Easy Ube Cupcakes

Moist, fluffy, and delicious ube-flavored cupcakes! So easy to make and frost than a whole cake. I love these with our ube buttercream frosting because a cupcake isn’t a cupcake without a frosting 🙂

Why you’ll love these Ube Cupcakes

• The cake batter is easy to make–it’s a straightforward cake recipe that is easier to make than a chiffon cake.
• Easier to decorate compared to making a whole cake which needs more planning and decorating techniques.
• Tastes like ube halaya, in cake form. I swear it’s so good!
• Moist, tender, and not too sweet. Everything I want in a cupcake.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need for these cupcakes. They may look a lot, but trust me, each of these makes the ube flavor stand out!

A few notes about the ingredients

• Butter – use pure unsalted butter, the best quality you can find. I don’t recommend substituting with margarine or oil as they lack flavor.
• Oil – helps the cake stay moist. Another secret ingredient 😉
• Milk – 3 types–canned coconut milk, fresh milk (or evaporated milk), and condensed milk. Sounds familiar? Yes, these are the key ingredients to making ube halaya and the secret ingredients of these cupcakes.
• Vinegar – to be added to the evaporated milk and coconut milk to make buttermilk. This helps lift the cake as it bakes.
• Ube flavor extract and color – in order to achieve that distinct ube flavor and color. Use purple for a lighter-colored cake or violet if you want it darker. I recommend using gel paste over liquid as they’re less watery.

💭 Top tip: Use room temperature ingredients, this includes eggs, butter, and milk. Bring them out of the refrigerator 45mins – to 1 hour before you start baking. Room-temperature ingredients make a smooth and uniform batter while cold ingredients do not blend together as easily which results in a flat cupcake.

How to Make Ube Cupcakes

And here’s how to make the best ube cupcakes:

• Make the buttermilk by combining coconut milk, full-cream milk, and vinegar in a small bowl. Stir briefly then set aside until it curdles, around 10 minutes.
• Whisk sugar and butter until fluffy then add eggs one at a time. This will make a finer and fluffy crumb.
• Add oil, salt, ube extract food color, and buttermilk mixture. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Add the ube color to the liquid ingredients BEFORE adding in the dry ingredients. You can add more of it, if preferred, towards the end without overmixing the batter.

• Sift the dry ingredients to remove the lumps. You can do this directly into the wet ingredients using a fine-mesh strainer. There’s no need for a separate bowl.
• Do not overmix the batter – overmixing can result in a denser, gummy cake.
• Fill the muffin pan lined with cupcake liners ¾ full to allow room for the cupcakes to rise.
• Tap the muffin pan one to two times on your kitchen counter to remove air pockets. This will prevent holes inside your cake.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 350f / 180c for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serve with Ube Buttercream Frosting

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost with my super delicious less-sweet ube buttercream frosting. They’re so good together. Really, a match made in heaven! Follow this link to get the recipe.

For minimally frosted cupcakes, you can use a simple spatula to spread the buttercream on top (see photo above). Or take it to the next level “bakery-style” by using a piping bag with a pastry tip.

Finally, sprinkle with cake crumbs on top to finish. No need for sprinkles.

After the cupcakes are frosted, refrigerate until ready to serve. I personally love it a little bit chilled. Soooo yummy!

More Ube recipes you need to try…

• 2 Ingredient Ube Ice Cream
• Ube Ensaymada
• Ube Cheese Bread 3 ways!
• How to Make Ube Halaya
  Ube Flan Cake

Make-ahead, Storage, and Shelf-life

Once the cupcakes have cooled, place them in an air-tight container without the frosting. These cupcakes should for 3 to 4 days if properly stored in the fridge.

Watch How to Make It

Love baking? Try these cake recipes!

• Custard Cake (Vanilla Flan Cake)
  Easy Ube Flan Cake
• Ensaymada Cupcakes
• Carrot Banana Muffins
• Tres Leches Cake
• Easy Chocolate Cake

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Ube Cupcakes–moist, fluffy and easy to make

4.73 from 11 votes

Moist, fluffy, and delicious ube-flavored cupcakes! So easy and simple to make than a whole cake. Goes so well with ube buttercream frosting.

ServingsMakes (tap to scale):12 cupcakes

preparation timePrep Time:30 minutes mins

Total cooking timeCooking Time:25 minutes mins

PRINT

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

Milk

• ▢ ½ cup coconut milk (canned, see note 1)
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh milk, full fat (or evaporated milk)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice

Cupcake Batter

• ▢ ½ cup butter (unsalted, softened)
• ▢ ½ cup white sugar
• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or coconut oil)
• ▢ ½ cup condensed milk (see note 2)
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ 2-3 tsp ube extract (add more if preferred, see note 3)
• ▢ ¼ tsp violet or purple gel color (optional, see note 4)
• ▢ 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 350f/180c. Place cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
• Combine coconut milk, evaporated milk, and vinegar in a small bowl. Stir briefly then set aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Add condensed milk and whisk. Add eggs one at a time. Whisk after every addition.
• Add oil, salt, ube extract, food color and milk mixture. Continue whisking until everything is combined. Taste and adjust ube flavor and color as needed.
• Sift flour, and baking powder onto the wet mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Fill each cupcake liner with the batter. They should just be 2/3 full. Do not overfill.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Click here to get the ube buttercream frosting recipe.

Recipe Notes & Tips:

1. Canned Coconut milk – avoid using those that contain thickeners like xanthan gum, guar gum, or carrageenan. It should, at the minimum, only have coconut milk and water.
2. Condensed Milk – reduced up to 1/4 cup for a less sweet cake.
3. Ube flavor extract – the intensity of flavor may vary depending on the brand of extract you’re using. Start with 2 tsp first then whisk the batter. Add more if ube flavor is not enough based on preference.
4. Food color – if the ube extract you have colors the batter just enough then you don’t have to use this. If using–use purple for a lighter colored cake or violet if you want it darker (which is what I used). I recommend using gel paste over liquid as they’re more concentrated and less watery. 
5. Nutrition: per cupcake, frosting not included

Jump to Video

Author : Mella

Course : Snack

Cuisine : Filipino

Keyword : purple yam cake, ube cake, ube halaya cake

Nutrition Facts

Ube Cupcakes–moist, fluffy and easy to make

Amount per Serving

Calories

256

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

14

g

22

%

Saturated Fat

 

10

g

63

%

Cholesterol

 

57

mg

19

%

Sodium

 

204

mg

9

%

Potassium

 

112

mg

3

%

Carbohydrates

 

28

g

9

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

16

g

18

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

328

IU

7

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

90

mg

9

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag @rivertenkitchen or leave a comment below!

Riverten Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com