Can't Get Enough of Ube? Here Are New Creative Ways To Prepare Your Favorite Dessert!

Ube is, without a doubt, one of the most well-loved Filipino ingredients out there. With its distinctly starchy taste and striking purple color, the ingredients also leaves a lot of room for fun and creativity in the kitchen.

To make things even easier for every home cook and home baker, this article rounds up three ube dessert recipes that are no-bake. Add a twist to your regular leche flan by adding a layer of ube cake, whip up a super quick sweet-and-salty ube refrigerator cake, or jump into the tin cake trend with these quick recipes!

Ube Leche Flan

The key to making your basic leche flan extra delicious? Add a layer of ube cake! Remember to run a knife around the sides of the pan to make sure the flans come out perfectly.

Yield: 10-12 servings or 3 llanera

Ube Leche Flan Ingredients:

To make the caramel:
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup water

To make the leche flan:
1 125-ml pack NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream
1 cup water
1 300-ml can condensed milk
6 egg yolks from 6 medium eggs
3 medium eggs
½ cup white sugar

To make the ube cake:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons coconut milk
¾ teaspoon ube extract
3 tablespoons ube jam, store-bought
3 egg whites from 3 medium eggs
1 tablespoon white sugar

How to Make Ube Leche Flan:

1 Make the caramel: In a small saucepan, cook the sugar and water over low heat until golden brown. Swirl the pan to even out the color, then pour into 3 large llanera, or small 6-inch cake tins, and set aside. Cool for 10 minutes.

2 Make the leche flan: In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, combine NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream, water, condensed milk, egg yolks, eggs, and sugar. Strain and pour evenly into the 3 cake tins. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and steam until the middle part of the flan is barely set, about 25 to 30 minutes.

3 Make the ube cake: Sift all-purpose flour and baking powder into a medium-sized mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, combine coconut milk, ube extract, and ube jam until smooth. Pour the ube mixture into the flour mixture and combine with a wooden spoon until completely smooth.

4 In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Add the white sugar in batches while whipping, and beat until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the egg whites into the ube cake batter.

5 Remove the tins from the steamer. Remove aluminum foil from each tin and evenly divide the cake batter, pouring until the batter fills the tins ¾ of the way. Cover with aluminum foil again, place back into the steamer. Continue to steam for 30 more minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake tins come out clean.

6 Set aside to cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight. Insert a small knife around the pan and unmold on a serving plate. Serve chilled.

Ube Graham Cake

With the holidays coming up, quick desserts need to be in order. This ube graham cake includes a luscious creamy layer packed with ube, sitting atop a classic graham crust. The grated cheese on top gives it a fun twist, too.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ube Graham Cake Ingredients:

12 pieces graham crackers, crushed
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon white sugar
¼ cup condensed milk
1 cup ube jam, store-bought
1 125-ml pack NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream
3 tablespoons grated cheese

How to Make Ube Graham Cake:

1 In a small bowl, combine graham crackers, butter, and sugar. Lightly press onto the bottom of a 6-inch container.

2 Combine the condensed milk and ube jam in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whip NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream until light, and fold into the ube jam mixture.

3 Pour the ube mixture onto the graham crust and chill overnight. Before serving, sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Ube Tin Cake

Here’s a quick tip to make this recipe even faster: Opt for store-bought chiffon cake to create the layer in between and save the baking time for relaxation instead.Wouldn’t this be a great idea to give as holiday gifts to friends and family?

Yield: 6 servings

Ube Tin Cake Ingredients:

To make the chiffon cake:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt
½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small egg
2 tablespoons ube jam, store-bought
1 teaspoon ube extract

To make the ube pudding:
1 125-ml pack NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream
3 tablespons ube jam, store-bought
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
¼ cup water
2 egg yolks from 2 small eggs
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

To make the ube ganache:
1 125-ml pack NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ teaspoon ube extract

To make the ube shell:
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ teaspoon ube extract

How to Make Ube Tin Cake:

1 Make the chiffon cake: In a mixing bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. In a separate mixing bowl, combine oil, egg, ube jam, and ube extract. Pour into dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until smooth.

2 Pour the batter into a 6-by-2-inch round tin can and steam for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Set aside to cool completely.

3 Make the ube pudding: Combine NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream, ube jam, cornstarch, salt, water, egg yolks, and sugar into a saucepan. Whisk over low heat until thick, then remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.

4 Make the ube ganache: Gently simmer NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream over low heat. Once small bubbles form around the edges, pour in white chocolate chips and ube extract and stir until smooth. Set aside.

5 Pour the ube pudding on top of the ube cake, then pour the ube ganache on top of the pudding. Set aside in the refrigerator to cool.

6 Make the ube shell: Place white chocolate chips and ube extract into a heatproof bowl and place over a pot with simmering water. Mix until melted and combined, and pour over the tin cake, and set aside in the refrigerator to let it set into a shell. Chill before serving.

Create desserts with NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream to make them richer, creamier, and packed with flavor! Quick, small-batch desserts are also made easier with the new 125-ml pack—but make sure to pick up some ube jam on your next grocery visit, too!

For more creamy recipes, visit createwithcream.ph.