Vegan Ube Cake with Meringue
Baked ube cheesecake with two layers of soaked sponge and an aquafaba meringue. No eggs, no gelatine, fully plant-based.
Ingredients
- 200 g vegan ladyfingers about 24
- 150 ml coconut milk canned, for soaking
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Ube cheesecake filling
- 60 g ube powder or 300 g ube paste, then leave out the coconut milk below
- 200 ml coconut milk hot, to rehydrate the powder
- 500 g vegan cream cheese room temperature
- 200 g coconut cream the solid part from a chilled can of coconut milk
- 140 g sugar
- 40 g cornflour
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ube extract optional, for a stronger colour
- 1 pinch salt
Aquafaba meringue
- 90 ml aquafaba chickpea water from a can, unsalted
- 90 g caster sugar
- 0.25 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp freeze-dried raspberries finely ground, for dusting
Instructions
- Stir the ube powder into the hot coconut milk and let it swell for 20 minutes. You get a thick, violet paste. If you are using ube paste from a jar, skip this step and use 300 g.
- Line a 20 x 20 cm square tin with baking paper, letting it overhang on two sides. Preheat the oven to 160 °C conventional.
- Mix the coconut milk with the vanilla extract. Dip half the ladyfingers briefly, do not let them soak through, and lay them tightly across the base of the tin.
- Beat the cream cheese, coconut cream, sugar, cornflour, lemon juice, vanilla, salt and the ube paste until smooth. Do not overbeat, or the mixture takes on air and cracks in the oven. Taste now and stir in the ube extract a teaspoon at a time if you want more colour.
- Spread half the filling over the ladyfingers. Add the remaining soaked ladyfingers on top, then the second half of the filling, and smooth it out.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The edges should be set, the centre may still wobble slightly when you shake the tin. It firms up as it cools.
- Turn the oven off, open the door a crack and leave the cake inside for an hour. Then cool completely and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Whip the aquafaba with the cream of tartar for 5 minutes until white and foamy. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and whip for another 8 to 10 minutes until glossy with stiff peaks. Pipe kisses onto a baking sheet and dry at 100 °C for 100 minutes, then cool in the switched-off oven.
- Just before serving, place the meringue kisses on top and dust with the ground raspberries. Cut into 12 pieces with a hot, dry-wiped knife.
Notes
Colour: real ube powder gives a muted violet to mauve, not neon. The vivid purple you see in cafés almost always comes from ube extract. If you want to stay natural, live with the softer tone.
Aquafaba: the bowl and whisk must be completely grease-free or the meringue will not work. If your aquafaba is thin, reduce it to two thirds beforehand and let it cool.
Ahead of time: the cake keeps for three days chilled and tastes best on day two. Store the meringue separately in an airtight container and add it just before serving, otherwise it draws moisture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pieceCalories: 385kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 3gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 26g
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