Ube cupcakes
Ube cupcakes are inspired by ube (purple yam), a much-loved ingredient in the Philippines. They have a beautiful natural purple color and a soft, moist crumb with a gently sweet, nutty flavor reminiscent of vanilla and chestnuts, topped with a rich, smooth ube cream cheese frosting. They're perfect for birthday parties or afternoon tea.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Rising or chilling
- 45 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 37 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
For the cupcake batter
For the ube cream cheese frosting
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 175°C and line a twelve-cup muffin pan with paper liners. An evenly hot oven helps the cupcakes rise with pretty domed tops. The oven is ready once it has been at temperature for about fifteen minutes.
Step 2
Sift 200 g cake flour, 6 g baking powder and a pinch salt together into a separate bowl. Sifting first spreads the baking powder evenly so the cupcakes don't get large air holes. The mixture is ready when it's fine, loose and evenly colored.
Step 3
Beat 115 g softened unsalted butter with 150 g granulated sugar on medium speed for about four minutes. Thoroughly creamed butter and sugar trap air that makes the crumb soft and light. The mixture is ready when it's ivory, fluffy and nearly doubled in volume.
Step 4
Add 100 g eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then add 120 g ube jam and 4 g vanilla extract and beat until even. Adding the eggs gradually keeps the mixture from curdling. The mixture is ready when it's smooth and evenly purple with no white streaks of butter.
Step 5
Divide the flour mixture into three parts and 120 g whole milk into two, then add them alternately to the butter, starting and ending with the flour, folding gently with a flat spatula. Alternating keeps the butter mixture from breaking and gives a fine crumb. The batter is ready when the last streaks of dry flour have just disappeared and it's thick, smooth and glossy.
Step 6
Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each about three-quarters full, then tap the pan gently on the counter to level the tops. Even portions help the cupcakes bake at the same time and rise to the same height. The pan is ready when the cups are equally full with no large air bubbles on top.
Step 7
Bake at 175°C for 18 to 22 minutes, turning the pan halfway through if your oven heats unevenly. A moderate temperature keeps the cupcakes purple without browning the tops. They're done when the tops are nicely domed, spring back when pressed lightly and a skewer comes out clean.
Step 8
Leave the cupcakes in the pan for five minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes. The cupcakes must be completely cool so the cream cheese frosting doesn't melt. They're ready when the bottoms of the liners no longer feel warm.
Step 9
Beat 150 g cream cheese and 80 g softened unsalted butter until smooth, sift in 120 g powdered sugar, then add 60 g ube jam and beat for about three minutes. Cream cheese and butter at the same room temperature blend smoothly without lumps. The frosting is ready when it's pale purple, smooth and holds its shape when scooped.
Step 10
Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake from the outside in, adding sprinkles if you like. Piping the frosting into a peak makes the cupcakes look generous and pretty. They're finished when each one has an evenly tall swirl of frosting with crisp, clean lines.
Equipment
- Oven
- Muffin tin
- Hand mixer
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Piping bag
- Mixing bowl
- Wire cooling rack
- Kitchen scale
Tips
- Store-bought ube jam varies in sweetness; if yours is very sweet, cut back some of the sugar in the batter.
- For a deeper purple, you can add a few drops of ube extract or purple food coloring to the batter.
- If the frosting is too soft to pipe, chill it for about fifteen minutes, then beat it again for a few seconds.
Storage
Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within three days, taking them out about twenty minutes before serving. Unfrosted cupcakes keep for two days at room temperature in an airtight container.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The cupcakes sank in the middle after baking.
- The cupcakes weren't fully baked or the oven was opened too early. Wait at least fifteen minutes before opening the oven door, and test with a skewer in the center of a cupcake.
- The cream cheese frosting is runny.
- The cream cheese was too soft or beaten too long. Use cream cheese that's still slightly cool, beat it only until smooth and chill the frosting before piping.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
