Easy doesn't mean boring! This makes the most heavenly ube cake imaginable. Tender, moist, and rich with ube halaya flavor. And the best part? Decorating is a breeze! Skip the slicing and shaping - just bake in a single pan and frost directly for an effortlessly impressive Filipino dessert.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x13 baking pan or a glass oven dish of similar size.
Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. Adjust ube extract or food color based on preference.
1 1/4 cup white sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup ube halaya, 1/2 cup full-fat milk, 3-4 teaspoon ube extract, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Sift dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a fine-mesh strainer. Whisk until well combined. Do not overmix.
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
Pour batter into the baking pan. Bake for 38 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check doneness at 38 minutes (see note 7).
Cool the cake completely before frosting. Meanwhile, make the frosting.
Frosting
Spread the frosting on top as evenly as you can using a spatula.
Optional: Decorate with macapuno, ube wafers (stik-o), and even white chocolate shavings. Another option is to use a portion of the frosting and decorate with a piping bag with a pastry tip.
Notes
Ube Halaya - For the best flavor, I recommend using homemade ube halaya or buying directly from Filipino restaurants that make ube halaya from scratch.
Food Color - add only if the color from the ube extract is not sufficient to achieve the desired ube color.
Cornstarch - is also known as cornflour in the United Kingdom. Please do not confuse it with cornflour in the U.S. which is made with maize kernels.
Decorating tip - Divide frosting into two bowls, setting aside more for the ube-flavored frosting. In the larger portion, mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons of ube extract. Then, use the plain white frosting for decorating with a pipping bag with a pastry tip.
Baking Time for 2-layer cake using two 8-inch round or square pans is 25 to 30 minutes. Check doneness at 25 minutes.
Nutrition: per serving of the cake, frosting is not included in the calculation.
Course :Dessert, Snack
Cuisine :Filipino
Keyword :goldilocks ube cake, red ribbon ube cake, ube cake