These Ube Cheesecake Bars are a showstopper on any dessert table. The striking purple hue comes from ube, a Filipino purple yam that’s both naturally sweet and visually stunning. Creamy cheesecake layered on a buttery crust makes each bite indulgent, while the bars’ portable size makes them perfect for brunches, parties, or gifting. Pair them with our Tahini Caramel Sandwich Cookies for an adventurous flavour combo.
Ube Cheesecake Bars
Baker Melissa Owens describes the flavour of ube as "subtle, earthy, and vanilla-like. It reminds me a little bit of taro. It pairs perfectly with the richness of the cream cheese in these bars."
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup 100 g quick oats
- ⅔ cup 93 g all-purpose flour
- ½ cup 100 g brown sugar, packed
- ½ tsp baking soda
- A pinch of salt
- ½ cup 113 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
Ube Cheesecake Filling
- 1½ cups 340 g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 300 ml can ube condensed milk note: Ube condensed milk is available at Filipino grocery stores and some Asian markets.
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9 × 13-inch baking pan.
- Place the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and work in the butter with your hands. Once combined, press the crust into the pan and use the bottom of a glass or your hands to flatten it.
- Bake until fragrant and lightly golden, 10–12 minutes.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F.
Ube Cheesecake Filling
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until light and smooth, 3–5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and the paddle using a silicone spatula as necessary.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions, followed by the vanilla. Remove ½ cup (120 g) of the cheesecake batter from the mixer and set it aside. Add the ube condensed milk to the mixer and mix on low speed until no white streaks remain. Strain the ube cheesecake batter through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps and then pour it over the cooled crust.
Assembly
- Use a spoon to place small dollops of the reserved vanilla cheesecake batter all over the surface of the ube batter and then run the tip of a knife through the two batters to mix them and create a pretty pattern.
- Bake until firm, about 1 hour. The batter may still have a bit of a jiggle to it, but it should be a firm jiggle as opposed to a liquidy jiggle.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack. Once the pan is cool enough to handle, transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into 12 bars.
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