Ube Cheesecake Bars

5 from 4 votes

These crowd-pleasing Ube Cheesecake Bars are sure to be the star at your next party! It has a buttery graham cracker crust, an ultra-creamy cheesecake filling, and a vibrant ube swirl topping.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Chill Time 5 10

Total Time 6 30

Servings bars

Calories 167

Author Jessica Kwon

Equipment

8x8 baking pan

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs about 16 crackers
5 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt

Filling

16 oz full-fat cream cheese room temperature
1 cup white granulated sugar
¼ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Ube Topping

⅓ cup ube jam
1 tablespoon hot water
¾ teaspoon ube extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8x8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
Place graham crackers in a zip-top bag with as much air squeezed out as possible. Use a mallet, rolling pin, or pan to crush crackers into size of breadcrumbs. Alternatively, place crackers in food processor and pulse until crushed. Measure out 1 cup crumbs.
To a food processor, add cracker crumbs, melted butter, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Pulse until well-combined and mixture resembles wet sand. Pour into lined baking dish and press firmly onto the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool. Turn oven temperature down to 325°F.
Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and 1 cup white sugar for 1-2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.
Add the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix until fully combined. Then add eggs, one at a time, beating until just barely incorporated. Make sure to not overmix the batter. Set aside for now.
In a medium bowl, whisk together ube jam and hot water until smooth. Add ube extract and ⅔ cup of the cheesecake batter. Mix to fully incorporate.
Pour the white cheesecake batter into the crust. Lightly tap against the counter to make sure it's even. Then use a spoon to place dollops of the purple batter on top, leaving a little space of white between each purple dollop. Use a chopstick or butter knife to make swirls, cleaning the edge once in a while for clean swirls.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the edges are set but the center is still soft and wobbly. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 20 more minutes. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
Carefully remove the bars out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares, cleaning the knife between each cut for clean slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Ube jam, or halaya, is a thick past of sweetened mashed ube. You can make your own or purchase it at Asian grocery stores, Weee (an online Asian market and where I purchase mine), or Amazon. Make sure to keep yours stored in the fridge.
You really need both the ube jam and extract to get enough flavor. You can also find ube extract in Asian grocery stores, Weee, or Amazon.
Store Ube Cheesecake Bars in an air-tight container or zip-tip bag in the fridge for 1 week.

Nutrition