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Ube Halaya Cream Crêpes
These are classic French-style crêpes with a Filipino filling. The batter is simple (milk, eggs, flour, melted butter) and rests for 15 minutes while you make the filling, which gives you thin, tender crêpes with lacy golden edges. The ube goes inside: thick ube halaya is beaten with softened cream cheese and a little extract, then folded into lightly sweetened whipped cream. The result is a pale lavender filling that's lighter than straight halaya but still tastes clearly of ube. Spread a spoonful over each warm crêpe, fold it into quarters, and the outside stays golden while the purple peeks out at the open edge. Toasted coconut and a drizzle of condensed milk finish them off. The crêpes can be made a day ahead and stacked between parchment, so on busy mornings you only need to whip the filling and fold.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour, About 125 g
- 1.25 cups Whole Milk, Room temperature
- 3 whole Large Eggs, Room temperature
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Melted, plus more for the pan
- 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 0.25 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 0.75 cup Ube Halaya, Thick, at room temperature
- 4 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
- 0.5 tsp Ube Extract, For the filling
- 0.75 cup Heavy Cream, Cold
- 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
- 0.25 cup Toasted Coconut Flakes, For topping
- 2 tbsp Sweetened Condensed Milk, Optional, for drizzling
Instructions
- Blend the Batter Add the flour, milk, eggs, melted butter, sugar, and salt to a blender and blend for 15-20 seconds, until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides once if needed. (No blender? Whisk the eggs and milk together, then whisk in the flour gradually and finish with the butter.)
- Rest the Batter Let the batter rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. This lets the flour hydrate and the bubbles settle, so the crêpes come out thin and tender instead of rubbery. It should be about as thick as heavy cream; thin with a splash of milk if needed.
- Make the Ube Cream While the batter rests, beat the ube halaya, cream cheese, and ube extract in a medium bowl until completely smooth. In a separate bowl, whip the cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar to medium-stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the ube mixture in two additions until no streaks remain. Refrigerate until needed.
- Heat the Pan Heat a 10-inch crêpe pan, round griddle, or nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Cast iron needs the full preheat so the first crêpe doesn't stick. Brush lightly with butter; you want a sheen, not a puddle.
- Cook the Crêpes Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan and immediately tilt and swirl it (or spread it with a crêpe spreader) into a thin 8- to 9-inch round. Cook for 60-90 seconds, until the edges lift and the underside is golden. Flip with a thin spatula and cook 20-30 seconds more. Stack on a plate and repeat, buttering the pan every 2-3 crêpes. Expect the first one to be a test.
- Fill and Fold Spread about 2 tablespoons of ube cream over half of each warm crêpe. Fold it in half over the filling, then in half again to make a triangle. Arrange 3 per plate, top with toasted coconut, and drizzle with condensed milk if you like. Serve right away.
Pro Tips
- Use the halaya at room temperature. Cold halaya stays lumpy when you beat it with the cream cheese, and the lumps deflate the whipped cream when you try to smooth them out.
- If the first crêpe tears or comes out thick, don't adjust everything at once. Usually the pan just needed another minute of heat, or the batter needs a tablespoon more milk.
- Make the crêpes up to a day ahead, stack them between squares of parchment, wrap, and refrigerate. Warm them for 10 seconds per side in a dry pan before filling.
Variations
- Purple Ube Crêpes: Blend 1 tablespoon of ube powder and 1/2 teaspoon of ube extract into the batter for lavender crêpes to match the filling.
- Ube Mango Crêpes: Add thin slices of ripe mango on top of the ube cream before folding, a nod to Filipino mango float.
- Ube Crêpe Cake: Stack 12 crêpes with a thin layer of ube cream between each one, chill for 4 hours, and slice into wedges.
Nutrition (estimated, per serving)
430 calories · 44g carbs · 10g protein · 24g fat · 24g sugar · 1g fiber
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special crêpe pan?
No. Any 8- to 10-inch nonstick skillet works. A dedicated crêpe pan or round griddle with very low sides just makes it easier to swirl the batter thin and slide a spatula underneath to flip.
Why is my ube cream runny?
Usually the whipped cream wasn't whipped stiff enough, or the halaya was loose. Whip the cream to medium-stiff peaks before folding, and if your halaya is thin, cook it in a nonstick pan for a few minutes, stirring, until it holds its shape, then let it cool completely.
Can I make these dairy-free?
Yes. Use oat or coconut milk and melted coconut oil in the batter, and swap the cream cheese and heavy cream for dairy-free cream cheese and a can of chilled coconut cream, whipped. Check that your halaya is dairy-free; many brands use condensed milk.
Recommended Ingredient
Lodge 10.5" Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Round Griddle (L9OG3) — read our review.