These Ube Tarts are one of the best tarts I have ever had. They only take 30 minutes to make and are sure to impress everyone at your next dinner party. They are sweet, creamy, and slightly sour. I'm using frozen tart shells which make this recipe even easier.
I recently bought six bottles of Ube extract on my trip to Seattle. It's really expensive here in Canada, over $15 for a one-ounce bottle, but it was only $1 a bottle in the States. I have no idea why this price discrepancy exists, but it does. Maybe we have fewer Filipino people here?
Anyway.. since then, I've been on a bit of an ube-making binge. I've made all sorts of ube recipes like ube milkshake, sago, overnight oats.., the list goes on. But this tart recipe has to be one of my favorites so far.
Key Ingredients
Ube Halaya: This is a sweet jam made from purple yams. In terms of ube recipes, this is the ingredient that provides most of the ube flavor and sweetness. Here is a picture of the brand I'm using:
I've been using this brand for the longest time, but recently, I got a new jar and noticed the texture changed a bit. It used to be very jammy but now it is more pasty and grainy. Not a bad thing per se, especially if you like the texture of sweet potatoes, but it is definitely different. However, I did not have to make any changes to the recipe.
Ube Extract: If you have ever wondered why ube desserts are purple, this is your answer. Ube extract is basically purple food coloring mixed with artificial Ube flavor. Most recipes use it just for the purple color so if you don't have it, it's perfectly fine to leave it out, but your end result won't be purple.
Pre-bake the tart shells
The first step is to pre-bake the tart shells. There should be instructions on the package on how to do this. I find the tops always get cooked faster so I usually bake mine on the bottom rack.
Piping the ube filling
The tart filling is just a combination of ube products, cream cheese, sour cream, and condensed milk. Blend everything together then pipe it into the tart shells. No baking required!
My piping bag broke a hole recently so I decided to use a Ziplock bag instead. All I did was cut a tiny hole in the corner and it worked great.
Pro-tip for eating throughout the week
If you don't plan to eat these immediately, I recommend not filling them right away. This will keep the shells super crunchy.
Store the shells and filling separately (I use a big glass container for the tart shells and keep the piping bag in a separate bowl). When you want a tart, just grab a tart shell from the container and pipe some filling into it.
Ube Tarts
Ingredients
- 30 frozen tart shells
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup ube halaya
- 2 teaspoons ube extract
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
Instructions
- Bake the frozen tart shells following the package instructions. I did them for 15 minutes at 375℉. I like to bake them on the bottom rack because the tops usually cook faster.
- Add the cream cheese to a large bowl. Beat on high speed for 30-45 seconds until soft and fluffy.
- Add the ube halaya and beat until well combined.
- Add the condensed milk and beat for another 15-30 seconds.
- Add the sour cream and beat for another 15-30 seconds until smooth.
- Finally, stir in the lime juice and ube extract.
- Pour the filling into a piping bag or Ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner. Pipe the filling into the tarts and refrigerate for at least one hour for the filling to set. Enjoy!
Virginia Penisini
What is the lime juice for?
Grumpy
To balance the sweetness!