Ube extract: Ube extract is a highly concentrated product, so it’s a great way to add vibrant color to dessert recipes. Use it in frostings, cookies, ice creams, pastry creams, meringues, macarons, cakes, flans and cheesecakes. Store it in your cabinets near your other extracts. I find the smell to be a bit strong, so I keep mine in a zip-top bag.
Ube jam: Also known as ube halaya, ube jam is great for brownies, doughnuts, crinkle cookies and bread doughs. It’s also perfect as a filling for desserts like Danishes, cakes, cinnamon rolls, babkas and thumbprint cookies. Keep unopened ube jam at room temperature, and refrigerate it once opened.
Ube spread: Ube spread is thinner than ube jam, making it better as a finisher on toast, vanilla ice cream, pancakes, scones, waffles, oatmeal and croissants, or as a glaze for pastries like homemade Pop-Tarts. Keep the unopened jar at room temperature, then refrigerate it after opening.
Ube powder: When it comes to drinks, ube powder is king. Reconstitute it with a bit of water, then use it to make ube lattes, ube cold foam or ube cocktails. Keep ube powder stored in a cool, dry place. Humid environments will make the powder clump.
How should I use ube?
You can incorporate ube into almost any of your favorite desserts. I personally love to use ube extract and ube jam together whenever I can for an explosion of ube flavor. The extract adds color to cake or cookie batters, and the jam is great for layering between cakes or as a filling for ube cookies. For something really impressive, make an ube cheesecake with ube halaya in the baked custard and ube extract in the homemade whipped cream. It really makes a statement on the table or in an Instagram photo if that’s your thing (it certainly is mine!).
If you’re new to ube and want to stick with one product, try using ube extract to make an absolutely gorgeous ube frosting for cakes, cupcakes, cookies and brownies. If you have an ice cream maker at home, try your hand at ube ice cream. It’s just as easy as churning vanilla ice cream and using ube extract instead of vanilla. Or, pick up a jar of ube jam and use it as a filling for cinnamon rolls or babka. It can also be kneaded into bread dough to create ube bread, with the whole loaf having a pretty violet hue. For cocktails, lattes or homemade cold foam, ube powder is your friend.
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