Ube Easter cake is a gorgeous Filipino-American fusion dessert that uses the beloved Filipino purple yam (ube) transformed into a spectacular springtime celebration cake perfect for Easter gatherings. While ube has been integral to Filipino cuisine for centuries, appearing in everything from haluhalo (shaved ice dessert) to ube halaya (sweet jam), it's only recently gained widespread popularity.
Ube is a purple yam native to some Asian countries with dark brown-purple skin and a striking purple flesh. When cooked, it develops a creamy, nutty flavour with distinct notes of vanilla, completely different from regular sweet potatoes, taro, or even our local colocasia. This particular ube Easter cake recipe is wonderfully light, fluffy, and packed with ube flavour thanks to ube extract in both the cake layers and the Swiss meringue buttercream.
The ube jam in the cake serves as the cake filling, while the coconut macapuno topping adds that quintessential Filipino touch. Macapuno are jelly-like coconut strings made from a special Filipino coconut variety, and they're sweet, tender, and loaded with coconut flavour. For Easter, you can go all out and decorate with colourful candies and chocolates of all sorts.
Ingredients
UNITSIngredients
¼ cupButter (softened) For the ube cake layers
¾ cupGranulated sugar
2Large egg whites (room temperature)
2-3 teaspoonsUbe extract
1 cup + 2 tbspCake flour
1½ teaspoonsBaking powder
¼ teaspoon Salt
½ cupWhole milk
3Large egg whites (room temperature)
¾ cupGranulated sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
1 cupUnsalted butter (cubed)
1-2 teaspoonsUbe extract
⅓ cup Ube jam or preserves (For filling and topping)
½ cupCoconut macapuno (coconut string jam)
for decorating White chocolate eggs (For Easter decoration (optional)
for Easter themPastel sprinkles
for spring Fresh flowers (edible) decoration
for topperMini coconut nest
Follow
Directions
Description - Step 1
Step 1: Prepare cake batter
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease two 6-inch round baking pans well. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy (around 5-7 minutes). Add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the ube extract. The batter should be bright purple.
Description - Step 2
Step 2: Combine dry and wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula to incorporate the creamed mixture. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with flour. Mix just until combined – don't overmix.
Description - Step 3
Step 3: Bake the cakes
Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 18-22 minutes. The cakes should spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to wire racks to cool to room temperature. The frosting will melt if the cakes are warm.
Description - Step 4
Step 4: Make the Swiss meringue base
In the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and salt until just combined. Place this bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (using the double boiler method – bowl shouldn't touch water). Whisking constantly, heat the mixture until a candy thermometer reads exactly 70°C (8-10 minutes).
Description - Step 5
Step 5: Whip the meringue
Immediately remove the bowl from the heat. With the whisk attachment on the stand mixer, beat on high speed until the mixture cools to 32°C (about 20 minutes). It should look like glossy white marshmallow fluff. This cooling step is crucial – if too hot, butter will melt; if too cold, buttercream will be lumpy.
Description - Step 6
Step 6: Add butter and ube extract
With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add cubed butter a few tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture may look curdled at first – keep beating! It will come together into silky smooth buttercream. Once all butter is incorporated, whisk in ube extract (1-2 teaspoons, depending on your desired colour and flavour) until no white streaks remain.
Description - Step 7
Step 7: Assemble the cake with ube jam
Place one cake layer on the serving plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top. Using a piping bag, pipe a border of buttercream around the edge of the cake layer - this acts as a dam. Fill the centre with all the ube jam, spreading evenly. The border prevents jam from oozing out. Carefully place the second cake layer on top, pressing down carefully to secure.
Description - Step 8
Step 8: Frost and decorate for ube Easter cake
Frost the entire cake (top and sides) with buttercream using an offset spatula. For a smooth finish, dip the spatula in hot water and wipe it clean between strokes. Place the remaining buttercream in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe decorative border around the bottom and top edges. Fill the centre top with coconut macapuno. For an Easter cake, add white chocolate eggs around the border, pastel sprinkles on piped rosettes, or create a nest with eggs on top. Add fresh edible flowers. Refrigerate until serving.
An ube Easter cake is made with ube (purple yam), flour, sugar, eggs, butter or oil, milk, and ube extract, often layered with creamy ube frosting.
Traditional Easter cakes vary by region, including carrot cake, simnel cake, and Easter bread. A modern twist is the vibrant ube Easter cake, popular for its colour and flavour.
An ube Easter cake has a mildly sweet, nutty flavour with hints of vanilla and coconut, creating a soft, creamy dessert that’s rich yet not overly sugary.
The flavour in an ube Easter cake comes from purple yam (ube), often enhanced with ube extract or jam (ube halaya) for deeper colour and a naturally sweet, earthy taste.