Ube Leche Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Caramel
- ¼-1/2 cup white sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon water
Ingredients for the Leche Flan
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can condensed milk 14 oz
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 oz
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the Cake
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup melted butter or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup ube halaya optional
- ¾ cup water
- 1 box 15.25 oz vanilla cake mix
- 1-2 teaspoon ube extract
- ¼ teaspoon violet or purple food color, optional
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
- hot water for water bath
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170℃/325°F.
Making the Flan and Caramel
- In a small pot, combine white sugar and water for caramel. Heat over medium until it liquefies and turns amber.
- Pour hot caramel into the baking pan, coating the bottom and sides evenly. Let it cool to set.
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla, and salt. Strain into another bowl and set aside.
Making the Process
- Separate egg yolks from whites. In the yolks’ bowl, add ube halaya, butter, and ube extract. Stir to combine.
- Sift cake mix into the wet mixture. Stir until just combined. Add food color if desired.
- In a separate bowl, add lemon juice to egg whites. Beat until firm peaks form.
- Gently fold a portion of egg whites into the cake batter, then fold in the rest.
Assembly Process
- Place the pan with caramel into a larger roasting pan.
- Pour flan mixture, then cake mixture over it. Smooth the surface.
- Pour hot water into the roasting pan, about halfway up the side of the round pan.
Baking and Serving Process
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 minutes for a 7-inch pan or 60-65 minutes for a 9-inch pan.
- Let it cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.
- Loosen sides with a spatula and invert onto a serving plate.
Details Behind My Ube Leche Cake Recipe
Ube Leche Cake Recipe – Simply put, ube leche cake is a type of flan cake. Flan cake, also called leche flan cake or crème caramel cake, is a Filipino dessert that combines a chiffon or sponge cake base (mamón) with a rich layer of leche flan (crème caramel) on top, topped with caramel syrup. Sometimes known as “custard cake,” it might be mistaken for yema cake. Modern flan cake recipes can include different ingredients, giving it a modern and flavorful touch. Ube leche cake is an example of this.
Additional Notes to My Ube Leche Cake Recipe
Like many cake recipes, there are several tips for making this flan cake. For a smoother caramel coating, heat the cake pan using oven mitts. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form before adding them to the egg yolk mixture to keep more air bubbles in the foam. Lighten the stiff egg yolk batter by mixing in a large scoop of whipped egg whites; it’s okay to beat this initial batch for easier folding of the remaining egg whites. Pour the leche flan batter into the cake pan first, followed by the cake batter. Don’t worry—the cake batter will float to the top, creating distinct layers in the finished cake.
Dishes Similar to Ube Leche Cake
If you want to try another cake dish with leche flan, you should try leche puto. Leche puto is a tasty treat that combines two Filipino favorites: puto and leche flan. Puto, a common dish, is made from fermented rice dough, created by soaking rice overnight and sometimes adding yeast. The dough is then steamed for a light and fluffy texture. Leche flan, a thicker version of Spanish flan, is made using condensed milk and more egg yolks, often steamed or baked in a special oval tin mold called llanera.
Another dessert layered with leche flan is graham de leche. Graham de leche is a layered dessert that combines smooth custard, cinnamon graham, and sweetened cream. It’s a variation of the well-known Filipino dessert, mango float, which is an icebox cake with layers of ladyfingers or graham crackers, whipped cream, condensed milk, and ripe carabao mangoes.
Other Ube and Leche Flan Desserts
For another dessert that combines the flavors of ube and leche flan, there is ube leche flan. As the name indicates, it is a variation of leche flan with ube flavoring. For another ube-flavored cake, there is ube brazo de mercedes. This delightful Filipino dessert is a meringue roll filled with custard and dusted with powdered sugar. The custard, boasting a delicious flavor, is crafted with vanilla extract, calamansi zest, and butter. What sets this dessert apart is its exclusive use of meringue, eliminating the need for flour, unlike other Filipino treats that typically incorporate sponge or chiffon cake.
Other Filipino Layered Cakes
There are a variety of cakes to try in Filipino cuisine. If you want to try another layered cake, you should try Sans Rival cake. Sans Rival is not just a name; it’s a type of cake from the Philippines. This delicious dessert consists of layers of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashews. Its name comes from French, meaning “unrivaled.” Bakers can choose to decorate it, leave it plain, or add pistachios based on their preference.
Overall, there is no shortage of cakes for you to try in Filipino cuisine. Whether it be sweet cakes or rice cakes, there is a variety to test.
