Ube Cream Cheese Leche Flan

 This is my take on the latest craze of  Cream Cheese Leche Flan - with an Ube twist. The texture is a cross between a cheesecake and caramel flan.

Ube Cream Cheese Leche Flan

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

5 eggs , white and yolks separated
4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup ube halaya*
1 tsp McCormick Ube Flavor
1 can Nestle condensed milk
1 can Nestle evaporated milk
1/4 cup water

 * combine 1 cup grated ube, 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can condensed milk in a non stick pan. Mix continuously in low heat until thick like paste and difficult to stir.

1. Mix sugar and 1/2 cup water in 8 inch aluminium round tin. Caramelise over low heat until golden brown.   Let cool.
2. Beat egg yolk until light in colour.
3. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until foamy but not stiff.
4. Strain egg whites into egg yolk and beat until well combined.
5. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add McCormick Ube Flavor and ube halaya until well combined.
6. Pour egg mixture in cream cheese and beat until well combined.
7. Add 1/4 cup water, evaporated and condensed milk and beat until well combined.
8. Strain and pour the mixture  in caramelised pan.
9. Cover tin with foil and place on another pan with 1 inch hot water. Steam bake for 1 hour 30 minutes at 180C.
10. Cool the flan and keep in the fridge.

Everything Ube Recipe Book

Haven't been blogging for a long, long time. I was still in the middle of  trying new recipes for my book. The book has been created a long time ago but only posted now. Thanks to one interested viewer. Unfortunately, it is not for sale at this stage. Maybe  later?

Ube Sans Rival

First attempt on Ube Sans Rival with Ube Halaya in the Buttercream ...My Mom's request.

Ube (Purple Yam) Sans Rival

Ube Coconut Brownies..

 More ubes....

trial number three of the ube jam (halaya) method...it's 'moister' this time..

Ube Kasuy Brownies

this time with grated ube and coconut.... first try was already a  sucess....

Ube Coconut Brownies

Ube Coconut Brownies

       

brought both versions to work and surveyed my colleagues..it seems it was a tie as each version has its unique taste...

Ube Kasuy (Puprle Yam with Cashew Nuts) Brownies

Ube Kasuy Brownies ..or should I say Purplies...filipino style..yep another ube experiment... sick of it? don't be..i have to make this again as I want it fudgier and there are 3 more recipes to try.....then hopefully the book will be finished...

Everything Ube

I am working on my 2nd recipe book. Here's the cover...what do you think?

Ube Pancakes

Two pancake recipes...can't decide which one's better.

Ube Pancake with ube jam (halaya)

Ube Pancake with mashed ube

Ube Crinkles

Ube Crinkles

 I made my first chocolate crinkles two decades ago.  I even sold tons of it in decorated containers on Christmas of 1993. The recipe was from the back of  the Flour Pack.  I've moved on to two other recipes since then.

Fast forward to this day. ..I am crazy about Ube (Purple Yam) lately that I've been tweaking my recipes for Ube (as you can see from previous posts).  I was thinking of making crinkles with Ube and was checking out the web  to see if I am the first one and if it is possible. Three image results - Bakers Hill in Palawan, Lina's in Baguio and bakehappy. Sadly, I am not the first one and yup, it's possible!

For my version, I tweaked the Chocolate Crinkles recipe I have been using for ages.  Please note that  I always use  my 'own made' Ube Halaya (Yam Jam for all the recipes.) If you are using a bottled Ube or your own Ube Halaya recipe, you might need to adjust my recipe.

Here's my recipe for a fudgy, Ubeliscious  Crinkles

Ube Halaya

454 grams   pack of grated ube
1 condensed milk
1 evaporated milk

Mix all the ingredients in a non stick pan over medium heat until paste like consistency.

Ube Crinkles                                                                            

2 cups flour                                              

2 tsp baking powder                                    

1/4 tsp salt       

                                           

2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 

1 cup sugar 

1 cup ube halaya

2 teaspoons ube flavour

2 large eggs                                                 

powdered sugar

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a  bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat oil, sugar and Ube jam at low speed until combined in a  separate bowl, 
3. Beat  in eggs and Ube flavor just until combined. Do not overbeat.
4. Fold in the flour mixture to the egg mixture just until combined.  Do not over mix.(white 
    streaks may  appear but that's okay.)
5. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
6. Pre-heat the oven at 335°F / 160°C .
7. Scoop one tablespoon of the dough and roll in powdered sugar. Place in a baking tray lined with
    baking paper. Space the cookies at least 2 inches apart.

Scoop one tablespoon of the dough

roll in powdered sugar

8. Bake for 7 minutes. Do not over bake. It will look soft and wobbly. It is not under baked. Do not    over bake. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack. Once cooled, it will be fudgy and firm. If you want  'cakey' crinkles, then bake it longer.

I used a tablespoon for small cookies and an ice cream scoop equivalent to 4 tablespoon for bigger ones. The bigger cookies baked for  9-10 minutes. You can adjust the sugar between 2/3 to 1 1/3 cups to suit your taste.

Fudgy Ubeliscious  Crinkles

Oobeh!

Less writing...more baking. Let the photos speak for themselves!!

Ube (Purple Yam) Egg Tart

custard egg filling on a rough puff pastry

More Ube

More oobeh creations....
 

Ube (Purple Yam) Melting Moments

Ube Velvet Cake with Ube cheesecake filling and cream cheese frosting

 I've got more to make!!

Everything Ube (Purple Yam)

I have not posted for a loooong  time but I have been pretty busy baking...
 

Ube (Purple Yam) Roll

Ube (Purple Yam) Roll

Ube (Purple Yam) Yeast Bread

Ube (Purple Yam) Crescents

Ube (Purple Yam) Boat Tarts

Ube (Purple Yam) Macapuno Cheesecupcake

Ube (Purple Yam)  Cheesecupcake

 
more  baking to do...more ube goodies to post next time!!!

Claudine's double digit birthday

How time flies! Gone are the days for girly girl cakes. The birthday girl requested a mini IPad in her favourite colour.  She's 10 (double digit  according to her) after all.

I am quite pleased with the smooth cake but not so much of the "IPad".    The IPad was made of chewy muesli bars covered in chocolate and dipped  in melted chocolate melts. I tried to make it close to the original size.

While waiting for the "IPad" to harden, I covered the classic chocolate cake with coffee buttercream filling in dark chocolate ganache.

Classic Chocolate  Cake in Dark Chocolate Ganache

See how almost perfectly smooth my ganache is? Thanks to all the tutorials and tips from the internet. I now know the correct ratio of chocolate to cream to achieve a perfect ganache. I then covered it in fondant.

I am so pleased with the fondant too. The smooth ganache resulted in a smooth fondant finish. It may not be perfect compared to the professionals but good enough for my first try after following the tutorials and tips. Let's continue on with the "IPad".

 

IPad Cake

It came out too thick, about twice the normal depth of the real one. I was so tempted to cut it to make it thinner but I was running out of time. Besides, I couldn't afford to make a mistake or else bye bye edible image.  I had the edible image printed out from a cake supply shop for a polished look. Truth is, I didn't have sufficient time and patience to make the little icons with fondant. Plus, the icons would not be realistic if  raised from the "screen".

Mini IPad Cake

I had several ideas for the cake decoration but I found it difficult to execute. So, I made up the design as I went along finishing the cake.

Classic Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream filling and Dark Chocolate Ganache

The apple logo was supposed to be  the border around the cake. It was time consuming to cut several pieces of the logo without a mold.   Anyway, A is for apple.  Here's the complete cake.

Mini Ipad Cake

The IPad can be actually carried separately.  Since she is too young (and  it's expensive !) to have the IPad , this will do for now!

Mini IPad Cake with the birthday girl

Let's have a slice of the moist classic chocolate  cake with coffee buttercream filling and ganache.

See you next post!

Rafael's 18th Birthday

This post has been long overdue. Even the celebrant posted it first on his facebook. Too many cakes came in between!   Anyway, I made this cake for Rafael for his  18th birthday in July 2013. Rafael is like a nephew to me.  His family , along with 2 other families, and my family  came to Australia almost at the same time. He was 4 yrs old when I first met him. Since then,  I have been making cakes occasionally for them.  This is one of the cakes I made for him when he was a little boy.

Sylvester Cat

Now he is all grown up and plays drums. Thus, he requested this cake.

It  really took a long time to make and yet still looked a little lopsided.  Let's have a closer look. Can you see him?

It may not be perfect but the birthday boy was so happy with his cake. That's what matters! Here's the birthday boy with his cake.

Rafael with his cake

Let's look  inside.

See you next post!

Bridal Shower

What was written on the greeting card

  

 My team had another reason to celebrate at work.  Our colleague, Sarann, is getting married in two week's time! So, an office bridal shower was in place. It was a "bring a plate" morning tea.

Morning Tea

 

Of course, who else brought the cake but me! Yup her motif is black and white.

The Mannequin.  It took me 7 hours over 3 days to make just the mannequin.  Even the bride said that it was more detailed than her actual gown.Let's have a closer look  'ala' ramp walk at the cake topper.
 

 



Unlike other similar designs made of cake you can find on the net, the mannequin was made of foam and fondant. In this way, it doubled up as a souvenir for the bride to be.

The Souvenir

Nice box huh?  After we ditched the crappy one I made, my co-worker,  Sangeeta,  made the packaging 'Barbie' style.

The Cake.  it was  Black Velvet with cream cheese frosting to fit the motif.

Black velvet with cream cheese frosting

 

Let's have a slice!



Black velvet Slice

 

See you next post!