Mac On Some Ube Cupcakes

I started Burnt Lumpia a year ago today. Strange, I know.

At the time, I really didn't know what I was doing (that's not to say I know what I'm doing now). But I knew I wanted to learn, I wanted to cook, and I wanted to write about what it was that I learned and cooked (and maybe poke fun at my family along the way).

I honestly had no long-term plans for this blog. I didn't think I'd have the time to experiment, research, cook, write and maintain a blog. After all, that would cut into my busy schedule of, uh, hmmmm. Well, it would at least cut into my beer drinking. But then I figured out that I could experiment, research, cook, write, and maintain a blog whilst enjoying liquid gold! Oh beer! A glorious beverage of convenience you are!

Anyhoo, I initially thought that after a couple of silly posts I'd slowly fade away. "Eh, I'll give it a couple months," I thought. But then, something funny happened.

The more I learned and cooked, the more I wanted to write and share. And vice versa. It was a vicious cycle. But I was enjoying myself. And, inexplicably, people started to respond to me.

So, I wanted to send a big thanks to all of you who check into this here blog on the regular. Thanks for sending me tips in emails and in the comments section--I learn quite a lot from my readers. And thanks to all you lurkers out there too (I see you! I've got a magic romper room mirror!).

As a sign of gratitude, I made something. I wish I could tell you that I felled a bull with a swift kick to his groin, quartered him with a machete, then pan seared some of his muscle mass for a bloody steak. But instead, I baked cupcakes.

Ube Cupcakes.

I know. Not as cool sounding as killing a bull. But that's what I get for starting this thing on Valentine's Day. Egads!

Anyways, these are Ube cupcakes with a light, porous crumb.  And since these cupcakes aren't on the too-sweet side of things, feel free to add more sugar to the frosting if that's how you roll. The frosting is a Macapuno-studded creamcheese frosting. You might not be able to see it, but there is Macapuno coconut in that frosting.

Frosting... like McAdams loves Gosling

Thanks again readers. Hopefully I can make it to year two. But I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Eh, I'll give it a couple more months.

Ube Cupcakes and Macapuno Frosting

Cupcakes:
Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup grated ube yam (can be found frozen in Asian markets)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 Tablespoons butter (1.5 sticks), softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thaw and drain ube yam. Place ube on a small sheet of foil, place foil in steamer basket and steam for 15-20 minutes until ube is soft. Remove ube from heat, place in small bowl, and mash ube with a spoon. Allow ube to come to room temperature, then add milk and vanilla to ube and mix well. Set aside.

Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, until blended after each addition. Add oil and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add a portion of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Then add a portion of the ube mixture to the egg mixture, continuing to alternate between the flour and ube until everything is just combined.

Place paper baking cups into muffin pans and spoon batter into cups until 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Frost cupcakes with Macapuno Frosting.

Macapuno Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
8oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup Macapuno strings, chopped (Macapuno is jarred coconut found in Asian markets)
8oz. powdered sugar, or up to 16 oz for a sweeter frosting.

Beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add the macapuno and mix to combine. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue to mix until everything is combined.

Let's hit up Burnt Lumpia, and Mac on some cupcakes.

Comments

[manggy]

Aaah! Yoob! :) Kidding :) Happy birthday Burnt Lumpia!
Also, McAdams doesn't love Gosling anymore, apparently...

[A scientist in the kitchen]

Congratulations and keep it up. You have a way with words that makes it a delight to read your posts.

[Jikuu]

Congratulations on the one year mark. And seriously, conversation hearts? Those things are like candy corn: repackaged every year because they don't go bad (as they were to begin with). =P

[Katrina]

Congratulations, and I certainly hope you keep going for more than a couple more months! :-)

This recipe is totally you -- a classic Pinoy flavor like Ube-Macapuno in the non-Pinoy form of frosted cupcakes. There's even the added twist of using cream cheese for the tried-and-tested Ube-Keso pairing. Coolness!

So, how strong is the ube flavor in the cupcakes, does it hold up against the cream cheese? When you come to Manila, you MUST look for the ube puto that's branded Putong Ube. It's the best there is: intensely purple, and with the unmistakable, non-artificial-tasting sweetness of ube. You will not find another brand that comes close. The same brand also has pandan, cheese and muscovado flavored puto, which are also quite good.

[dhanggit]

as your avid readers we couldn't ask for more to feast this double celebration: ube macapuno cupcakes yummmmy!! happy 1st yr anniversary and more anniversaries to come :-) happy heart's day too!!

[oggi]

Happy first "birthday" and Valentine's day!
I'll take that awesome mac with hearts on ube cupcake anytime.:D

[Babette]

Congratulations M! I wish you many more years of hilarious blogging. :)
Ube cupcakes? hmm, I'd have to sleep on that. LOL

[gigi]

happy blogiversary! i have you in my reader and rarely comment but just wanted to send you happy wishes and thank you for your wonderful posts. i enjoy reading them and look forward to more in 2008! :)

[Julie]

Happy Anniversary!

I want a cupcake really bad.

And! I know I'll be wishing you a Happy 2 this time next year! I'd better be! You and roboppy crack my shiznit up too much, so even if all the other blogs went away, you two at least must staaaaay!

[Lorena]

Happy Blogiversary! I just started reading and really enjoy the good eats and humor. And, God, those cupcakes look delicioso! I just may have to make these this weekend...

Anyway, thanks for sharing the Pinoy-flavored laughs!

[raissa]

Happy Anniversary!

hmm ube cupcake and with macapuno frosting to boot. =) yummy! Thats the perfect combination

My cousin makes this really good ube cake which we all love. When she makes one I will ask her to take a picture.

[Mila]

Happy first blog birthday to Burnt Lumpia! May the second year be as filling (and fulfilling) as the last.

[Wandering Chopsticks]

Happy Birthday Burnt Lumpia! :)

Marvin,

Leave it to you to turn an ordinary cupcake into a marvel of Filipino tastes. As one of your earliest readers, I must say I've really enjoyed learning about Filipino food and history through your humorous posts. But really, it was because I couldn't stop laughing about your mancrush on Alton Brown, Van Damme, and naming your brick after Scarlett Johannson. Anyone who can do that all in one post has me hooked. Keep it up and here's to another year of good eats!

[helen]

I'm intrigued. How much flavour did the yam impart? Do you think the recipe will work well with other root vegetables, such as taro?

And congratulations on reaching the one year milestone!

[Kate]

Congrats! They look delicious. I'm always up for a new flavor -- I bore so easily so this flavor and color will perk me up.

[brilynn]

Happy Blogiversary!

I never thought I'd still be writing my blog this long either, it gets addictive though...

[junemoon]

Congratulations on you and your blog's 1 year anniversary! As I've said before, I really enjoy your posts and they have on more than one occasion made me smile and/or laugh out loud. Your mix of humor, family narratives, and foodie info is great. Here's to another year of blogging fun! junemoon

[Hillary]

Love this post - what great cupcakes. Hope you had a great Valentine's Day!

[elmomonster]

Here! Here! I toast you Marvin. Yours is one of my favorite blogs. No kidding. Funny. Informative. Funny. I said funny twice, because you are. Let's hope you give it another few decades!

[Pamela]

Congratulations on the one year anniversary. And thank you very much for writing this blog. My family lives on the west coast, while I'm on the east, and your anecdotes bring a smile to my face ^_^.

[Cynthia]

Congrats on the first year anniversary! Here's to many more! I'm glad I discovered your blog.

[White On Rice Couple]

Congrats on your first year. Well done! At least we only missed one year of your fun blog. We look forward to the future!

[Kathy]

Whoah! Congratulations cousin... you have a lot of fans already:) And I'm one of them. Many great blog entries to come. Cheers!

[Matt Hurst]

Better than Magnolia's, I'm certain and more crazy delicious than Mr. Pibb and Red Vines. True that.
DOUBLE TRUE!
Happy anny.

[Steven]

mmmmm must try to make this recipe. i love ube cake. i've just found your blog through tastespotter. will definitely be back to keep up with a fellow pinoy! great job and congrats on the anniversary.

[bernadette]

happy anniversary, Marvin!

And as a once lurker turned commentor, I would like to personally urge you to keep on blogging. If you don't then you'd be wasting away you gift of writing believe me :-)!

Nice cupcakes! I always was in the Pinoy paradigm that ube-macapuno was a bit for puto or ice cream. But, hey! my mouth still salivated when I saw your pics!

[Jen Tan]

A yummy combo! Ube macapuno...happy valentines Mr. Lumpia =D

[Janice]

happy anniversary, happy anniversary, happy anniversary, haaaappy anniversary!

i love the blog...i remember finding it while i was in England last year and it reminded me of home and my wacky family whom i missed terribly...

i thought you were all purple'd out...you found some leftover Grimace in the chest freezer? tsk tsk

[joey]

Happy blog birthday!!! I'm looking forward to years more of your posts :)

You are the international ambassador of ube! Those cupcakes are genius and just so YOU :)

[Burnt Lumpia]

Thanks Manggy! And McAdams is single? Nice!

Thank you very much Scientist.

Jikuu, I would never eat those candy heart things! But I needed to make this post at least semi-Valentiney.

Thanks Katrina. I do appreciate your continued support of this blog. I still think you need to start your own! :) Without the frosting, the Ube flavor does come through, but I do admit that the cream cheese overpowers everything. Next time I'll try a normal buttercream.

Thanks Dhanggit and oggi!

Babbette! Have you always had your own blog?!! I'll be sure to visit it often.

Thank you very much for subscribing gigi!

Wow, thanks Julie. I think Roboppy is 100x more hilarious than I am! She's one of my faves.

Hi Lorena, let me know how they turn out if you do make them. I hope they're OK.

Hi Raissa! Ube Chiffon cake is one of my favorites.

Thanks Mila!

Hello WC. Yes, you are indeed one of my earliest, if not THE earliest, readers. I really appreciate you sticking around and commenting here. I still can't comprehend how you can write so many quality posts over at your blog. You're a machine!

Thanks for visiting Helen! Like I mentioned earlier, without the overpowering creamcheese, the yam imparted great amount of flavor. I've never worked with taro before, but I THINK it would do ok in a similar recipe. I'm not sure though.

Glad you stopped by Kate! The flavor and color are definitely unique if you've never tried Ube before.

Hi brilynn! Yes, it's very addicting. I get the shakes if I miss a week of posting. It's also very addicting reading great blogs like yours.

Thank you very much junemoon! I never thought I'd be able to connect with so many different people on so many different levels.

Thanks Hillary!

Thanks for the toast elmo. Another few decades? I don't know if I've got it in me!;)

I'm glad I can make you smile, Pamela. Thanks.

I'm also very glad I've discovered your blog too, Cynthia!

Thanks White on Rice Couple. I do hope you stick around for more.

Thanks Cuz! I'm glad you haven't bored of my antics yet.

Hurst, 2 no 6 no 12 Baker's Dozen!

Thanks for visiting Steven!

Hello Bernadette. I'm very happy you gave up lurkdom to comment here;)

Thanks Jen!

Janice, now, I am definitely purpled out. Grimace has left the building...

Thanks very much Joey!

[oggi]

marvin, I am tagging you for the 5 random facts. I haven't posted it yet as I'm still working on it, I just want to let you know. If you don't have the time to do it, that's okay.:)
BTW, your ube cupcake makes me drool for something with ube and will make an ube swirl bread this week.-)

[manggy]

McAdams is single but you are not!! :p

[Sharon]

Wow, I definitely want to try those ube cupcakes. Congrats on your 1 year mark. I just stumbled upon your blog today but love it already!

[G_mirage]

I was searching for ube macapuno roll recipe and yahoo lead me here!

Its ok otherwise I won't get to see this awesome recipe! Thanks, hope its ok if i try =) TC!

[Beth]

Your site is fascinating! And full of helpful information as well. My boyfriend is Filipino and I got this crazy idea to add ube pie to my contribution of baked goods to this year's Thanksgiving with his family. Reading about your cupcakes and pancakes helped me feel a bit less crazy--and a lot more prepared--about venturing out of known territory and concocting new recipes on the fly.

I posted the resulting recipe on my blog here: http://elizabeg.livejournal.com/354455.html?mode=reply And pictures are in the entry before that. I also linked to your blog off my site--if that's a problem, just shoot me an email or leave me a comment and I'll remove the link. Thanks!

[Ziwei]

Hello! I just tried your recipe with fresh ube bought from a market (I'm currently living in the Philippines), and it turned out GREAT. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.

[Katherine]

Happy birthday. I hope you have many more blog birthdays to come. I love the tagline "Like McAdams loves Gosling. It made me laugh out loud. The cupcakes look delicious.

[PenelopeQ]

Mmm! Those cupcakes look divine. I was drawn to this blog by the filipino recipes. I'm thinking of combining a trip there with a trip to the rest of Asia sometime in the new year. I know that http://www.aovtravel.com/guide/special-offers.html has a wonderful selection of inclusive packages- so hopefully I'll be having some delicious filipino food soon!

[Lisaladrido]

Thank you for this recipe. I have been looking for one that didn't have as many calories. Since I didn't have macapuno or creme cheese on hand I used my butter creme frosting and I thought it tasted great. I am sharing your blog with my other Filipino friends and family!~Lisa

[Sheena]

Delicious! I modified the recipe a little bit by blending the ube and milk mixture in a blender to get rid of the ube lumps. It also helped make the mixture a little more purple.

[Nataliya]

Can I put in purple gel color to brighten things up a bit? Would it work?

[Mich]

Hi. Thanks for posting this recipe. And I really want to try this on my daughter's bday. But maybe I can add drops of purple food coloring to the frosting and cake batter as well. Do you think it doesn't affects the flavor or mixture when it's cooked?

[Cielo]

Hello! I got ube jams and i'm thinking of making ube macapuno cupcakes. Coincidentally, on valentine's day, too! :)

Can i use ube jams intead of ube yams then remove milk and sugar in the list of ingredients?

Thanks! :)