Purple Yam: An Ube Cake You Can’t Resist
A Narrative Food Review
For ages, my mother’s been bugging me to check out this new cake shop in town: Purple Yam. It’s as purple as the name itself. From the bubble letter signage to the walls, the place featured different shades of violet and lilac, all in harmony.
Short of saying, it was an eye-catching store, which was probably why my mother is set on tasting at least one of their cakes. Moreover, she loves purple yam or ube in our native tongue. After all, ube is like nothing else, with its earthy texture and sweet yet distinct taste.
Picture From: Purple Yam Home Made Cakes and Pastries
But the thing was, this store isn’t in any mall or food delivery app. So we’d have to make a special trip to the place itself. However, for months, we simply had no reason to do so.
Until November 23. As it was my mother’s birthday, I simply had to make her request come true. She already had a birthday cake — a carrot-flavored one — courtesy of my aunt, her older sister. But her day wouldn’t be complete without a purple yam cake.
So before we set out to the villa we booked for the day, we stopped by a Purple Yam place. When we stepped into the store, you couldn’t help but notice it was tiny. But then again, how much space would you need to display only two types of cakes that are already pre-packed or ready to go?
Yes, Purple Yam only had two types of cake: ube and choco moist. Of course, we got their specialty: a simple, round, purple-colored cake covered by what seems like ube ganache. When we cut the cake into slices, there was more ube ganache filling sandwiched between the moist cake layers.
After we got to the resort and had a hearty meal, my mother got her first slice of the Purple Yam cake. She was blown away. It was incredibly rich, flavorful, and sweet, but not in an overwhelming way. She even described it as similar to ice cream (and when is ice cream ever anything but great?).
I also had a taste myself. It was, indeed, as unique as my mother proclaimed it to be. The flavors were intense and authentic. It was the right creaminess, and I loved how moist the cake was. It’s a feat I could never achieve after a couple of baking attempts.
We were all impressed, and in less than a day, no crumbs were left of the purple yam cake. That’s an achievement — most of our birthday cakes spend a week in the fridge because no one’s eager about them.
If you’re in Bohol and want to try some Purple Yam cake, check out their FB page: Purple Yam Bohol Branch.
— —
Bonus Review:
My aunt also brought an ube cheesecake for the party (we had an ube bonanza that night). I love cheesecake but am not that fond of ube.
But let me tell you — that dessert had me coming back for thirds. It was creamy and had just the right level of sweetness for me.
I loved it more than the Purple Yam cake, but that’s a personal bias.
So, if you’re interested in that ube cheesecake, you can check out the seller here: Cake on Crate.
