Ube (Purple Yam) Cupcakes (and a little rant about ube vs. taro)

Beautiful in purple. I love all things purple, so when I was first introduced to ube, I fell in love with all of these ube flavored foods because of the vibrant purple color. Ube is the Filipino name for purple sweet potato and is commonly found in Filipino cuisine, especially in various desserts.So here are my little words. Ube and taro are often mixed together, which annoys me. Mainly because I have a special fondness for taro. Taro and ube are two completely different things! I really don’t know who to blame for this mix-up. I have seen many Filipino food blogs that translate ube as “taro” instead of “purple sweet potato”. I’ve even seen things in the grocery store that say ube/taro.Ube = purple yam. Taro is a tuber that isn’t actually purple. There are small taro roots that are usually white. And the large taro roots are burgundy. But it is very light. If you cook with taro, it will usually be slightly gray in color. Only when you steam it will the purple color come out and even then, the purple color is very light. Therefore, when you see taro-flavored desserts or drinks, you’ll often see added food coloring that makes them look light purple. Ube has a much darker purple color. When cut, it has a dark purple color. The two trees also look different from the outside. And of course, they also taste different. So those are my words. They are not the same people!Burnt Lumpia has several cupcakes on his blog that I’ve been wanting to try. I went out and bought some frozen shaved ube that I found in the freezer at Ranch 99. They’ve been in my freezer for a while.Read more: why planes don’t fly over the Pacific Ocean | Q&A The cupcakes are easy to make. I love the vivid colors of raw and cooked ube. It’s a bit sad when the colors are diluted in the cupcakes. The cupcake batter turns pinkish purple. It reminds me of mixed berry yogurt. I want to keep adding ube to the dough for a deeper purple color, but I don’t want to mess up the recipe.When the cupcakes were first baked, I couldn’t resist eating one. The outside is pink, but the inside is light purple. So beautiful. My cupcakes are moist and sweet. However, after they cooled, I tried one the next morning. The dough is now a little thicker and a bit dry. I thought I might experiment with this recipe a bit to get a softer/smooth cupcake. However, it is not too dry. And with the frosting, it provided it with the moisture it needed.I was debating what kind of frost I wanted. Ube is often mixed with coconut. I think of a coconut topping, a ube and coconut icing, a mascarpone cheese coating. In the end, I ended up with a ube-flavored whipped cream. I used a bottle of ube aromatherapy that I bought in Seafood City. It makes the frosting delicious and adds a nice purple color to the coating. Of course, with the purple coating, the cupcakes look rosy. Oh good. The ube flavored whipped cream is really delicious and somehow very different from the regular whipped cream. I think it’s the perfect complement to these cupcakes.Ube cupcakes (adapted from Burnt Lumpia) Ingredients 1 cup mashed ube yam (can be found frozen in Asian markets) 2/3 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 12 tablespoons butter (1.5 sticks), softener 2 1/4 cups sugar 4 large eggs 4 Tbsp vegetable oil 3 cups cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Read more: Why do dogs lick feet before bed Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Defrost and drain ube yam. Place the ube on a small piece of foil, place the foil in the steaming basket and steam for 15-20 minutes until the ube is tender. Remove the ube from the heat, place in a small bowl and mash the ube with a spoon. Let the ube come to room temperature, then add the milk and vanilla to the ube and mix well. Set aside.3. Using the stirrer attachment of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, until mixture is combined after each addition. Add oil and mix to combine. Place flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add part of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Then add part of the ube mixture to the egg mixture, continuing to alternate between the flour and the ube until everything is combined. Place the baking sheet in the muffin pan and spoon the batter into the cup until 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.Looking for another cupcake recipe? These Strawberry Cupcakes are one of my favorite recipes! Read more: why does my car vibrate when I brake | Top Q&A