Ube Cheesecake

5 from 1 vote

This ube cheesecake has three delicious layers—homemade ube halaya on the bottom, creamy ube cheesecake in the middle, and classic cheesecake on top. You get a little bit of everything in each slice, with plenty of real ube flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Cake, Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine: Asian, International

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: slices

Calories: 251kcal

Author: Claudia

Equipment

1 baking pan Loose bottom
1 parchment paper
1 hand mixer
1 spatula
1 colander

Ingredients

350 gr ube halaya
250 gr cream cheese
2 eggs
70 gr sugar
115 gr heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
10 gr cornstarch optional

Instructions

Weigh 200 grams of ube halaya and place it in a loose-bottom baking pan lined with parchment paper (Image 1). Press the ube halaya evenly over the bottom of the pan to form the first layer (Image 2).
In a large bowl, combine the room-temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract (Image 3). Mix on low speed until smooth. Pour in the heavy cream (Image 4) and continue mixing until well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition (Images 5, 6). Strain the cheesecake mixture through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture (Image 7). Take one-third of the cheesecake mixture and add it to the remaining ube halaya (Image 8).
Mix the ube halaya and cheesecake mixture on low speed until well combined (Image 9). Pour this ube cheesecake mixture over the ube halaya layer in the prepared pan (Image 10). Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to help the mixture settle evenly. Pour the remaining plain cheesecake mixture on top (Image 11). Gently tap the pan again to level the surface (Image 12).
Bake in a preheated oven at 428–464°F (220–240°C) for about 25 minutes, or until the top is deeply browned.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven. The center will still be jiggly at this point, and the cheesecake will deflate slightly as it cools (Image 13). Let it cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Carefully peel away the parchment paper. Slice the cheesecake to reveal the three beautiful layers: ube halaya on the bottom, creamy ube cheesecake in the middle, and classic cheesecake on top (Image 14).

Notes

Use room-temperature cream cheese. Softened cream cheese mixes much more smoothly and helps prevent small lumps in the cheesecake batter.
Scrape down the bowl while mixing. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula so the cream cheese and other ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Mix on low speed. Avoid beating the cheesecake mixture too much, especially after adding the eggs. Too much air can make the cheesecake rise excessively in the oven and then collapse more as it cools.
Add the eggs one at a time. Mix each egg just until incorporated before adding the next one.
Strain the cheesecake mixture. Passing the batter through a fine-mesh sieve helps remove any remaining lumps and gives the cheesecake a smoother texture.
Make the ube halaya base as even as possible. Press the ube halaya firmly and evenly over the bottom of the pan before adding the other layers. This will give you a cleaner three-layer look when you slice the cheesecake.
Keep the layers separate. Pour the ube cheesecake mixture gently over the ube halaya, followed by the plain cheesecake mixture. Pouring slowly helps prevent the layers from mixing together too much.
Tap the pan gently between layers. A few gentle taps on the counter help each mixture settle and level out before you add the next layer.
Don't wait for the center to become completely firm. The cheesecake should still jiggle when you take it out of the oven. It will continue to set as it cools.
Cool before slicing. Let the cheesecake cool completely and chill it before cutting. This helps the three layers set properly and gives you much cleaner slices.

Nutrition