Baking With Ube Doesn't Have to Be Intimidating
Ube is everywhere right now — and for good reason. But if you've never baked with it before, you might be wondering where to start. The good news? Once you understand the three main forms of ube and how they behave in recipes, you'll be adding that gorgeous purple hue to everything in your kitchen.
The 3 Forms of Ube
1. Ube Extract — Concentrated ube flavor in liquid form. Easy to find online or at Asian grocery stores. A little goes a long way, and it's great for adding both flavor and that vibrant purple color to batters and doughs.
2. Ube Halaya (Ube Jam) — A cooked, sweetened ube paste that adds rich flavor and moisture to baked goods. Think of it like a flavored butter or jam you can fold into recipes. It's the base of many traditional Filipino ube desserts.
3. Ube Powder — Dehydrated ube in powder form. Shelf-stable and easy to measure, it's ideal for dry mixes, frostings, and recipes where you want to control moisture levels.
How to Substitute Ube in Recipes
Ube halaya can replace some of the butter or oil in a recipe, adding moisture and flavor simultaneously. Ube extract works best as a flavor enhancer alongside other wet ingredients. When using ube in sweet recipes, taste as you go — ube halaya is already sweetened, so you may want to reduce added sugar slightly.
5 Easy Things to Bake With Ube
- Cookies — Ube crinkle cookies are a Filipino classic. The contrast of powdered sugar against the purple dough is stunning.
- Mochi — Chewy, soft, and naturally gluten-free. Ube mochi is one of our most popular treats at Ube Overload.
- Pandesal — Filipino bread rolls with an ube twist. Soft, pillowy, and perfect for breakfast.
- Cake — Ube layer cake with coconut cream frosting is a showstopper for any occasion.
- Ice cream base — Blend ube halaya into a custard base for a naturally purple, incredibly flavorful ice cream.
Tips for Getting the Best Color
Natural ube can fade to a grayish-brown when exposed to heat. To maintain that vivid purple, use ube extract in addition to halaya or powder — the extract is more heat-stable and keeps your bakes looking as good as they taste.
Want to Taste Before You Bake?
If you're curious about ube but not quite ready to bake from scratch, start by tasting the real thing. Our handcrafted ube treats — made fresh in small batches in Sumner, WA — are the perfect introduction to what ube can do.
You can visit our website to place an order at www.ubeoverload.com