Ube Roll Cake

This ube roll cake is made with a soft and fluffy ube chiffon cake that rolls up perfectly without tearing or rippling. It's filled with ube whipped cream to complete this vibrant purple yam dessert!

Jump to:

• What is ube?
• Why you'll love this recipe
• Tools
• Ingredients
• How to make an ube roll cake
• Storage
• Freezing
• Tips for success
• Frequently asked questions
• More roll cake recipes to try
• Recipe

Roll cakes or swiss rolls are one of my favourite cakes to make. They can be baked in a baking tray that you probably already own and they're not as work-intensive as a layer cake.

The cake-to-cream ratio of roll cakes is perfect. It's just enough cream to keep the cake moist. Because of the way it's rolled, you get a bite of fluffy cake and whipped cream in every bite.

This swirly ube roll cake looks beautiful and impressive without any fussy decorations. To level it up even more, I love making roll cakes with fresh fruit like my Honeydew Roll Cake or White Peach Swiss Roll recipes. They always turn out looking completely bakery-worthy.

What is ube?

Ube (pronounced "ooh-bay") is a purple yam or purple sweet potato originating from the Philippines. Ube tastes like a sweet and mellow coconut and vanilla flavour. It's fragrant and delicious. It's most commonly used in Filipino desserts that are instantly recognizable from their vibrant purple colour.

In baking, ube is typically used in the form of a boiled and mashed paste called ube halaya or in the form of a concentrated liquid ube extract. In this recipe, we'll be using ube extract. You only need a small amount of ube extract so it won't alter the delicate texture of this chiffon cake.

Why you'll love this recipe

• This ube cake roll has a soft, fluffy, and airy texture!
• It's not too sweet and tastes just like a cake you would get at an Asian bakery.
• The coconut and vanilla-like ube flavour is delicious and so easy to add to the cake.
• This roll cake recipe rolls up perfectly without tearing or rippling.

Tools

• 12x17" baking tray - I used the same baking tray that I use for baking cookies. You just need a baking tray with at least 1" high walls so if the baking sheet you probably already own has sides like this - perfect! You can also use a 9x13" cake pan with taller 2.25" sides that you would typically use for cakes or brownies to make a thicker cake sheet.
• Electric hand mixer - A hand mixer is essential for beating egg white meringue to stiff peaks. If you bake often, I'd highly recommend picking one up. They're pretty affordable and vital for making almost all my recipes!
• Fine mesh sieve - You'll need this to sift the flour into the cake batter to break up any lumps. Cake flour is finely milled and tends to clump.
• Offset spatula - You can use a regular spatula but an offset spatula has the perfect angle and flat edge for spreading batter and whipped cream.

Ingredients

As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.

• Eggs - You'll need to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. We'll be mixing them separately and then folding them back together to make the chiffon cake batter.
• Cream of tartar - This is an acidic powder that helps stabilize the egg whites so that they whip up into a more stable meringue faster. If you don't have this on hand, you can omit it.
• Granulated sugar - You'll need to divide the sugar into two separate portions. One portion will be added to the egg white meringue, one portion will be added to the egg yolk mixture. Don't ask me why you need to separate them. I've made this recipe many times with the sugar separated and not separated (added all of it to the meringue) and it almost always turns out slightly better when they were separated.
• Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk you prefer.
• Oil - Use a light-tasting oil like canola oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil.
• Ube extract - Ube extract is a natural or artificial ube flavouring and colouring that gives ube treats its recognizable smell, flavour, and taste. You can find it at specialty Filipino grocery stores, some Asian grocery stores, the international section of supermarkets, and online.
• Vanilla extract
• Cake flour - Cake flour contains less gluten than all-purpose flour and makes softer and lighter cakes.
• Whipping cream - You can also use heavy cream with a higher fat content for a richer cream filling.
• Powdered sugar

How to make an ube roll cake

For the ube chiffon cake

Prep - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12x17" baking tray with parchment paper only on the bottom. Set aside.

Separate eggs - Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites into two separate large mixing bowls, being careful not to get any yolk in the egg whites. Set the bowl of egg yolks aside.

Beat egg whites - To the bowl of egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy like cappuccino foam.

Add sugar - Sprinkle in 100g of sugar, one tablespoonful at a time, mixing well in between each addition.

Whip to stiff peaks - After all the sugar has been added, keep beating until the meringue becomes stiff peaks. When you pull the mixer out of the bowl, the meringue should stand up on its own in small spikes and the tips should curl over. Set the meringue aside.

Egg yolk mixture - To the bowl of egg yolks, add 50g of sugar, milk, oil, ube extract, and vanilla extract. Use the same hand mixer to mix until combined.

Sift in flour - Use a fine mesh sieve to sift in the flour and mix again until just combined.

Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture - Add about ⅓ of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture. Use a spatula to fold them together until just combined.

Add the rest of the meringue and fold until no streaks remain.

Fill pan - Pour the batter into your lined baking tray. Use an offset spatula to push the batter into the corners of the pan and smooth it into an even layer.

Bake - Bake the cake for about 12-13 minutes or until the edges of the cake are slightly golden brown.

Release the cake - Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Don't let it cool completely. The next steps should be done while the cake is still warm. Run an offset spatula around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan.

First flip - Place a wire rack on top of the baking tray. Grab both sides of the tray and the rack and flip them upside down. Remove the tray and the cake will be on the rack. Peel the parchment paper off the cake.

Second flip - Place a new sheet of parchment paper on top of the cake. Grab both sides of the rack and the parchment paper and flip them upside down again. Remove the rack. The nicest side of the cake sheet will now be facing down on the parchment paper and will become the outside of the cake roll.

Pre-roll the cake - Starting at one short end of the cake sheet, roll the cake up with the parchment paper. Let it rest in this rolled-up log shape until it cools completely.

For the ube whipped cream

Whip cream - In a large mixing bowl, add whipping cream, powdered sugar, ube extract, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer on low-medium speed to beat them until it thickens and becomes firm peaks.

Assemble the roll cake

Smooth cream onto the cake - Unroll the cooled cake sheet. Plop some of the whipped cream on top and use an offset spatula to smooth it into a generous, even layer. Leave about 2" of empty space at one end of the cake sheet (this will be the end of the roll).

Roll cake - Starting at one short end of the cake sheet, start rolling up the cake in the same way it was pre-rolled. When you get to the end of the roll, use an offset spatula to clean up any excess whipped cream that may have squished out before letting the cake roll rest on top of the last edge.

Chill - Wrap the cake roll with plastic wrap. Twist the plastic wrap at both ends of the roll and secure with clips. Gently reshape the roll with your hands if needed. Chill the cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight to let the cream set before slicing into it.

Slice - Once chilled, slice about ½" off both ends of the roll to reveal the beautiful swirl. Cut the roll into 1-1.5" slices and serve!

Storage

This ube roll cake can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing

Leftover cake slices can be frozen by placing them in an airtight container or wrapping them well in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and freezing them for up to 1 month.

Thaw them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for several hours before serving.

Tips for success

• Whip the egg white meringue to stiff peaks. The meringue is what leavens this cake and makes it rise without any baking powder or baking soda. When it reaches stiff peaks, that means it's the correct consistency and there is enough air whipped into it for it to make a fluffy and airy chiffon cake.
• Don't underbake the cake. Underbaked chiffon cake will deflate and sink down after taking it out of the oven. The edges of the cake touching the pan should be slightly golden brown and the surface of the cake should have some resistance when you gently press it. In this case, overbaking slightly is better than underbaking.
• Pre-roll the cake sheet while it's still warm. Let the cake cool completely in this rolled-up shape. This helps "train" the cake to stay in this shape while it's warm and flexible so that the cake won't rip or tear later on when you roll it up with the cream filling.
• Chill the roll cake overnight before serving. The whipped cream filling needs time to set and firm up. A few hours of chilling time is enough but I prefer to make cakes the day before and chill them overnight. This helps the cake hold its shape and prevents the cream from squishing out when slicing it.

Frequently asked questions

More roll cake recipes to try

• Honeydew Roll Cake
• White Peach Swiss Roll
• Orange Swiss Roll
• Pumpkin Swiss Roll

Recipe