This cake combines 2 Filipino dessert specialties made from purple yam (ube). The light and airy purple yam cake layers are filled with a ube halaya (purple yam + condensed milk) buttercream.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Only line (don't grease) three 9" cake pans with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
Add ube puree to a large bowl (or your stand mixer bowl) and slowly add milk and vanilla and combine until smooth. Mix in corn syrup, egg yolks and oil. Stir in flour mixture and set aside.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add in sugar and food coloring, beat until stiff peaks form. Incorporate ⅓ of egg whites into cake batter, then gently but quickly fold in remaining egg whites. If the cake batter is too pale purple for your liking at this stage, add more food coloring and incorporate.
Divide batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops spring back when gently pressed. Cool cake layers in pans for 10 minutes, then invert on wire rack and let cool fully.
Ube Halaya Buttercream Filling
Combine 2 cups of your favorite buttercream with 2 tablespoons of purple yam (ube) puree, condensed milk and food coloring. Start with 1 tablespoon condensed milk and add up to 3 tbsp, depending on how much your buttercream can handle without becoming too thin.
Spread filling between cake layers. Double the filling recipe, if you also want to frost the cake with ube halaya buttercream. Use an angled spatula to frost the outside of the cake or apply in a pattern with a piping bag & tip.
Keyword Ube Cake
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