Ube Cheesecake

Total Time Prep: 40 mins. Bake: 1 hour + chilling
Yield 1 cheesecake
Test Kitchen Approved
Ube cheesecake is a recipe to pull out when you want a dessert that will wow guests with its flavor and appearance. Ube's signature purple color and its sweet, nutty flavor make it both exotic and easy to love.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • FILLING:
  • 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup ube jam (ube halaya)
  • 2 teaspoons ube extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • TOPPING:
  • 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ube extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. Place on a baking sheet.
  2. In a small bowl, mix cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom and 1 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
  3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, 4-5 minutes. Beat in sugar, sour cream, ube jam and extracts until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place springform pan into a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
  4. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 50-55 minutes. Turn oven off and open the oven door; let cheesecake sit 30 minutes, or until center is completely set. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight, covering when completely cooled.
  5. In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thickens. Add confectioners' sugar and extracts; beat until soft peaks form. Remove sides of springform pan. Spread or pipe cheesecake with whipped cream.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 483 calories, 32g fat (19g saturated fat), 125mg cholesterol, 255mg sodium, 44g carbohydrate (36g sugars, 0 fiber), 6g protein.

Ube is a beautiful purple yam that’s much loved in the Philippines, where it’s a big ingredient in sweets, used in many of the same ways pumpkin or sweet potatoes are used in North American baked goods. This cheesecake gets its uniquely nutty and earthy flavor (and stunning purple hue!) from a sweet and creamy ube spread called ube halaya. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
Recipe Creator

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