Ube Cake

Note: While there are multiple steps to this recipe, this ube cake is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation.

Make the Cake

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Position a rack in the upper and lower third of the oven and heat to 350 F. Cut three 8-inch parchment circles by tracing the bottom of a cake pan onto a piece of parchment paper.

   Spray three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray and place one circle of parchment at the bottom of each pan.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4. In a large bowl whisk together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

5. Once the butter and sugar have fully creamed, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn it back to medium speed and add the eggs one at a time. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the ube extract and paddle again until completely combined.

6. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides and add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix on low until almost combined.

7. Keeping the mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle in about half of the coconut milk. Continue to alternate the wet and dry ingredients until everything is finished, ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle again for about 10 seconds just to make sure everything is fully incorporated.

8. Divide the batter evenly among the three cake pans and smooth out the tops. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides and springs back to the touch, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans in the oven halfway through baking (begin checking the cakes for doneness at about 25 minutes).

9. Let the cakes sit at room temperature until completely cool, about 1 hour. Use a paring knife around each of the cakes to loosen the sides.

   Pull out a long piece of plastic wrap onto your work surface, flip the cake upside down onto the plastic wrap. Peel off and discard the parchment paper. Wrap the cake layer and put it into the freezer. Repeat with the other 2 layers, freezing them all flat for at least 1 hour.

Make the Italian Buttercream

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Let the butter come to room temperature.

   Meanwhile, put 1 1/2 cups of the granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Add the water and stir to combine. With your fingers or a pastry brush, wipe any sugar crystals from the sides of the saucepan.

3. Heat over medium-high heat, undisturbed, until the sugar syrup reaches 238 F, about 10 minutes (do not stir the syrup while it is cooking since this can cause the sugar to crystallize). Remove from the heat.

4. Meanwhile, put the egg whites and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until the whites become frothy.

5. With the mixer running, add the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a slow steady stream. Increase the speed to high and continue to whisk until the mixture reaches medium-stiff peaks.

6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. With the mixer running, slowly stream the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl until fully incorporated into the meringue.

7. Increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to whisk until the meringue is doubled in size and the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm, about 10 minutes.

8. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the cubed butter a couple pieces at a time until the butter is fully incorporated, smooth, and fluffy before adding the next pieces. The mixture may seem to resemble the texture of cottage cheese or thin out at moments as you add the butter, but continue to beat the mixture and it will begin to thicken to smooth, firm peaks.

9. Add the vanilla, continuing to mix until everything comes together into a beautiful silky smooth buttercream.

Assemble the Cake

1. Drain the macapuno strings with a mesh sieve, if using.

2. Remove the cakes from the freezer. Place one cake on a cake board or serving platter on top of your cake turntable. Using a serrated knife slice off any dome the cake may have to make a flat layer. Save the scraps for a snack or to make cake pops. Slice the tops off the remaining 2 cakes.

3. Spread some buttercream on top of the bottom layer, smooth it out with an offset spatula, and arrange half the macapuno strings over the buttercream.

4. Top with a second layer of cake, some more buttercream, and the remaining macapuno strings.

5. Top with the final layer of cake and press down to secure.

6. Top with a generous amount of buttercream and use a large offset spatula to smooth out the top while spinning the turntable. Push any excess buttercream that goes over the edge of the top onto the sides.

7. Spread some more buttercream around the sides of the cake and holding your offset spatula vertically, smooth it out into a very thin layer while spinning the table to make a crumb coat. Place the cake in the fridge for about 5 minutes to set up.

8. Finish the cake with a final layer of buttercream. Garnish with more macapuno strings, if desired. Serve.