Ube Donuts

These soft and fluffy baked ube donuts are dipped in a shiny ube ganache glaze. They're made with ube halaya jam and ube extract for amazing purple sweet potato flavour and unmistakable colour!

Jump to:

• What is ube?
• What is ube halaya?
• Why you’ll love this recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make ube donuts
• Storage
• Freezing
• Tips & tricks
• Frequently asked questions
• More donut recipes to try
• Recipe

These baked ube donuts are so soft, pillowy, and cakey. They're full of ube flavour in both the donut and the glaze. They're seriously heaven in a bite!

The vibrant purple colour of purple yam is iconic and visually stunning. These are the perfect donuts for any occasion and any time of day!

What is ube?

Ube (pronounced "ooh-bay") is a purple yam or purple sweet potato originating from the Philippines. It has a sweet, nutty, and vanilla-like flavour and aroma. It's a popular ingredient used in Filipino desserts that are instantly recognizable from the deep purple colour.

What is ube halaya?

Ube halaya is a spread or jam made from already mashed and processed ube. Most ube recipes use ube halaya instead of boiling and mashing fresh ube at home which can be cumbersome to do.

The flavour of ube by itself in baked goods can sometimes be lost with the rest of the ingredients and the colour is not nearly as purple as it should be. Therefore, it's usually used in combination with ube extract or ube flavouring which gives a much more concentrated flavour and purple colour than ube halaya by itself.

Ube extract is often used in taro bubble tea made from a powdered mix. That vanilla-coconut smell and purple colour is actually from ube extract, not taro, since taro is nearly colourless on its own.

You can usually buy ube halaya and ube extract in Asian or Filipino specialty grocery stores or online.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• These ube donuts are delicious and full of ube flavour!
• This recipe is so easy to make!
• These donuts are baked so no deep frying needed. All you need is a donut-shaped pan and it's just like making cupcakes.
• There are plenty of decoration possibilities! Drizzle these donuts with melted chocolate or sprinkle with coconut flakes, sprinkles, or nuts.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder - This will help the donuts rise and become round and puffy.
• Salt
• Unsalted butter - Melt the butter on the stovetop or microwave before using.
• Granulated sugar
• Egg - This needs to be at room temperature otherwise it will cause the melted butter to harden into small bits on contact. Take it out of the fridge ahead of time or submerge it in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using.
• Ube halaya - Ube halaya is ube (purple sweet potato) puree combined with sugar and other ingredients to make a spread or jam. It comes in a small jar and is usually labelled as ube halaya spread or ube halaya jam. You can typically find it at Asian or Filipino specialty grocery stores.
• Ube extract - Ube extract is artificial flavouring and colouring that gives ube treats its recognizable smell, flavour, and taste. It's much stronger than ube halaya and is essential when making ube desserts. It can usually be found in the same stores that carry ube halaya.
• Milk - You can use any dairy or non-dairy milk. It should be at room temperature so measure it out ahead of time and leave it on the counter.
• White chocolate - This is for the ube ganache glaze on top of the donuts. Roughly chop it into smaller pieces so that they melt easier and evenly.
• Heavy cream - You're going to heat this and pour it over the white chocolate to make a ganache.
• Coconut flakes - This is optional. You can decorate your donuts with melted white chocolate or sprinkle coconut flakes on top which I would have done if I had some on hand.

How to make ube donuts

Make the donuts

Prepare oven and pan - Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a donut pan with cooking spray or oil. Use a paper towel to wipe away any excess and spread it into a thin, even layer. Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients - In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Mix wet ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar until combined. Add the egg and whisk until creamy.

Add the ube halaya and ube extract and whisk until the batter is smooth and an even purple colour. Finally, whisk in the milk until combined and smooth.

Whisk dry mixture into wet mixture - Add the flour mixture and whisk or fold together with a spatula until just combined.

Pipe batter into pan - Transfer the batter to a piping bag and cut off the tip. Pipe the batter into your greased donut pan, filling it about ¾ full.

Bake - Bake donuts for 12-14 minutes until the tops are puffed and spring back when touched. Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before lifting them out and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the ube ganache

Prepare white chocolate - Add chopped white chocolate to a bowl that's deep and wide enough to dip your donuts in. Set aside.

Heat cream - In a small pan or microwave, heat heavy cream until small bubbles start coming to the surface and it just barely begins to simmer.

Let chocolate melt - Pour it over the bowl of white chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Stir ganache - Add the ube extract and stir to mix until all the white chocolate has melted.

Let ganache thicken - Let the ganache cool until it becomes thick enough to coat the donuts without completely dripping off but not so thick that it doesn't settle back into itself. If it becomes too stiff, heat it gently until it melts again.

Glaze donuts - Dip each donut into the glaze and shake off any excess. Place on a wire rack and let the glaze set.

Decorate donuts - Top with melted white chocolate drizzles or sprinkle with coconut flakes.

Storage

Ube donuts can be stored in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep in mind that they will dry out and become stiffer and denser the longer you keep them. They are best served in the first 1-2 days after baking.

Freezing

Ube donuts can be frozen for up to 1 month. To prevent disturbing the glaze, freeze them in a single layer on a plate until the tops are solid before transferring them to an airtight container, freezer bag, or wrapping them well in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil.

Thaw them at room temperature completely before serving.

Tips & tricks

• Use room temperature ingredients. Always take your eggs and milk out of the fridge ahead of time so that they can come to room temperature before using. This prevents the butter from solidifying when it comes in contact with cold ingredients.
• Use both ube halaya and ube extract. Ube halaya tastes amazing but the flavour isn't that strong, especially when combined with other ingredients and baked. Ube extract adds a concentrated version of the classic ube flavour and colour you're familiar with.
• Pipe batter into donut pan with a piping bag. This is the easiest way to get the thick donut batter into the donut pan with no mess. You don't need a piping tip. Simply snip off the tip of the piping bag.
• Let the ganache sit undisturbed before stirring. The white chocolate needs time to melt thoroughly after adding the warm heavy cream. If you stir it too soon, you'll end up with bits of unmelted white chocolate. If this happens, heat the ganache gently on low heat over the stovetop or microwave and stir again. If all else fails, try pushing the ganache through a fine mesh sieve to collect any chunks of white chocolate.
• Wait for the ganache to become the perfect glazing consistency. The ganache will be thin and drippy while it's warm. It will thicken as it cools down. The consistency is ready for glazing donuts when it's still fluid but drips off a spatula or the side of the bowl slowly and takes a few seconds to recombine with the rest of the ganache. If it gets too cold and stiff at any point, you can always warm it up again to make it fluid again.

Frequently asked questions

More donut recipes to try

• Baked Mochi Donuts
• Baked Raspberry Pistachio Donuts

Recipe