Ube Hot Water Buttercream

My no grit hot water buttercream method with real Ube powder, smooth and silky with a soft purple hue. It pipes into crisp, clean swirls and holds its shape beautifully, with a mellow, sweet Ube flavor and a texture close to Swiss meringue buttercream.

Prep Time 30

Total Time 30

Servings Cups

Calories 1143kcal

Author Fay Khoury

EQUIPMENT

INGREDIENTS

500 g (1.1 lb) butter unsalted, not margarine, less stable
500 g (1.1 lb) powdered sugar icing sugar (or icing mixture)
3 tablespoon (3 tablespoon) ube powder more or less to taste
1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) vanilla
100 ml (⅓ cup) water hot from the kettle

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the ube sugar mixture: whisk together the powdered sugar and ube powder until evenly combined. Add the vanilla and hot water, stir until fully dissolved with no dry streaks left. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to hydrate. This resting time lets the mixture hydrate, which is what helps remove the grit. A crust will form on top, so restir before use.
Whip the butter: add butter to your stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip on medium-high for 15-20 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway through, until pale, fluffy, and roughly doubled in volume.
Combine: with the mixer running on medium, restir the ube sugar mixture and pour in half. Mix for 1 minute, then stream in the rest slowly. It will look curdled at this stage, this is normal.
Final mix: once combined, reduce the mixer to low speed, which helps eliminate air bubbles, and mix for a further 15 minutes minimum, until smooth and evenly colored. Scrape the bowl once during this stage.

NOTES

Ube powder brands vary widely in both color intensity and flavor strength, the final color of your buttercream depends on the quality and pigment strength of the powder you use. If you want a deeper purple than your powder gives on its own, a few drops of purple gel food coloring will fix it, that's what I did with this batch
Unlike some of my other Hot Water Buttercream recipes, no heavy cream is used here, keeping the Ube flavor and color front and centre and making the buttercream safer to be kept our of the refrigerator longer.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature and re-whip on low before using
This is a half batch of my original Hot Water Buttercream. Double all ingredients for a full batch

NUTRITION