I was born in Manila, and as a chef, I wish I could say that I cook amazing Filipino food, but I’ve mostly cooked Western food my entire life. One thing I could say is, I have tried to incorporate Filipino flavours especially in baking. Although sometimes, that feels a little bit like taking the easy way out. I am proud of my heritage, and maybe someday I would go back and learn more about native ingredients and incorporate them in my cooking as well.

Here, I’m sharing with you my ube cheesecake recipe La Viña style. What is it? You know how a crustless, burnt cheesecake have been trending for a few years? One that is more commonly know as Basque Cheesecake? Well, this is the ube version, with homemade ube jam as well. I call it La Viña cheesecake because that’s the name of the restaurant in San Sebastian where people flock to have a taste of the original version. It is a crustless cheesecake that is caramelised outside and soft in the middle.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Joanne | Mrs.FancyPants (@mrs.fancypants.recipes)

If you want the original recipe as per the video above, I published my easy to follow recipe here. Just remember whichever version you are making, start with room temperature ingredients so the batter incorporates quickly and you will not get a lumps. The idea is to get a caramelised outside that serves as your crust, so this entails baking at a very high temperature. I preheat my oven to 220C and line a 23cm or 9in springform with baking paper and ensure there is an overhang. The overhang protects the cheesecake from getting too burnt too fast, and it also supports the cheesecake when it puffs up, which prevents overflowing.

Now with the ube version, it is also straightforward to make with the addition of making your own ube jam. Why would you want to make an ube version? Because my recipe of this is absolutely delicious and the natural purple colour of ube gives this (and basically most ube desserts) a really pretty purple hue. Ube jam is basically cooked ube, pureed and mixed with milk and sugar and cooked until its thick like peanut butter or Nutella. Let your ube jam cool to room temperature before using it for the cheesecake. I use all the ube jam yield in this recipe, but feel free to double the batch because it is really nice on warm bread rolls with a touch of butter.

To make the cheesecake, combine the ube jam, cream cheese, eggs, cream and sugar in a large bowl. Mix until smooth then sift over flour and fold in until incorporated. Pour the batter in your lined springform and bake for 1 hour. The cheesecake will still be jiggly in the centre. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for at least 2 hours. Serve at room temperature to retain that soft, custardy texture. If you have leftovers, you can eat it as is or reheat in the microwave for 10sec per slice to get that softness back.

The detailed recipe is below for you to try. I would love to see your finished products, so tag me on your social media posts @mrs.fancypants.recipes or use #mrsfancypantsrecipes. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. ???? Happy baking!

Now, the cake recipe today is baked in a 10-cup bundt pan. What is a bundt pan you say? Bundt pans are cake pans that look like donuts because they have a tube in the middle. They also have different designs that make your cake look spectacular (when you get the cake out correctly). You’ll see the bundt pan I have in my video below, but if you don’t own one and still want to make this cake, don’t fret! You can use a large loaf pan instead.

This cake is a variation of my vanilla butter bundt. I wanted to make an ube flavour to commemorate Filipino Food Month. Filipino flavours and Filipino food don’t tend to be as popular as other cuisine, and Filipino Food Month is the Government’s initiative to give it a push globally since Filipinos are all over the world. Now this cake is not traditionally from the Philippines, however, ube is a well-known native flavour of the Philippines. Ube is a root crop also known as purple yam. It’s colour gives desserts a vibrant pop but this doesn’t translate to a strong flavour, instead its flavour is very mild–a little nutty with a hint of vanilla. It is widely used in local desserts, and one day I will post an actual traditional Filipino ube dessert when I get my hands on fresh ube again. But for now, here is the recipe for this delicious and easy to make butter cake. Happy baking!