Ube Puto

Are you craving a flavored ube snack and dessert that you can make in 15 minutes? If you are looking for a delicious but easy Ube Puto Cheese recipe, this scrumptious dessert recipe is a must-try.

Making fail-proof dessert is always a good idea during holidays. I am always excited to make puto because it is quick and easy, and the possibilities are endless. Yes, there are lots of puto-flavored meryenda out there, from puto pandan, puto with salted eggs, puto cheese but this puto-ube-flavored recipe is one of our favorites and highly requested by my friends and family.

you will love this

• Super quick, fast, and easy to make. It takes less than 20 minutes, including the preparation.
• Delicious and perfectly sweetened. The great thing about making your own kakanin is you can adjust the sugar content and make it more or less sweet.
• If you love more ube recipes, please check my Ube Halaya, Ube Maja Blanca, and Ube Pandesal

What is puto ube?

Puto ube is one of Filipino's favorite desserts. It is a steamed cake that can either make with rice flour or just regular all-purpose flour, and it is easy to distinguish compared to most due to its vibrant purple color coming from its main ingredient, ube or purple yam.

Ube or purple yam is a tropical crop. The tuber is deep purple, but some range from cream to plain white. It is similar to the Japanese sweet potato.

Ingredients and Substitution

The ingredients are all staples in the kitchen except the ube flavor that you can always order online, and it will deliver to your door the next day!

• All-purpose flour - Substitute this with cake flour. If we want to achieve a cake-like puto, sifted all-purpose flour or cake flour is what we need to use.
• Ube extract - We will use this to achieve the ube flavor and color. I live in the United States, I ordered six packs of this ube extract online since I use this flavor all the time. You can ube condensed milk to substitute ube extract. More on this later.
• Sugar - Of course, we must sweeten our dessert with granulated sugar. If you use ube condensed milk which is already sweet enough, skip the sugar.
• Milk - I use regular fresh milk, but you can use half a cup of evaporated milk and half a cup of water to substitute. Evaporated milk is creamier than regular fresh milk.
• Baking powder - To achieve the dome shape in puto, adding baking powder is a key ingredient. Be sure to use fresh baking powder to make sure it is active.
• Egg
• Salt
• Melted Butter
• Sliced Cheese

Instructions

Preparing the batter/mixture. Sift together all the dry ingredients in a bowl, such as all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients, including milk, egg, melted butter, and ube extract. Mix well until everything is well blended. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Steaming the ube puto. Using a pot, pour about 4 cups of water with one teaspoon of salt and let it boil. Meanwhile, pour batter into a puto molder and fill until ¾ cup. Transfer them into a steamer and steam them for 10 minutes or until puto is cooked through. To check if they are ready, insert a toothpick; if it comes out clean, they are ready. To slightly melt the cheese, top them with sliced cheese and steam for one more minute. Remove from the molder once it is cold.

Helpful Tips

• No need to chill the batter! I will repeat that if you think the mixture requires overnight refrigeration to make puto succesfull. No one wants to wait that long if they are hungry right now!
• Be sure to sift the dry ingredients to avoid lumps and achieve smooth putong ube. Sifting them helps to properly distribute baking powder along with other dry ingredients.
• Let the water boil first before start steaming the puto. This helps to achieve the dome shape appearance of the puto. It is visually appealing and tastes better like an ube cake in this case.
• Do not overmix the batter, as it will create too many bubbles.
• Do not overcook. Using a small puto molder like mine will take about 8-10 minutes to cook. The bigger the molder you use the longer it will take to steam the ube. Be sure to insert a toothpick to see if it's ready, the toothpick will come out clean.
• I recommend greasing the bottom of the puto molder with oil to avoid the puto from sticking. The puto just pops right out, and they’re easier to clean.

What to serve this with?

It is a yummy dessert and snack and can be served with:

• Dinuguan and Rice
• Pancit Bihon and Beef Lumpia
• Chicken Tocino and Garlic Fried Rice

Storage Tips

Storage: Transfer puto in an air-tight container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze puto in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag or container. Defrost and microwave to warm up when ready to eat.