Purple Yam Cake - Experiment of New Foods (No.1)

Experiment of New Foods :
I'm 100% Japanese foodie from Tokyo. I love to eat all kinds of cuisine - French, Thai, Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican etc...(You name it!!) I'm very open minded and adventurous to try new and different foods. Isn't that the only way to broaden my taste bud, right? The Japanese eat all kinds of foods from eye-catching beautiful sweets to fermented soybeans. I'm always curious about all kinds of foods that I don't even know what they are at international supermarkets. I thought it's a good chance for me to try those strange and/or new foods I've never tried before and share my experiment with you.

This is my first "Experiment of New Foods" - Purple Yam cake.
It's also called "Ube ("purple yam" in Philippino) Cake" and a very popular Philippino sponge cake. The color is a little dark lavender and so beautiful. That's why I couldn't help grabbing it to test the flavors. In the Philippines, ube is cooked with sugar and eaten as a sweetened dessert or jam (halaya ube) and "halo halo"(shaved ice). Ube is often confused with the Okinawa sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas).

How to make a Ube Cake:
2 cups purple yam, washed, peeled and cubed
2 cups sweet rice flour
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons baking powder
1-1/2 cups water
1-1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup grated coconut

1. Cover yams with water and boil until tender or soft. Drain and mash until smooth.
2. Mix flour and water in a bowl to form a thick batter. Add sugar and mashed yams. Blend well. Strain to remove lumps. Add coconut milk and the baking powder and mix well.
3. Pour mixture into greased muffin pans to 2/3 full and steam over boiling water about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Makes 3 dozen cakes)

Check out my experiment of new foods - the purple yam cake on YouTube.