About These Ube Cheesecake Bars
These ube cheesecake bars are made with easy and creamy cheesecake filling laced with vibrant purple ube cheesecake swirls. The ube cheesecake is made with ube halaya jam, a jam constructed from a Filipino yam with a candy and gentle taste. It tastes like a cross between vanilla and pistachio and brings a beautiful nutty taste to enhance the tangy cheesecake.
For much more ube recipes, try these ube crinkle cookies (one of the crucial standard recipes on this website), ube mochi donuts, and a round-up of ube dessert recipes on Hummingbird Excessive!
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 rising in popularity all over the place.
The New York Instances lately launched its predictions for what we’ll eat in 2023, and included ube!
If you happen to’re unfamilar with ube, try this weblog put up through which I deep-dive into this standard Filipino ingredient usually utilized in Asian desserts. I reply incessantly 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 develop into extra commonplace!
The recipe makes cheesecake bars, that are simpler to convey collectively than conventional cheesecake.
Most conventional cheesecake recipes instruct you to bake conventional 9- or 10-inch spherical cheesecakes in a water bathtub (often known as a bain-marie) for a lot of causes. The water bathtub helps the cheesecake bake evenly, guaranteeing that the skin 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 must be baked for as lengthy. You don’t must take any further steps to forestall uneven baking or overcooking. Which means you possibly can skip the water bathtub!
The ube cheesecake bars retailer effectively.
Ube generally is a fairly refined taste. However as a result of these cheesecake bars must 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 refined pistachio and vanilla flavors in these bars!
The very best half? The cheesecake bars retailer effectively. I say you possibly can refrigerate them for as much as 3 days, however realistically, they final quite a bit longer than that. And the longer they sit, the extra flavorful they develop into.
Components and Substitutions
Now that I’ve satisfied you to make these ube cheesecake bars, right here’s every thing it’s good to make them:
Buying Listing For Ube Cheesecake Bars
- graham crackers
- granulated sugar
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
- cream cheese
- giant eggs
- bitter cream
- ube halaya jam
- ube extract
And let’s discuss some key substances and potential substitutions:
Frequent Ingredient Substitutions For The Recipe
- Graham Crackers. You possibly can substitute the graham cracker crumbs with different cookie crumbs constructed from Nilla vanilla wafers, Oreos, or my private favourite, speculoos cookies from Dealer Joe’s. It’s also possible to use gluten free graham crackers to make these ube cheesecake bars gluten free.
- Kosher Salt. No kosher salt? No downside. Change 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 the way to make ube halaya jam at house should you can’t discover it/wish to make it from scratch!
How To Make Ube Cheesecake Bars
Listed below are the fundamental steps to make the ube cheesecake bars from scratch:
First, prep the substances.
- Prep the substances 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 burden 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 wish to apply some strain right here so the crust holds its form! - Bake the graham cracker crust. (Bake Time: quarter-hour)
When the graham cracker crust is completed, place it on a wire rack to let it cool barely earlier than filling it with the cheesecake filling. Be 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)
Make it possible for all of your substances are on the temperatures specified within the recipe earlier than beginning any of its steps. Chilly substances don’t combine collectively simply, making a lumpy cheesecake batter vulnerable to cracking. - Make the ube cheesecake filling. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
Ube halaya jam is of course lumpy. If yours appears to be like notably 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 shortly and simply. - Bake the ube cheesecake bars. (Bake Time: 40 minutes)
Watch out to not overbake the cheesecake filling! When checking for doneness, the sides must 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 fully 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 stop 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 Photographs!)
When making the graham cracker crust, it’s essential to use strain when urgent it into the pan. Doing so is what allows the crust to carry its form.
At first, it would 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 are going to 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 executed, the crust will seem like the photograph beneath. Some of us wish to press the crumbs half approach up the edges of the pan as effectively to create a crust for the bars’ sides, however I wish to hold my crust on the backside of the bars. However it’s as much as you if you wish to customise the bars!
How To Swirl The Cheesecake Filling (With Photographs!)
The recipe instructs you to alternate spooning beneficiant dollops of the 2 cheesecake batters over the ready crust—the photograph beneath exhibits what this step appears to be like like. Don’t fear should you get drops of cheesecake into the ube filling, and vice versa. All of it will get swirled collectively in the long run!
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?
If you happen to don’t have a 9-inch sq. pan, you should utilize the next as a substitute:
- An 8-inch sq. pan. You’ll doubtless 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 bathtub. So why don’t I would like a water bathtub for cheesecake bars?
Recipes instruct you to bake conventional 9- or 10-inch spherical cheesecakes in a water bathtub (often known as a bain-marie) for a lot of causes. The water bathtub helps the cheesecake bake evenly, guaranteeing that the skin 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 out a water bathtub.
My cheesecake bars cracked! What did I do mistaken?
Cheesecake bars can nonetheless crack for the the next causes:
- You didn’t use room temperature substances. Components like cream cheese, eggs, and cream combine collectively higher once they’re at room temperature. That is particularly essential 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 guarantee that all of your substances 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. Probably the most frequent causes of cracking comes from transferring the recent cheesecake into a chilly room.
If your home runs chilly, you possibly can nonetheless cool the cheesecake slowly by leaving it within the oven after it’s executed 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 fully 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, carry the cheesecake bars utilizing the parchment paper as handles.
If freezing unsliced, place the cheesecake on a plate, uncovered, and freeze till strong, 1 to 2 hours. If freezing sliced, slice the cheesecake bars now and freeze till the slices are strong.
As soon as strong, 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 stop 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.
Finest Recipe Suggestions
Suggestions About Components
- To make graham cracker crumbs, use a digital scale to weigh out as many crackers as wanted to match the burden listed within the recipe. Use a meals processor to pulse the crackers into high quality crumbs.
- Make it possible for all of your substances are on the temperatures specified within the recipe earlier than beginning any of its steps. Chilly substances don’t combine collectively simply, making a lumpy cheesecake batter vulnerable to cracking. Try my article in Bon Appetit about the way to convey baking substances to room temperature shortly!
Finest Tip For Slicing And Serving The Bars
- To get straight edges and easy sides while 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
Components
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 giant 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 appears to be like 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 sides. (It’s also possible to use the underside of a espresso mug or a heavy glass to pound the crumbs in place—you wish to apply some strain 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 mushy to the contact while you take away it from the oven, however will agency up because it cools. Cool the crust on a wire rack whilst you make the cheesecake fillings—you should definitely hold 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 mushy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat till gentle and fluffy, about 1 minute, utilizing a rubber spatula to scrape down the underside and sides of the bowl as needed.Scale back the mixer to low and add the eggs one after the other, including the subsequent egg solely after the earlier one is totally included, scraping down the underside and sides of the bowl after every addition. With the mixer on low, add the bitter cream suddenly 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 an extra 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 instances to easy the filling high.
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Bake the ube cheesecake bars. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, till the sides are set however the heart nonetheless wobbles barely.
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Cool the ube cheesecake bars. As soon as the bars are executed, flip off the oven’s warmth. Open the oven door only a crack, propping it open with a heatproof cooking utensil like a picket spoon. Depart 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 fully 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 sides of the pan. Use the overhanging parchment paper as handles to carry the bars out of the pan and onto a slicing board. Use a scorching knife to slice 2.25-inch squares and serve. The cheesecake bars might 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 burden listed within the recipe. Use a meals processor to pulse the crackers into high quality crumbs.
- Make it possible for all of your substances are on the temperatures specified within the recipe earlier than beginning any of its steps. Chilly substances don’t combine collectively simply, making a lumpy cheesecake batter vulnerable to cracking. Try my article in Bon Appetit about the way to convey baking substances to room temperature shortly!
- To get straight edges and easy sides while 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 operating Hummingbird Excessive, I saved a vital 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.