If you haven’t heard of ube (pronounced ooh-bey) yet, just search for the hashtag #ube on Instagram and check out all the gorgeous desserts made from this purple yam. It’s been a popular ingredient for sweets and desserts in the Philippines and Hawaii forever, but it’s been spreading like wild fire all over the states for the last few years. I love this description of ube from Trader Joe’s “It’s sweet & nutty-tasting, with hints of an almost coconut-like flavor; some liken it to a cross between vanilla & pistachio” Trader Joe’s released amazing ube ice cream last summer.
Ube is a starchy, sweet yam with the most beautiful purple coloring, which makes it the perfect ingredient for cheesecake! You end up with an ultra-rich and creamy cheesecake, with flavors of ube and coconut. Not to mention this is one of the most stunning desserts you’ll have on your dinner table – your guests will be so impressed that you made it! Now that’s the goal of any home chef! Give this a try—I guarantee you’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing.
You can usually find Ube Flavoring (order here) and Ube Jam (order here) at any Vietnamese or Filipino Market, I’ve even seen it at HMart. The deep purple coloring comes from the Ube Flavoring – if you don’t use Ube Flavoring, the cheesecake will have a purple-grey tint (will not look pretty without the flavoring/coloring). If you have a hard time finding Ube Jam, you can substitute with ½ Cup Mashed Ube and use a full can of sweetened condensed milk in the recipe instead of just 1 Cup.
Use Coconut Biscuits or Coconut Cookies for the crust, if you can’t find this – use Nilla Wafers instead.
This silicone sling makes is very easy to load and lift out the cheesecake pan (purchase here).
If you use your Instant Pot on the counter under your cabinets, this is an awesome accessory that diverts the steam away from your cabinets (purchase here)
I topped my Ube Cheesecake with Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe here). If you want the ombre effect, color half of the whipped cream with a few drops of Ube Flavoring and fill the bag as pictured below. I used a Wilton 2D Piping tip (purchase here).
Be sure to click on the accessories list below to get the most out of your Instant Pot.
16 Comments
Kevin
August 5, 2021 at 2:37 am
I want to make this for my grandmothers birthday but I was wondering what is the sweetness level for this cheesecake? My family generally likes desserts on the lower end of sweetness so I was wondering if I could reduce the sugar in some way?
Van
August 6, 2021 at 5:52 pm
Hi Kevin, I think I responded to you on Instagram, but you could reduced the sweetened condensed milk if you prefer – try 3/4 Cups.
Jessica
August 17, 2021 at 4:31 pm
I have a question, is there a way to make it without the jam? I’ve been searching and searching for recipes for cheesecake with just extract and no luck. The jam is pretty expensive and my local Asian markets don’t offer it.
Van
August 20, 2021 at 9:02 am
Hi Jessica, yes you can make it without the jam, add 2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch to the batter.
Judy
August 28, 2021 at 7:05 am
Can you use purple potato instead of the Ube jam? I remember your recipe use to have that option.
Van
September 1, 2021 at 11:41 am
Hi Judy, yes you can – substitute the Ube Jam with ½ Cup Mashed Ube and use a full can of sweetened condensed milk in the recipe instead of just 1 Cup. I took it out of the instructions to simplify the recipe, but it’s written above the photo of the ube jam / flavoring.
Jo Anne Quidilla
September 23, 2021 at 10:04 am
How did you make it easy to remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan? It stuck to the bottom and broke the cheesecake for me? Thanks
Van
September 23, 2021 at 11:02 am
Did you line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper? I also use a large spatula to lift up the cheesecake, the parchment may still be stuck to the bottom & you just peel it off after
Jo Anne
September 23, 2021 at 10:32 pm
Yes I did use the liner that you suggested.
Kaye
December 30, 2021 at 10:06 am
I’ve made this a few times and it’s so delicious! However, I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong because I have trouble each time. When I mix the ingredients together, the cream cheese gets chunky and never smooths out. Then when I go to sift everything into a bowl, the cream cheese chunks stay in the sifter. Am I messing up on the mixing time?
Van
January 1, 2022 at 9:03 am
Hi Kaye, if your cream cheese is clumpy it means that you haven’t softened it enough, next time try microwaving it a few more times to make sure that it’s super soft before mixing
Jake
September 1, 2022 at 12:25 pm
Hi, I have just two questions:
– Is the coconut cream in this recipe supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened?
– Does it matter which kind of aluminum foil I use? or does regular versus heavy duty make a difference?
Van
October 9, 2022 at 3:36 pm
Hello, it should be the canned coconut milk which is unsweetened. Any foil will work fine
Liz
November 24, 2022 at 4:33 pm
Mine came out lighter in color – I think I will use more Ube flavoring next time. But the flavor of this cake is just lovely. Wow.
Justine
November 25, 2022 at 4:36 pm
I’ve made this many times in the past following it exactly. This time I made it, it didn’t set. What am I doing wrong.
Van
December 6, 2022 at 5:17 pm
Hi Justine, was this made in the Instant Pot or oven? Did you make any changes to the recipe?