About These Ube Cheesecake Bars
These ube cheesecake bars are made with clean and creamy cheesecake filling laced with vibrant purple ube cheesecake swirls. The ube cheesecake is made with ube halaya jam, a jam created from a Filipino yam with a candy and delicate taste. It tastes like a cross between vanilla and pistachio and brings a beautiful nutty taste to enrich the tangy cheesecake.
For much more ube recipes, try these ube crinkle cookies (one of the vital widespread recipes on this web site), ube mochi donuts, and a round-up of ube dessert recipes on Hummingbird Excessive!
@hummingbirdhigh #ube all day child #desserttiktok #bakingtiktok ♬ Lavender Haze – Taylor Swift
Why You Ought to Make The Recipe
Listed below are all the explanations to make these vibrant purple ube cheesecake bars:
The recipe makes use of ube, a Filipino ingredient and taste that’s at present “trending” and gaining popularity in all places.
The New York Occasions not too long ago launched its predictions for what we are going to eat in 2023, and included ube!
When you’re unfamilar with ube, try this weblog put up during which I deep-dive into this widespread Filipino ingredient usually utilized in Asian desserts. I reply continuously requested questions like “What does ube style like?” and “The place do I purchase ube?” As a Filipino, I’ve been consuming ube all my life and am excited to see it grow to be extra commonplace!
The recipe makes cheesecake bars, that are simpler to carry collectively than conventional cheesecake.
Most conventional cheesecake recipes instruct you to bake conventional 9- or 10-inch spherical cheesecakes in a water tub (often known as a bain-marie) for a lot of causes. The water tub helps the cheesecake bake evenly, making certain that the surface edges bake similtaneously the middle. Doing so prevents the cheesecake from puffing up across the edges, in addition to cracking and/or sinking within the center.
However as a result of we’re making cheesecake BARS with much less filling than conventional cheesecake, the bars don’t should be baked for as lengthy. You don’t have to take any additional steps to forestall uneven baking or overcooking. Meaning you possibly can skip the water tub!
The ube cheesecake bars retailer effectively.
Ube is usually a fairly delicate taste. However as a result of these cheesecake bars should be chilled in a single day, I discovered that the ube flavors in them developed in depth and have become extra pronounced. You possibly can actually style ube’s delicate pistachio and vanilla flavors in these bars!
One of the best half? The cheesecake bars retailer effectively. I say you possibly can refrigerate them for as much as 3 days, however realistically, they final rather a lot longer than that. And the longer they sit, the extra flavorful they grow to be.
Elements and Substitutions
Now that I’ve satisfied you to make these ube cheesecake bars, right here’s the whole lot it’s essential to make them:
Buying Checklist For Ube Cheesecake Bars
- graham crackers
- granulated sugar
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
- cream cheese
- massive eggs
- bitter cream
- ube halaya jam
- ube extract
And let’s discuss some key elements and potential substitutions:
Frequent Ingredient Substitutions For The Recipe
- Graham Crackers. You possibly can substitute the graham cracker crumbs with different cookie crumbs created from Nilla vanilla wafers, Oreos, or my private favourite, speculoos cookies from Dealer Joe’s. You may also use gluten free graham crackers to make these ube cheesecake bars gluten free.
- Kosher Salt. No kosher salt? No drawback. Exchange the kosher salt with a beneficiant pinch of desk salt.
- Unsalted Butter. You possibly can substitute the unsalted butter with salted butter with none noticeable distinction in style.
- Bitter Cream. Swap the bitter cream for a similar quantity of unflavored yogurt (Greek or common) or crème fraîche.
- Ube Halaya Jam and Extract. Try my put up on the place to purchase ube halaya jam and extract. I’ve additionally included directions on find out how to make ube halaya jam at dwelling in case you can’t discover it/need to make it from scratch!
How To Make Ube Cheesecake Bars
Listed below are the essential steps to make the ube cheesecake bars from scratch:
First, prep the elements.
- Prep the elements for the graham cracker crust and cheesecake filling. (Prep Time: 10 minutes)
To make graham cracker crumbs, use a digital scale to weigh out as many crackers as wanted to match the load listed within the recipe. Use a meals processor to pulse the crackers into high quality crumbs.
Subsequent, make the graham cracker crust.
- Make the graham cracker crust. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
- Assemble the graham cracker crust. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
The recipe instructs you to press the graham cracker combination into the pan to make the cheesecake crust. Use a tart tamper (or, in a pinch, the underside of a espresso mug or a heavy glass) to pound the crumbs in place. You need to apply some stress right here so the crust holds its form! - Bake the graham cracker crust. (Bake Time: quarter-hour)
When the graham cracker crust is finished, place it on a wire rack to let it cool barely earlier than filling it with the cheesecake filling. Make certain to depart the oven on—you’ll want it to bake the assembled cheesecake bars!
Then, make the cheesecake filling and ube swirl.
- Whereas the graham cracker crust cools barely, make the cheesecake filling. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
Be sure that all of your elements are on the temperatures specified within the recipe earlier than beginning any of its steps. Chilly elements don’t combine collectively simply, making a lumpy cheesecake batter susceptible to cracking. - Make the ube cheesecake filling. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
Ube halaya jam is of course lumpy. If yours seems to be significantly lumpy, heat the ube extract within the microwave for 10 to fifteen seconds, then whisk it vigorously into the ube halaya jam earlier than mixing into the cheesecake filling. Doing so will assist smoothen out a few of these lumps! - Assemble the ube cheesecake bars. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
At this level, the graham cracker crust will nonetheless be barely heat—that’s completely okay, I promise! The recipe instructs you to alternate spooning beneficiant dollops of the 2 cheesecake batters over the crust earlier than swirling them collectively. I used a 3-Tablespoon and a 4-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to take action rapidly and simply. - Bake the ube cheesecake bars. (Bake Time: 40 minutes)
Watch out to not overbake the cheesecake filling! When checking for doneness, the perimeters needs to be set. Nevertheless, the middle ought to nonetheless wobble ever-so-slightly!
Lastly, cool and chill the ube cheesecake bars.
- Cool the ube cheesecake bars to room temperature utterly earlier than chilling. (Cool Time: 1 to 2 hours)
The recipe instructs you to chill the bars slowly within the oven. How? By turning off the oven, opening its door barely, and leaving the bars inside. Doing so will assist forestall the cheesecake filling from cracking—study extra within the subsequent part! - Refrigerate the ube cheesecake bars earlier than slicing and serving. (Chill Time: 4 hours+)
How To Make The Graham Cracker Crust (With Pictures!)
When making the graham cracker crust, it’s vital to use stress when urgent it into the pan. Doing so is what permits the crust to carry its form.
At first, it is going to appear to be there aren’t sufficient crumbs to unfold throughout the underside of the pan:
However as you press the crumbs into place, they may unfold sufficient to fill the underside of the pan. I used this tart tamper to assist with the duty, however you additionally use the underside of a espresso mug or a heavy glass to pound the crumbs in place:
When completed, the crust will seem like the picture under. Some people prefer to press the crumbs half approach up the perimeters of the pan as effectively to create a crust for the bars’ sides, however I prefer to maintain my crust on the backside of the bars. Nevertheless it’s as much as you if you wish to customise the bars!
How To Swirl The Cheesecake Filling (With Pictures!)
The recipe instructs you to alternate spooning beneficiant dollops of the 2 cheesecake batters over the ready crust—the picture under exhibits what this step seems to be like. Don’t fear in case you get drops of cheesecake into the ube filling, and vice versa. All of it will get swirled collectively ultimately!
After you’ve stuffed the pan on this approach, take a butter knife and swirl the 2 fillings collectively. Watch out to not overmix! You need the 2 fillings to nonetheless be distinct from each other:
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
I don’t have a 9-inch sq. pan for these ube cheesecake bars. What can I take advantage of as a substitute?
When you don’t have a 9-inch sq. pan, you should use the next as a substitute:
- An 8-inch sq. pan. You’ll probably want to extend the Bake Time of the recipe by 5 to 10 minutes.
- A 9 x 13-inch pan. You possibly can double the recipe portions and bake the cheesecake in a 9 x 13-inch pan. You’ll find yourself with twice as many cheesecake bars. Bake Time ought to keep the identical.
Most cheesecake recipes instruct me to bake the cake in a water tub. So why don’t I want a water tub for cheesecake bars?
Recipes instruct you to bake conventional 9- or 10-inch spherical cheesecakes in a water tub (often known as a bain-marie) for a lot of causes. The water tub helps the cheesecake bake evenly, making certain that the surface edges bake similtaneously the middle. Doing so prevents the cheesecake from puffing up across the edges, in addition to cracking and/or sinking within the center.
However as a result of cheesecake bars are thinner and include much less batter than conventional cheesecakes, they bake sooner and extra evenly even with no water tub.
My cheesecake bars cracked! What did I do fallacious?
Cheesecake bars can nonetheless crack for the the next causes:
- You didn’t use room temperature elements. Elements like cream cheese, eggs, and cream combine collectively higher after they’re at room temperature. That is particularly vital for cheesecake—you don’t need any lumps of unmixed cream cheese or eggs within the batter. These lumps may doubtlessly trigger cracks within the cheesecake. So be sure that all of your elements are on the temperature listed within the recipe earlier than starting any of the recipe steps.
- You overmixed the cheesecake filling. Incorporating an excessive amount of air into cheesecake batter additionally causes cracks within the cheesecake. If utilizing a KitchenAid stand mixer, solely combine the cheesecake batter on velocity “2” or decrease after including the eggs to the batter. Doing so prevents overbeating and/or overmixing the cheesecake batter.
- You didn’t cool it slowly after baking. Cheesecakes crack when they’re uncovered to sudden temperature modifications. One of the vital frequent causes of cracking comes from transferring the recent cheesecake into a chilly room.
If your own home runs chilly, you possibly can nonetheless cool the cheesecake slowly by leaving it within the oven after it’s completed baking. Flip off the oven, crack open the oven door in order that heat air can escape, and go away the bars within the oven for half-hour. After half-hour, open the oven door totally and permit the cheesecake to chill to room temperature utterly earlier than chilling.
Are you able to freeze ube cheesecake bars?
Sure! Ube cheesecake bars freeze splendidly. You possibly can freeze the cheesecake bars unsliced or sliced.
To take action, chill the cheesecake bars within the pan for no less than 4 hours, however ideally in a single day. As soon as chilled, raise the cheesecake bars utilizing the parchment paper as handles.
If freezing unsliced, place the cheesecake on a plate, uncovered, and freeze till stable, 1 to 2 hours. If freezing sliced, slice the cheesecake bars now and freeze till the slices are stable.
As soon as stable, tightly wrap the cheesecake in two layers of plastic wrap. If storing long run (that’s, for longer than 1 month), wrap in a layer of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil helps forestall the cake from absorbing flavors and odors within the freezer. Freeze for as much as 6 months.
When able to serve, switch the cheesecake to the fridge to thaw in a single day. Earlier than serving, unwrap the cheesecake and thaw at room temperature for half-hour earlier than slicing.
Greatest Recipe Ideas
Ideas About Elements
- To make graham cracker crumbs, use a digital scale to weigh out as many crackers as wanted to match the load listed within the recipe. Use a meals processor to pulse the crackers into high quality crumbs.
- Be sure that all of your elements are on the temperatures specified within the recipe earlier than beginning any of its steps. Chilly elements don’t combine collectively simply, making a lumpy cheesecake batter susceptible to cracking. Try my article in Bon Appetit about find out how to carry baking elements to room temperature rapidly!
Greatest Tip For Slicing And Serving The Bars
- To get straight edges and clean sides once you slice the cheesecake, use a scorching serrated knife. Fill a tall, heatproof glass with VERY scorching water. Place the blade of the serrated knife within the water for 20 seconds. Use a kitchen towel to dry the knife. Use it to slice the cheesecake, dipping the knife into the water and drying it ever so usually, particularly if the filling begins sticking to the blade.
Extra Ube Recipes
Extra Cheesecake Recipes
Ube Cheesecake Bars Recipe
yield: 16 bars
Elements
For The Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups (7 ounces or 198 grams) graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup (1 stick or 4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled barely
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For The Cheesecake Filling
- 3 (8-ounce) packing containers cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 massive eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) bitter cream, at room temperature
For The Ube Cheesecake Filling
Directions
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Prep the oven and pan. Place a rack within the heart of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch sq. cake pan with parchment paper, leaving no less than a 2-inch overhang on two reverse sides. Layer a second sheet of parchment paper on high, perpendicular to the primary, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the remaining sides.
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Make the graham cracker crust. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Combine with a rubber spatula till the combination seems to be like moist sand.Pour the combination into the ready pan and use a tart tamper or your palms to press it evenly over the underside of the pan, all the best way to the perimeters. (You may also use the underside of a espresso mug or a heavy glass to pound the crumbs in place—you need to apply some stress right here so the crust holds its form.)
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Bake the graham cracker crust. Bake for quarter-hour. The crust will look underbaked and really feel comfortable to the contact once you take away it from the oven, however will agency up because it cools. Cool the crust on a wire rack when you make the cheesecake fillings—remember to maintain the oven on!
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Make the cheesecake filling. Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-low till comfortable, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat till mild and fluffy, about 1 minute, utilizing a rubber spatula to scrape down the underside and sides of the bowl as needed.Cut back the mixer to low and add the eggs one by one, including the following egg solely after the earlier one is totally integrated, scraping down the underside and sides of the bowl after every addition. With the mixer on low, add the bitter cream unexpectedly and beat till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the underside and sides of the bowl as soon as extra, and beat on medium-high for a further 30 seconds.
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Make the ube cheesecake swirl. Pour 1 ½ cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) of the cheesecake filling right into a medium bowl. Add the ube halaya jam and ube extract, and whisk till simply mixed.
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Assemble the ube cheesecake bars. Alternate spooning beneficiant dollops of the 2 cheesecake batters over the ready crust. Then, use a butter knife to mix the 2—watch out to not overmix! Faucet the pan on the counter 1 to 2 occasions to clean the filling high.
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Bake the ube cheesecake bars. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, till the perimeters are set however the heart nonetheless wobbles barely.
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Cool the ube cheesecake bars. As soon as the bars are completed, flip off the oven’s warmth. Open the oven door only a crack, propping it open with a heatproof cooking utensil like a wood spoon. Go away the bars within the oven for half-hour.After half-hour, take away the bars from the oven and place on a wire rack. Run a butter knife or offset spatula across the fringe of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. Cool the bars utterly within the pan on the wire rack.
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Chill the ube cheesecake bars. When the bars are cool, cowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate till the filling is agency, no less than 4 hours, ideally in a single day.
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Serve and retailer. Run a butter knife or offset spatula alongside the perimeters of the pan. Use the overhanging parchment paper as handles to raise the bars out of the pan and onto a chopping board. Use a scorching knife to slice 2.25-inch squares and serve. The cheesecake bars will be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Notes
- To make graham cracker crumbs, use a digital scale to weigh out as many crackers as wanted to match the load listed within the recipe. Use a meals processor to pulse the crackers into high quality crumbs.
- Be sure that all of your elements are on the temperatures specified within the recipe earlier than beginning any of its steps. Chilly elements don’t combine collectively simply, making a lumpy cheesecake batter susceptible to cracking. Try my article in Bon Appetit about find out how to carry baking elements to room temperature rapidly!
- To get straight edges and clean sides once you slice the cheesecake, use a scorching serrated knife. Fill a tall, heatproof glass with VERY scorching water. Place the blade of the serrated knife within the water for 20 seconds. Use a kitchen towel to dry the knife. Use it to slice the cheesecake, dipping the knife into the water and drying it ever so usually, particularly if the filling begins sticking to the blade.
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NO TIME TO BAKE?!
Over the previous a number of years of working Hummingbird Excessive, I stored an important side of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extraordinarily demanding job within the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I lastly reveal the secrets and techniques to baking scrumptious desserts on a good schedule.
