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    Ube Donuts

    Published: February 27, 2023 | Last Modified: February 27, 2023 by Gail Ng | 1 Comment

    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO PRINT RECIPE
    Donut with a bite taken out of it surrounded by other donuts.
    Ube donuts with white chocolate drizzles scattered on parchment paper on a wire rack.
    Ube donuts with purple glaze dripping down the front.
    Ube donut with purple glaze dripping down the side.
    Purple ube donuts with white chocolate drizzles scattered on parchment paper.
    Four ube donuts stacked on top of each other with glaze dripping down the front.

    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!

    Ube donut with purple glaze dripping down the side.
    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.

    Ube donuts with white chocolate drizzles scattered on parchment paper on a wire rack.

    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.

    Left to right: melted butter and sugar in a glass bowl, egg and whisk in glass bowl.

    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.

    Left to right: scoop of ube halaya jam in egg mixture, pouring milk into purple batter.

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

    Left to right: flour added to ube batter, whisk sitting in mixed ube batter.

    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.

    Left to right: pouring batter into piping bag in a cup, piping batter into donut pan.

    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.

    Left to right: hand holding fork to lift donut out of pan, unglazed purple donuts sitting on wire rack.

    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.

    Left to right: pouring cream into bowl of white chocolate, pouring ube extract into ganache from spoon.

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

    Left to right: purple glaze with bits of white chocolate throughout, glaze dripping off spatula into bowl.

    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.

    Left to right: hand dipping donut into bowl of glaze, hand holding donut glazed in purple ganache.

    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.

    Donut with a bite taken out of it surrounded by other donuts.

    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

    What does an ube donut taste like?

    Ube donuts are soft and cakey with a sweet and nutty flavour, similar to vanilla and coconut.

    Is ube really purple?

    The flesh of ube really is naturally purple and the colour gets deeper after cooking. Most ube desserts also use ube extract or flavouring to intensify the purple colour.

    Can I make ube donuts ahead of time?

    You can make the donuts without the glaze ahead of time and store them in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap for 1-2 days before glazing.

    How do I make a larger batch of donuts?

    This recipe makes approximately 8-10 donuts. To make more donuts, simply multiply the ingredients by 2 or 3 accordingly.

    Four ube donuts stacked on top of each other with glaze dripping down the front.

    More donut recipes to try

    • Baked Mochi Donuts
    • Baked Raspberry Pistachio Donuts

    Recipe

    Ube donut with purple glaze dripping down the side.

    Ube Donuts

    Author: Gail Ng
    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 maximum flavour and colour!
    5 from 5 votes
    PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE
    Prep Time 50 mins
    Cook Time 14 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 4 mins
    Yield 10 donuts
    Category Dessert
    Cuisine Filipino

    Equipment

    • 1 donut pan
    • 1 piping bag

    Ingredients
      

    Ube Donuts

    • 160 g all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 60 g unsalted butter, melted
    • 80 g granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg, room temperature
    • 75 g ube halaya
    • ½ teaspoon ube extract
    • 110 g milk, room temperature

    Ube Glaze

    • 100 g white chocolate, roughly chopped
    • 65 g heavy cream
    • ⅛ teaspoon ube extract

    Toppings (optional)

    • 20 g white chocolate, melted
    • coconut flakes

    Instructions
     

    Ube Donuts

    • 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.
    • In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
    • 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.
    • Add the flour mixture and whisk or fold together with a spatula until just combined.
    • 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 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.

    Ube Ganache Glaze

    • Add chopped white chocolate to a bowl that's deep and wide enough to dip your donuts in. Set aside.
    • In a small pan or microwave, heat heavy cream until small bubbles start coming to the surface and it just barely begins to simmer. Pour it over the bowl of white chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
    • Add the ube extract and stir to mix until all the white chocolate has melted.
    • 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.
    • Dip each donut into the glaze and shake off any excess. Place on a wire rack and let the glaze set.
    • Top with melted white chocolate drizzles or sprinkle with coconut flakes.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1732IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg
    Keywords baked ube donuts, ube donuts
    Tried this recipe?Leave a rating & comment to let us know how it was and tag your Instagram posts with @teakandthyme!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Dianne

      February 27, 2023 at 10:26 pm

      5 stars
      LOVE this, the ube flavor and smell is amazing. Donuts are soft and filled with flavor!!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Gail! I'm a Chinese-Canadian girl with a major sweet tooth. I make desserts, baked goods, and drinks inspired by French pastries, twists on classics, and flavours from my Asian background. I hope your second stomach is hungry!

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