Ube Crunch (Dump) Cake

This recipe, an ube crunch, is a version inspired by pumpkin crunch cake. Pumpkin crunch is a popular dessert in Hawaii. Although I am unsure how it originated (like most local Hawaii food), it has been around for a while. Instead of pumpkin puree, I used ube halaya and replaced the pecans with chopped nuts I had in my kitchen. It is buttery, creamy, and has tropical flavors thanks to the ube's unique flavor and a bit of coconut milk!

What is Ube Crunch?

A dump cake is basically a recipe that requires you to 'dump' the cake ingredients together in a large baking dish. The idea is to mix it all up before placing the baking dish in the oven. The finished product would be a solid cake.

Ube crunch is a type of dump cake made with a few ingredients such as ube halaya, extract, heavy cream, coconut milk, a box of cake mix, butter, and nuts. It involves two more steps than your typical dump cake to achieve the pretty, aesthetic layers. But it is totally worth it! The crunch comes from the streusel-like crust of nuts and baked cake batter crisped by melted butter. The middle layer is a soft filling with ube halaya (ube jam), sugar, heavy cream, eggs, and coconut milk. After the cake cools, you would flip it over and top it with whipped cream!

How to Make Ube Crunch 

You will need a bowl to mix the ube filling. Later on, you will top the batter in the baking dish with the cake mix.

Start by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F). 

Then grab a big bowl and add the ube halaya, coconut milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, ube extract, and coconut milk. Use a whisk to mix all the ingredients in the bowl.

You are done mixing when the ube halaya chunks have disappeared. 

Tip Since ube halaya is a premade jam, it would already have a lot of sugar. Unfortunately, I would not be able to define how much sugar every brand contains, so this ube crunch recipe starts with about half a cup of added white sugar. Taste test your ube halaya to check whether you should add more sugar. If you are using unsweetened ube puree, use 200 grams of sugar or about one cup.

Assemble the Ube Crunch Cake

Line a baking dish with parchment paper and pour the ube filling into it.

Then take the cake mix and gently top the ube filling with it. Drizzle the cake mix with the melted butter. 

Tip The aim is to make a layered crunch cake. So be careful not to break the surface of the filling.

Add the roughly chopped nuts on top of the dry cake mix. 

Tip I used variety of nuts to add to the cake mixture which included hazelnuts and walnuts. But pecans and macadamia nuts would add some tasty flavor to the cake as well.

Bake it in the oven for one hour and leave it on the counter to cool completely.

Make the Whipped Cream

When the cake has cooled, it's time to make the (optional) whipped cream topping! Since this cake is already pretty sweet, I recommend making whipped cream from scratch without sugar. In a bowl, add the heavy cream. Whisk with an electric beater until you have stiff peaks. Set aside and keep cool until it is ready to serve.

How to Serve

The ube crunch cake has to flip once it is completely cool.

Before flipping the cake over:

1. Run a knife along the sides of the baking dish to loosen the cake.
2. Cover the ube crunch baking dish with a large sheet pan.
3. Flip the baking dish over, and the ube crunch cake should fall onto the baking sheet.
4. Gently remove the lining
5. Cut it into squares before serving.

I like to add individual dollops of whipped cream on top of each square. However, you can also spread the whipped cream like icing on top of the cake. If you are serving the ube crunch at a party where you know all of it will be gone, I recommend going with the icing approach. If you think you will have leftovers, do the whipped cream dollops on individual pieces as you serve each one.

These get better in the fridge! Once the cake has cooled completely, let it sit in the fridge for a day before cutting and serving. The pieces become more solid making it easier to handle.