UBE PIANONO
Enjoy this Filipino style swiss roll, Ube Pianono that are filled with softened butter, coated with sugar and cut into serving slices.
Ube has massively grown in popularity even more because of the recent and on going lock down.
With home bakers trying their hand at baking the trendy ube cheese pandesal and other ube things, the shortage of ube powder, bottled ube jam and liquid ube flavor was very much felt here in my city.
But lo and behold, last week my husband laid eyes on a shelf full of bottled ube liquid flavoring in our Oriental supermarket.
So, this cake, this dream of mine finally happened. I bring you Ube Pianono.
Ingredients
• 4 egg yolks from large eggs 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tsp liquid ube flavor
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 4 egg whites, from large eggs
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2- 3/4 cup softened butter or margarine, for the filling 1/4 cup sugar, for the coating
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease an 11×7 inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar until the mixture is lighter in color.
Add the milk, canola oil, and ube flavor. Stir well. In another bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.
Add this dry mixture to the yolk mixture and stir until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, use medium-high speed to beat the egg whites until frothy.
Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold the meringue (beaten egg whites) into the yolk batter in three additions until the batter is uniform in color.
Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes (see notes), or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool slightly then slide the parchment paper into a wire rack to cool the cake completely.
Once the cake is cool. Peel off the parchment paper backing.
To do that, sprinkle about 1 tbsp of powdered sugar on top of the cake.
Cover the cake with parchment paper and top it with another baking pan of the same size.
Invert everything over. Remove the pan and parchment paper from the cake and peel off the parchment backing.
Reposition the parchment paper and another baking pan over the cake and invert everything over.
The cake should now be upright again and resting on top of an inverted pan.
Spread softened butter or margarine across the cake surface using an angled spatula.
Starting on the short edge close to you, lift the parchment paper and start to roll the cake forward until you get to the other end.
Wrap the cake in the parchment paper and gently press its body to reinforce the shape.
Unwrap the cake and gently roll in granulated sugar to coat.
Slice the ube pianono into your desired thickness. (see note) and arrange on a serving platter.
Notes
Eggs should be large. Separate the whites from the yolks while they are cold and allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before starting with the recipe.
This is a thin cake so it is done in around 8 minutes or so.
Every oven is different so monitor the baking time closely.
You don’t want to overbake the cake as it will dry out.
There should be no brown spot on the cake surface but it should spring back to the touch.
This is important so that the cake is not too dry that it will crack upon rolling.
If the cake cracks a bit as you roll, continue to roll it forward and when you get to the end, press the roll firmly with your hands to mend the crack parts.
You can see here why it is important that the cake is not too dry.
When sliced into 1-inch thickness, the ube pianono roll will yield about 7-8 slices.
You can store the leftover pianono in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerate for longer storage.
Enjoy