Indulge in this Twist on Brunch! Ube Lava French Toast

Ube all day!

If you’re a fan of all things purple and delicious, then this Ube Lava French Toast recipe is just for you!

With its vibrant hue and creamy texture, this recipe combines the beloved Filipino ingredient – ube (purple yam) – with the indulgent richness of French toast.

Our Ube Lava French Toast features two slices of delectable ube-infused toast, hugging a delightful filling of fragrant and creamy ube cheese. A luscious cascade of velvety ube sauce drapes over the top, creating an irresistible resemblance to flowing lava.

Ube Lava French Toast is an irresistible combination of creamy, cheesy, and ube-licious! It’s an easy and decadent recipe that will wow your taste buds and impress your breakfast or brunch guests.

Whether you’re planning to enjoy a leisurely weekend brunch or looking to indulge in a special breakfast treat, this recipe is sure to become a favorite.

Our recipe requires basic French Toast ingredients that you may already have in your pantry, such as bread, eggs, milk, and sugar. However, it’s the addition of ube that sets this French toast apart from the rest.

Keep reading to discover how to create this luscious Ube Lava French Toast in just a few simple steps!

Are you an u-bae? Come explore more of our ube recipes!

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Table of Contents

Introduction to Ube Lava French Toast

Ube is having its moment and for good reason!

Many restaurants have been debuting ube-infused dishes that bring a unique twist to classic recipes. From ube cream puffs to ice cream to cakes and to ube horchata, this vibrant purple yam has become a popular ingredient in the culinary world.

We were inspired to make our own Ube Lava French Toast recipe because of our love for both ube and French toast. Ube French Toast has been making waves in the food scene and we wanted to take it a step further with lava toast that would make every bite a delightful surprise.

Lava toast is an innovative twist on traditional French toast, where a luscious, oozy filling is nestled in the center of each slice. It’s thought to have started in Taiwan and has since gained popularity worldwide.

A variant of this is the milk toast, where a milk-based topping is poured over the bread before serving.

Upon cutting into the toast, a creamy and flavorful lava-like filling or topping is revealed, adding an extra element of excitement and indulgence to the dish.

This dish is a fusion of different dishes from different cultures, combining the classic French toast with the flavors of ube and the concept of lava toast.

Taste and Texture of Ube Lava French Toast

Prepare yourself for a burst of flavor and a delightful texture! The combination of soft and fluffy bread soaked in a sweetened egg mixture, paired with the creamy and rich ube cheese filling, creates a harmony of tastes and textures that is truly irresistible.

The ube bread offers the foundation for this recipe, providing a buttery and slightly sweet base. The ube cheese filling brings a velvety and indulgent element to the toast with its rich and creamy consistency.

The crispy exterior of the French toast adds a satisfying crunch that contrasts beautifully with the smooth and gooey “lava.” And the ube flavor shines throughout every component of this dish.

We were careful to not make this dish too heavy, too sweet, or overwhelming, ensuring a balanced and enjoyable experience from start to finish. We wanted to create a recipe that allows the flavors of ube to shine while still maintaining the classic elements of French toast.

It can be enjoyed for breakfast or brunch, and with a few tweaks, it can also be served as a decadent dessert. We’ll discuss how you can make this dish more dessert-like later in the post.

Where to Buy Ube

Ube is a purple yam that is a popular ingredient in Filipino cuisine.

Fresh ube is often difficult to find in regular grocery stores outside of the Philippines.

However, in our experiences we have found frozen whole ube occasionally at the Filipino market or through the Weee! Grocery App. (Coming soon to the blog – an ube halaya recipe made with fresh ube!)

But fear not! There are ube-based products available that can be easily found online or at Asian markets like 99 Ranch Market, Seafood City, Marukai, and H Mart.

Ube can be found as ube extract, ube powder, or even in pre-made forms like ube jam or halaya. Using these pre-made options can save you time and effort in the kitchen, while still delivering that delicious ube flavor to your French toast.

In our recipe, we use all three of these convenient ube products – ube extract, ube powder, and ube jam.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Ube Lava French Toast

When making ube lava French toast, there are a few tips and tricks to ensure perfect results:

1. Hold back on the cinnamon.

While cinnamon is a common ingredient in traditional French toast recipes, when making ube lava French toast, it’s best to hold back on the cinnamon.

Cinnamon is a very powerful flavor that can easily overshadow the delicate and distinct flavor of ube.

In our recipe, we used only a tiny pinch of cinnamon to add just a hint of warmth and familiarity without overpowering the ube.

2. Use caution while using ube extract

Ube extract is highly concentrated and can easily create bitterness if too much is used.

In addition, it easily stains your hands and kitchen utensils. Use only dark colored silicon or stainless steel utensils when working with ube extract to avoid staining. If there is a spill or stain, quickly clean it with warm soapy water.

3. Use the right type of bread

As mentioned earlier, using brioche bread is key to achieving the perfect texture for your Ube Lava French Toast.

Brioche is spongy and absorbs the egg mixture well, resulting in a moist and fluffy French toast. It is also sturdy enough to hold the egg mixture without falling apart during cooking.

Alternatives to brioche bread are challah or thick cut white bread. You can also use thick, day-old bread that has slightly dried out to achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior.

4. Soak the bread thoroughly in the egg mixture.

To ensure that every bite of your ube lava French toast is filled with creamy goodness, make sure to soak the bread slices for enough time in the egg mixture.

While some recipes suggest everything from a quick dip to a 10 minute soak, we believe that soak time depends on the type of bread you are using and how thick you slice it.

In our recipe, the brioche slices from Trader Joe’s only took about 20-30 seconds of soaking for the mixture to penetrate the bread. Soaked for any longer, our bread would oversaturate and break apart.

5. Preheat the pan before cooking the French toast.

Preheating your pan ensures that the toast cooks evenly and gets that nice golden brown color. It prevents the soaked egg mixture from running off the bread and creating a soggy texture.

Turn this Ube Lava French Toast into a Decadent Dessert

If you want to take your Ube Lava French Toast to the next level and turn it into a decadent dessert, here are a few ideas to adjust the recipe:

1. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream on top, then drizzle with ube sauce!
2. Add a crispy coating! After soaking, dip the toast into crushed cornflakes for a crispy coating before cooking.
3. Deep fry the French toast for an extra indulgent treat! Cook the Ube French Toast and sandwich the ube cheese filling, then deep fry until golden brown. Let it rest on a cooling rack and it’ll be transformed into a delicious, crispy treat that is reminiscent of a warm donut. Serve with ube sauce on top or on the side for dipping.

You can use one or all of these ideas to elevate your Ube Lava French Toast and turn it into a truly indulgent dessert.

Let us know in the comments how you make your Ube Lava French Toast or any variations you have in mind!

How to Store and Reheat

Once you’ve made your delicious ube lava French toast, you may have some leftovers that you want to save for later. Or you may want to make this ahead of time for a special occasion.

To store your Ube Lava French Toast, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container or wrapping it tightly. This will help to prevent it from drying out or absorbing any odors in the refrigerator. French toast can last up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer.

To reheat the Ube Lava French Toast, you can use the toaster oven, frying pan, microwave, air fryer, or regular oven at a low temperature.

If refrigerated, we like to air fry it at 350 F for a couple minutes to warm it up and restore its crispy texture.

If frozen, be sure to keep a low temperature for even reheating.

Please note that reheating is for the toast component only, and the filling and sauce will be added afterwards.

We recommend you store the ube cheese filling and ube sauce in separate containers to maintain their flavors and textures. Keep them refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

They may become more stiff, so you can leave them on the counter for a few minutes to soften before serving. Stir or froth these components as needed to restore their smooth consistency before using them again.

Ingredients

Ube French Toast

• 4 slices bread brioche, challah, thick white bread
• 2 eggs whisked
• ⅛ tsp kosher salt
• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ube extract
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter for the pan

Brioche bread is the bread we recommend for making this ube lava French toast. Its soft and buttery texture pairs perfectly with the creamy filling. It also soaks up the egg mixture nicely, resulting in a moist and flavorful French toast.

Ube Cheese Filling

• ½ tbsp sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¼ cup ube halaya
• 2 tbsp cream cheese

Ube sauce:

• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp ube extract
• 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• ube powder for dusting

Recipe

Cook Ube French Toast

1. Whisk together eggs, kosher salt, cinnamon, ube extract, and heavy cream.

2. Preheat the pan to medium heat.
3. Work in batches depending on your pan size. Soak slices of bread for about 20-30 seconds each or until the mixture is soaked throughout. Flip the bread halfway.

4. Melt butter on the pan, then add the bread. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until the sides are golden and crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Repeat Steps 3-4 if you have another batch of bread.

Make Ube Cheese Filling

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ube cheese filling ingredients. Mix well until evenly combined.

Make Ube Sauce

1. In a mixing pitcher or high-walled cup, combine the ube sauce ingredients.
2. Use a milk frother for about 10 seconds to incorporate air. Submerge the milk frother first to avoid splashes, then turn it on and start frothing in the air. The sauce should be light and fluffy but also thin enough to pour.

Assembly

1. Sandwich the ube cheese filling between 2 slices of toast.

2. Use the back of a spoon to press down on top of the toast, avoiding the crust. This forms an indented place for the ube sauce to pool.

3. Pour the ube sauce on the toast and fill the indented area. Dust with ube powder.

Final Thoughts

For a fun and unique twist on traditional French toast, try making Ube Lava French Toast! Make it for your besties at brunch or surprise your family with a special breakfast or dessert.

We hope you enjoy this recipe! Share your creations on Instagram and tag us @itsforkandspoon!

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References & Further Reading

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/common-mistakes/article/the-7-most-common-french-toast-cooking-mistakes#:~:text=Lots%20of%20home%20cooks%20quickly,at%20least%2015%2D20%20minutes.