our Ube Whoopie Pies!
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Ube Cake with Vanilla Marshmallow Cream
makes a 4-layer 6-inch cake, serves 8 to 10
For the cake:
1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (100g) unsweetened fine ube powder (see note)
1/2 cup milk (non-dairy milk is fine)
1/2 cup (125g) plain yogurt
4 teaspoons (20ml) ube extract (see note)
1/2 cup (1 stick, 110g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
For the vanilla marshmallow cream:
1/2 cup (57g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick, 110g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g (about 2/3 cup) marshmallow fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the ube frosting:
2 cups (227g) powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks, 220g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10ml) ube extract
Bake the cake layers:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 6-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper, grease the paper, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ube powder, and whisk until evenly blended. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, and ube flavor until smooth. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat until smooth. Add a third of the dry ingredients, and stir gently by hand just until blended. Add half of the liquid ingredients, and stir until blended. Continue adding the ingredients alternately, stirring between each addition just until blended. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, and spread it evenly using a spatula. Tap the pans against the countertop to release any air bubbles. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer pans to a rack to cool briefly, then invert the cakes, remove the cake pan and parchment paper, and place back on the rack to cool completely.
Make the vanilla marshmallow cream filling:
Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl, add the butter, and beat until light, smooth, and fluffy. Add the marshmallow fluff and vanilla, and continue to beat until smooth. Set aside.
Make the ube frosting:
Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl, add the butter, and beat until smooth. Add the ube flavor and beat until light and fluffy.
Assemble cake:
Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of the two cakes to make them flat. Then cut each cake in half horizontally, making four thinner layers total. Place one cake layer on a serving plate, and top with 1/3 of the marshmallow cream, spreading it almost to the edge of the cake but leaving a 1/2-inch border all around with no cream. Place another layer on top, and repeat with another 1/3 of the cream. Add the third layer in the same way, use the last of the cream, then top with the final cake layer. Use the ube frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake, using any extra for piping and decoration if desired.
notes:
— Ube powder and ube extract are both available online, or at grocery stores that cater to a Filipino clientele. When purchasing ube powder, be sure to buy powder that is finely ground like flour. Some ube powder is more coarse like cornmeal, and will result in a gritty cake. (Thanks to commenter Nancy for the helpful tip!)
— The cake layers can be baked up to 2 days in advance. Simply let them cool completely on a rack, then wrap tightly in plastic and keep refrigerated until ready to assemble.
90 Comments on ube cake with vanilla marshmallow cream
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[…] and Arrow, I put on my apron and got lost looking through Pinterest for recipes, only to discover this great recipe by Husbands that Cook. It highlights the purple yam, tying together a fresh take on classic […]
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[…] ube cake with vanilla marshmallow cream | Husbands That Cook http://www.husbandsthatc… […]
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[…] yourself to sumptuous breakfasts from time to time! We are not saying that you should then go have cake for lunch and ice cream for dinner, but keeping a diverse mix of sweet and healthy is important. […]
nadira kazi
April 24, 2016 at 9:18 amI can’t get the color combination out of my head. The cake looks so beautiful. We do not have anything Ube in my country. I think I will color any cake in this shade and eat it all by myself :/
husbandsthatcook
April 24, 2016 at 10:50 pmThank you so much Nadira! Ube brings such a stunning shade of purple to any dish! And we we were inspired by the pink spring blossoms outside our kitchen door!
carmen
April 29, 2016 at 10:41 amHi! Glad I came across your blog and found the ube cake recipe! I was wondering if doubling the recipe will work if I use a 9 in round pan?
You have a gorgeous kitchen!
husbandsthatcook
April 29, 2016 at 11:30 amHi Carmen, thank you so much! Doubling the recipe and using a 9-inch pan should work just fine! Have fun baking, and let us know how it turns out!
kiwae
September 23, 2016 at 12:04 amCould i sub the flour for almond flour?
husbandsthatcook
September 25, 2016 at 1:31 pmHi Kiwae! We’re not very experienced with grain-free baking, but we did a little research online and it looks like just substituting almond flour for all-purpose flour will not work very well, as it may end up gooey. We recommend finding a basic recipe for an almond-flour cake, and then using ube powder and ube extract to get that delicious ube flavor. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!
Coco in the Kitchen
November 10, 2016 at 3:23 pmLove the bougainvillea on top of this gorgeous cake!
husbandsthatcook
November 12, 2016 at 1:45 pmThanks so much Coco! They are from two huge bougainvillea right outside our kitchen! Love their vibrant colors!
jenifer
November 19, 2016 at 6:25 amJust found your blog…i love it all and can’t wait to make this beautiful cake. Thanks for giving us a recipe using the powder and extract. There are no ube in idaho and i can at least get the ingredients on amazon. Keep sharing, it’s all beautiful.
husbandsthatcook
November 19, 2016 at 11:58 amThanks so much Jenifer, we’re glad you found us! And yes, thank goodness for internet shopping; it allows all of us to find those more obscure ingredients much more easily!
Hilda
November 20, 2016 at 3:54 pmCan I substitute sour cream for yogurt?
husbandsthatcook
November 20, 2016 at 5:12 pmHi Hilda! That should work just fine! It might even give the cake a little extra richness!
Hilda
November 20, 2016 at 7:18 pmThanks for your reply, definitely baking this for thanksgiving ????
husbandsthatcook
November 20, 2016 at 10:02 pmWoohoo! Hope it turns out perfectly! If you’re on instagram, be sure to tag us if you post a pic, we would love it see it!
Suzie
December 8, 2016 at 10:17 amHi I love this. Want to try I have th r fresh Ube. Do you have th r original recipe with the fresh root instead of the powder? Thank you!!
husbandsthatcook
December 15, 2016 at 12:44 pmHi Suzie! We have never tried this with fresh ube, but it would probably be delicious! You would have to experiment a bit, but here’s what we are thinking: try cooking the fresh ube and make a puree. Let it cool completely, and use it in place of the powder. You may want to reduce the amount of yogurt to compensate for the extra moisture. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Melody
February 26, 2017 at 10:22 amI used your recipe for the cake and the frosting as the binding agent to make ube cake pops… turn out great actually
husbandsthatcook
February 27, 2017 at 1:04 pmOooo that sounds delicious! If you post any pics on instagram, be sure to tag us so we can see!
Melody
March 3, 2017 at 4:52 pmI should have taken picture lol…
I covered it in melted white chocolate and crushed oreos..
I got the inspiration from Cafe 86 in Chino Hills, CA. They make this awesome ube truffles and ube cupcake with leche flan on top.
husbandsthatcook
March 5, 2017 at 9:23 pmomg that sounds amaazing! They must have been so good! (and so pretty too!)
jessie
March 4, 2017 at 8:33 pmHiya I’ve been looking for ube cake recipes for my daughter’s first birthday cake- the color! Is amazing! I went on a mission and found ube powder and frozen but did not get the flavoring. I’m gonna try the recipe and strain/squeeze the thawed ube instead of the flavoring- don’t think the baby will mind Thanks for the recipe, I was having a hard time finding one that didn’t call for food coloring(what?)Or corn syrup( c’mon) I’ll let ya know how it turns out!
Jessie in New England
husbandsthatcook
March 5, 2017 at 9:19 pmThat sounds amazing! Love the idea of using the frozen ube… please let us know how it turns out, we’re so curious! And if you post a pic on instagram, be sure to tag us so we can see! Good luck, and happy birthday to your daughter! 🙂
Arva
March 7, 2017 at 2:19 pmHey, I wanted to turn this into a 9 inch three layer cake. What would be the ideal baking time if I made this recipe in three 9 inch pans.
husbandsthatcook
March 8, 2017 at 11:57 amHi Arva! So glad you’re going to make the cake!
In general, you can take any 6-inch cake recipe (like this one) and simply double it to fill 9-inch cake pans. You would double the cake batter, the filling, and the frosting. If you did that here, you would end up with two 9-inch cakes that you would then cut in half to make 4 layers. The baking time should actually be fairly similar, but maybe start checking the cakes around the 30-minute mark just in case.
If you want a 3-layer cake instead, you could try doubling the recipe, then dividing the batter between the three 9-inch cake pans. The layers will be slightly thinner, and the baking time will be shorter, so be sure to check them early.
Have fun, and let us know how it turns out!
Lyn
March 15, 2017 at 9:07 amI have an 8 inch pan, Would i still be able to do a 2 layer?
Thanks!
husbandsthatcook
March 15, 2017 at 7:16 pmHi Lyn! If you have two 8-inch pans, you can use them, but be aware that the layers will be a bit thinner than if you used 6-inch pans, and they will cook more quickly, so just keep an eye on them while they’re baking. Hope that helps! Good luck, and if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask!
Lexie
March 17, 2017 at 8:20 pmHey guys! I made this cake last night and used a cream cheese frosting. The flavor of the cake was amazing but it came out really, really dry. Granted I baked it in a 6″ pan, one at a time (because I only had 1) for the same amount of time. Was it because I baked it too long?
husbandsthatcook
March 17, 2017 at 8:48 pmHi Lexie! Sorry to hear about your cake! Usually dry cakes are caused by an oven that’s too hot, or a too-long baking time.
If your oven tends to cook things quickly, it could be hotter than it’s supposed to be, which you can check with an oven thermometer. Also, depending on where you live, high altitude can cause dry cakes too. Hopefully that will help for next time. If you make it again, let us know how it turns out!
Lexie
March 18, 2017 at 6:41 amI actually had baked each individually for 30 mins at 350. What should I try next Time? And I live in FL. Pretty low elevation ???? Thanks for the quick feedback!!!
husbandsthatcook
March 18, 2017 at 10:34 amHmm, if you baked them for just 30 mins at 350 and they were too dry, then we’re guessing your oven is too hot. If you want to test it out, you can pick up an oven thermometer on amazon for under 5 bucks.
If that’s not the issue, then there could have been something else that went wrong, but it’s hard to say without having watched you cook, haha. Sorry again that they didn’t turn out, we know how frustrating that is! Definitely keep us posted if you figure it out!
husbandsthatcook
February 12, 2018 at 11:16 amHi Lexie! Just a quick update on the ube cake (from your comment last year, haha)! Commenter Nancy (below) pointed out that there are two types of ube powder sold in stores. One is coarsely ground and needs to be reconstituted (which is why your cake may have been dry) but the other kind is finely ground like flour (which is what we used for the cake). Sorry for the confusion! We’ve updated the recipe notes to reflect the change.
Thanh
April 9, 2017 at 2:31 pmWould it be possible to bake and assemble this cake the day before?
husbandsthatcook
April 14, 2017 at 6:27 pmHi Thanh! Yes, definitely, the cake will stay fresh for several days, so you can easily make it ahead of time! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
husbandsthatcook
April 14, 2017 at 6:27 pmIf you do make it ahead, be sure to keep the cake refrigerated until about 30 minutes before serving, to keep it fresh.
Alex
April 19, 2017 at 4:26 pmI am thinking of making this cake for a birthday this weekend. We have an oriental market by our place and I was thinking of subbing the powder for jarred ube jam. Would that work? Maybe put less yogurt in?
husbandsthatcook
April 20, 2017 at 5:02 pmHi Alex! Sounds like a fun birthday weekend! 🙂
Subbing ube jam for the powder might be a little tricky. Your suggestion to use less yogurt is good, but the issue is that the ube jam is very sweet, but the powder is unsweetened. So if you used the jam, you’d probably want to use less yogurt AND less sugar to compensate, otherwise the cake might be excessively sweet. Theoretically, it should work, but we can’t give you exact measurements since we haven’t tried it ourselves. If you try it out, let us know how it goes! Good luck!
Ryan Muse
April 25, 2017 at 6:31 pmGreetings! I am excited to bake this for a graduation. I will be baking it and then freezing it and then assembling 4 days later after a flight to Canada. As long as I let it cool well and then wrap it very well in Saran Wrap do you think I will be ok? Thanks!
husbandsthatcook
April 25, 2017 at 6:36 pmHi Ryan! So glad you’re making the cake! Your plan should work just fine! Wrapped in plastic and kept frozen or refrigerated, the cakes should stay nice and fresh. 4 days is probably the maximum that we would recommend, since they may start to lose some moistness after that, but you should be fine! Good luck, and congrats to the graduate! 😉
Annie
April 25, 2017 at 9:25 pmI love this ???? What would the bake time be if I used this recipe to make cupcakes?
husbandsthatcook
April 26, 2017 at 10:45 amHi Annie! To convert this to cupcakes, use the same oven temperature, but start checking them around the 15-20 minute mark, since they will cook more quickly. Good luck, and let us know how they turn out!
Esther
April 27, 2017 at 12:38 pmThank you for posting this recipe! I will be attempting to make it this weekend.
Could you please tell me how many batches I need to make to 2 x 10 inch cake pans? I know your recipe calls for 2 x 6 inch, does that mean i’ll need to make 4 batches of it?
I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out afterwards =)
husbandsthatcook
April 27, 2017 at 2:06 pmHi Esther! So glad you’ll be making the cake!
You have a couple options when scaling this recipe up to two 10-inch pans.
– Double the recipe. However, the layers will be thinner than usual, and will bake much more quickly.
– Triple the recipe. The layers will be slightly thicker than normal, but not by much. Are your cake pans fairly deep? This is probably the best option, but will only work in a nice deep cake pan since the layers will be thick.
– Do you happen to have 9-inch cake pans? If so, you can simply double any 6-inch cake recipe (like this one) and it will fit perfectly in a 9-inch pan.
Hopefully this helps! If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Aaron
May 15, 2017 at 12:11 pmCan I use frozen yams instead? I couldn’t find ube powder or extract— well I did see ube flavoring but there weren’t even any yams in it!
husbandsthatcook
May 18, 2017 at 1:20 pmHi Aaron!
Sorry you had trouble finding the powder and extract, they can be tricky to locate sometimes. (You can always try online too. We have links above to buy it on amazon)
Using frozen ube might work, with some changes. Because it has a higher water content than the powder, you will probably need to lower the amount of yogurt to compensate for the extra moisture. Also, because the ube extract is highly concentrated and adds a lot of ube flavor, the flavor of the cake might be a little muted.
If you try it out, let us know, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Yasmin Pia K Gabilan
June 17, 2017 at 12:27 amFirst off I want to thank you. Your recipe is the 3rd one I’ve tried that turned out superb! ???????? The previous tries were failures and turned out dry and bitter.
I made slight adjustments on your recipe:
– Used 2 teaspoon ube extract on the cake instead of 4.
– Used 1.5 cups sugar instead of 1.
– Used 1/2 cup sour cream instead of yogurt since I don’t have yogurt at home.
– I made it into cupcakes by baking it for 20 minutes per batch.
husbandsthatcook
June 19, 2017 at 12:34 amThank you so much Yasmin, we’re thrilled you liked the cake! Love the idea of turning it into cupcakes!
S.W.
September 8, 2017 at 10:07 pmHi, I have plenty of ube powder but no ube extract. May I ask you to suggest a way of making this cake as ube-flavored as possible by adding more ube powder to compensate? Many thanks in advance!
husbandsthatcook
September 9, 2017 at 9:14 amHi there! The ube extract adds a lot of flavor, so it will be tricky to replace. Simply adding more powdered ube would probably result in the cake texture being too dry and crumbly. (We wish we could give you a more exact answer, but we can’t give a recommendation for increased ube powder without testing it first.) We would recommend either trying to find the extract (we have a link to buy it online above) or just omit the extract and have a more lightly-flavored ube cake.
S.W.
September 9, 2017 at 9:26 amOK, good to know — I will definitely try to find the extract. Thanks so much for your reply!
aim
September 18, 2017 at 12:29 pmdo you have to rehydrate the ube powder before use in this recipe?
husbandsthatcook
September 18, 2017 at 5:28 pmHi there! No, the ube powder should be used dry. It is sifted with the flour in the directions above. Hope you enjoy the cake!
aim
September 19, 2017 at 6:13 amthank you!
husbandsthatcook
February 12, 2018 at 11:14 amHi aim! Just a quick update on the ube cake! Commenter Nancy (below) pointed out that there are two types of ube powder sold in stores. One is coarsely ground and needs to be reconstituted (as you mentioned) but the other kind is finely ground like flour (which is what we used for the cake). Sorry for the confusion! We’ve updated the recipe notes to reflect the change.
Andres andeas
December 6, 2017 at 2:51 pmI been baking for almost 30th years, from opera cake to puff pastries. This recipe doesn’t work. The ube powder didn’t dissolves in the batter. I can still feel ube whole grains powder in the batter. Extremely disappointed.
husbandsthatcook
December 7, 2017 at 7:35 amHi Andres, we’re sorry to hear that. We’re wondering if something went wrong? Perhaps your Ube powder was a different type, or more coarse? We have a link above to the type of powder we use; was yours similar? This recipe is the most popular on our blog, and everyone has had success with it, so we’re wondering what happened. ????
husbandsthatcook
February 12, 2018 at 11:13 amHi Andres! Just a quick update on the ube cake! Commenter Nancy (below) pointed out that there are two types of ube powder sold in stores. One is coarsely ground and needs to be reconstituted (as you mentioned) but the other kind is finely ground like flour (which is what we used for the cake). Sorry for the confusion! We’ve updated the recipe notes to reflect the change.
Maria
December 20, 2017 at 10:26 pmVisually Stunning!!! Love the presentation, colors of the Bougainvillea are spot on. ( I love the idea that I used it making my Ube Cotton Japanese Cheese Cake video https://youtu.be/Gy9LLI-3k1w ). Hope you give this purple jiggly cake a try 🙂
Love reading your replies, they are so engaging 🙂
husbandsthatcook
December 22, 2017 at 4:57 pmThanks so much Maria! So glad that you liked it! The video looks great, we love seeing that hint of bougainvillea in there! 🙂
Maria
December 25, 2017 at 5:32 pmAppreciate the compliment 🙂 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !!!
C.B.
December 30, 2017 at 2:27 pmHi, can I ask why you used all purpose flour instead of cake flour? I was always told ap flour makes for a denser, drier, cake. Thanks!
Maria
December 30, 2017 at 4:34 pmWhat you were told about ap flour is right. The beauty of ap flour is by reducing the quantity, it can be substituted for cake flour. This recipe calls also for corn flour, which helps make the the cake tender. This recipe was originally created by Michael Lim, he used ap flour to make the recipe accessible for those who may not have cake flour. Thus the amount used was accounted for making sure the cake is still in tender and moist. Hope I explained it well.
Maria
December 30, 2017 at 5:40 pmI apologize for replying????, thinking it was addressed to me Pls disregard my post.
C.B.
December 31, 2017 at 7:02 amHaha no worries 😉
husbandsthatcook
December 31, 2017 at 11:32 amHi CB! Either AP flour or cake flour would work here. It’s true that cake flour makes for a lighter, softer cake, especially in recipes like angel food cakes or chiffon cakes. We chose to use AP in this recipe to match with the heaviness of the ube, but either one will turn out perfectly!
Nina Duff
January 2, 2018 at 8:18 pmHi! I’ve been trying out ube cake recipes for my own personal consumption and I baked yours today. I hope you don’t mind this feedback for improvement. I believe you will have a better cake if you first rehydrate the ube powder per label instructions — mixing it with water, cooking it (till thick, like jam consistency), cooling it and then adding the required amount to the batter. When I used the ube powder as is, the baked cake had a somewhat gritty texture and was a tad dry. P.S. I am a Filipina. 🙂
husbandsthatcook
January 2, 2018 at 10:48 pmHi Nina! Thanks for the feedback! Our powder dissolved pretty well, maybe it was more finely ground? Anyway, that’s a great idea, we’ll try that next time we make it and make a note in the recipe!
husbandsthatcook
February 12, 2018 at 11:12 amHi Nina! Just a quick update on the ube cake! Commenter Nancy (below) pointed out that there are two types of ube powder sold in stores. One is coarsely ground and needs to be reconstituted (as you mentioned) but the other kind is finely ground like flour (which is what we used for the cake). Sorry for the confusion! We’ve updated the recipe notes to reflect the change.
Nancy
February 8, 2018 at 6:10 pmHi, excited to come across your ube cake recipe. Been looking for one that won’t come out like a chiffon cake. As for those commenting about the gritty texture of the ube powder, there seems to be 2 types of ube powder out in the market right now, one that needs reconstituting (fine cornmeal texture) and one that doesn’t (flour texture) I recently bought the latter and the salesperson told me to just swap out some of the flour for it much like one would swap cocoa powder for some of the flour if one wants to convert a vanilla cake recipe into a chocolate one. Hope that helps to those having trouble with the recipe. I bought my ube powder from a shop in the Phil. 🙂
husbandsthatcook
February 12, 2018 at 11:06 amThank you so much for the tip Nancy! That’s so helpful to know! Now it makes sense that some people found the texture gritty! We will add a note to the recipe right now, thank you!
Shanelle
March 1, 2018 at 6:42 pmHello, I’m planning to make this cake for my partners birthday and I’ve just realized I have 9 inch cake tins and only one 110g packet of ube flour :(( could I somehow make extra layers for the cake with just the ube extract and no ube powder? Thank you!
husbandsthatcook
March 2, 2018 at 10:09 amHi Shanelle! Here’s what we would recommend: Make the recipe exactly as written, but instead of two 6-inch cake pans, use one 9-inch cake pan. The end result will be a 2-layer cake instead of 4-layers, but it should work perfectly. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
KIM
April 26, 2018 at 9:59 amI could only find the coarse ube powder, and the cake came out really dry cooking at 40-45 min, wondering if would work better 30-35 min. Could more yoghurt be added? and maybe less ube powder? 1/3 cup instead of 1/2? So far I have tried your recipe and a chiffon recipe and both were really dry. Am trying to find a moist recipe to make my son’s wedding cake.help
kim
April 26, 2018 at 10:05 amI could only find the coarse ube powder, and the cake came out really dry cooking at 40-45 min, wondering if would work better 30-35 min. Could more yoghurt be added? and maybe less ube powder? 1/3 cup instead of 1/2? So far I have tried your recipe and a chiffon recipe and both were really dry. Am trying to find a moist recipe to make my son’s wedding cake. Also need to find where to get the finer ube powder…or can you put the coarse one in blender and make it finer? help
husbandsthatcook
April 26, 2018 at 10:10 amHi Kim! That’s so nice that you’re baking your son’s wedding cake!
Coarse ube powder will not work for this recipe, unfortunately, since it makes the cakes dry and gritty. If you can’t find fine ube powder in your local stores, you can buy it online–we provide a link in the recipe notes above. We’re not sure about grinding coarse ube powder in a blender… it might work, but we have never tested it. Our recommendation would be to find the fine powder online and use that for the best results! Good luck, and don’t hesitate to let us know if you have more questions!
kim
April 28, 2018 at 9:52 amThe Giron brand tbat your link leads to online is exactly what I bought..and it is not fine like flour type fine..its gritty..any other suggestions?
husbandsthatcook
April 28, 2018 at 11:28 amHi Kim! We updated the link to a different brand of ube powder that should work better! Try this one instead: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AGV7X3U/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=husthacoo-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00AGV7X3U&linkId=72bf008152ae2af675f6db1f6019a3b9
kim
April 29, 2018 at 11:48 amYea..but thats way more expensive…grinding it in the blender seemed to do the trick and I used a whole cup of sour cream..instaed of half cup yogurt…it was much smoother texture..but kind of dense..not sure if yoghrt might lighten up??..next question..how do I adapt recipe for 8 in layer and 10 in
husbandsthatcook
April 29, 2018 at 2:44 pmGlad to hear that grinding the ube worked well! Doubling the yogurt / sour cream probably made it a bit dense, so you could try using less and see if that helps.
As for adapting the size… To make this an 8-inch cake, you can simply double the recipe–the layers will be slightly thicker than normal, so make sure your cake pans are deep, at least 2 inches tall, and they may take slightly longer to cook.
To make a 10-inch cake, you will need to make a 2 1/2-times recipe. So multiply all the ingredients by 2.5. So, for example, you’ll use 525g of flour instead of 210g. The layers will be slightly thinner than the original, and may cook slightly faster, so just keep an eye on the oven.
Silva Klein
April 26, 2020 at 4:08 pmHello! I made this cake and tasted so good. I wanted to make this perfect by making it moist coz mine is a bit dry. I doubled your recipe and used 3 – 8 inch round pans dividing the batter into 3 parts and baked for 35 minutes. I didn’t used parchment paper in the bottom instead, I put Wilton cake release on bottom and sides of pans. Anything I did wrong to make the cakes dry? Your reply is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
husbandsthatcook
April 26, 2020 at 5:18 pmHi Silva, we’re so glad you liked the cake! We’re sorry that it was a bit dry—that can be caused by different things. Sometimes if the batter is over-mixed it can become dry and tough, or if the oven temperature was not quite right that can affect the texture too. Also, some brands of ube powder are more coarse than others, which can change the texture—for this recipe a finely ground ube powder like flour is best. Hope that helps! Happy baking!
Silva Klein
April 26, 2020 at 7:56 pmI used an electric mixer with the butter and sugar only. Adding the dry and liquid ingredients to it, I did by hand. I baked at 350 degrees. I think my ube powder is finely ground, if not, is there a way I can make this fine enough coz I have enough of this. I’m so thankful for your immediate reply. Thank you again!
husbandsthatcook
April 28, 2020 at 5:57 pmHmm, it sounds like you did everything right, and the ube powder sounds perfect—we’re not sure what happened! Most people that make this recipe end up with a nice moist cake. Without us being in the kitchen with you, it’s hard to say what might have gone wrong! 🙂 Sorry we can’t be more specific than that, we hope it turns out better next time! xoxo
Silva Klein
April 29, 2020 at 7:33 amthank you so much! next time i bake this cake, i will let you know how it turns out. more power to you and keep well!
Mhay
November 26, 2020 at 9:39 amcan i use ube jam instead of the ube powder? thank you
husbandsthatcook
November 27, 2020 at 10:22 amHi Mhay! We don’t recommend using ube jam instead of powder. The texture is different and it could make the make gooey or overly wet.
Vickie
February 5, 2021 at 3:07 pmwhat can i sub for Marshmallow fluff? Can I use marshmallow?
husbandsthatcook
February 8, 2021 at 10:34 amHi Vickie! Marshmallow fluff has a smooth, spreadable texture, so regular marshmallows are too stiff, unfortunately. If you have trouble finding marshmallow fluff in stores, you can also order it online, or you can try making it yourself–if you google “homemade marshmallow fluff” there are tons of recipes that come up!