Ube Cake with White Chocolate Coconut Cream boasts of a luscious frosting made of coconut milk, white chocolate and cream cheese. It is finished with a generous amount of shredded coconut for the ultimate ube-coconut treat.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease the bottom of two 9- inch round baking pans and line the bottom part with parchment paper. In another large mixing bowl, stir together oil, milk, egg yolks and the ube flavoring. In another bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup of sugar, flour and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the yolk mixture and use a hand-held mixer to beat everything together until the mixture is smooth.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer), beat the egg whites until it is frothy. Add the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar while beating, until the mixture form firm peaks. Set aside.Fold the egg whites to the yolk batter using a rubber spatula, until the mixture is well blended.
Pour batter into the two 9-inch baking pans and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the pans on a wire rack to cool them slightly, then turn them over, remove the parchment paper and cool completely.
To assemble the cake, lay one cake on a serving plate. Spread about 2 cups of the cream on top of the cake. Lay the second layer of the cake over the cream. Frost the sides and top of cake with the remaining cream. Cover the entire cake with shredded coconut. Top with ube polvoron and/or sliced ube cupcakes.
Make the White Chocolate Coconut Cream
In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk and 1 cup shredded coconut. Stir them frequently over low to medium heat, until the shredded coconut has soaked up all of the coconut milk. This should take about an hour. The mixture should look like a coarse baby cereal.
Immediately stir the white chocolate chips to the coconut mixture until it has all melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap with the plastic directly over the mixture, in contact with the mixture surface. Chill in the fridge until it is completely cool.
In a mixing bowl, whip together softened cream cheese, icing sugar and whipping cream until fluffy and smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream cheese mixture to the coconut mixture. The cream will be soft and runny. Cover with plastic wrap again, with the plastic film touching the surface mixture. refrigerate overnight to firm up.