Oakland County

The ube king of Alameda bakes his claim to the throne

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2025

MM Team

Final 12 months, Henry Awayan was simply Henry Awayan, proprietor of Alameda-based specialty cake bakery Whisk Cake Creations. If you happen to needed a customized birthday or wedding ceremony cake made with lemon curd and raspberries, or mocha crunch, he was your man. However as of November 2, he’s now the ‘Ube King’.

It isn’t a reputation he would essentially have chosen. It wasn’t till he confirmed as much as a efficiency lately and somebody stated, “The Ube King is right here,” that he determined to embrace it.

However since his first cookbook simply got here out with the Philippine purple tuber in each recipe, “The Ube Baking E book: Decadent and Scrumptious Recipes with Filipino Purple Yam” from Ulysses Press, he determined that if he did not declare the title, another person may. He got here to our current interview carrying a newly designed “Ube King” T-shirt and purple Nikes.

The Ube Baking E book was printed in November and comprises recipes similar to ube focaccia. Credit score: E book cowl picture courtesy of Ulysses Press; picture by Maurice Ramirez

Ube is a type of components that has been identified for millennia in its personal group, the Philippines. However lately, ube, like matcha earlier than it, has been ‘found’ by the remainder of the world. (Awayan admitted that he ought to have turned in his cookbook two years in the past, however deadlines are usually not his sturdy go well with).

The style of Ube is tough to pin down; it’s delicate and sometimes described as a mixture of parts of vanilla, pistachio and coconut with earthy undertones. What actually units it aside, nonetheless, is its vibrant purple colour; on this extremely Instagrammable age, its reputation can largely be attributed to its purpleness.

Now ube is all over the place; you solely have to take a look at mainstream markets like Dealer Joe’s to depend the number of ube merchandise on the cabinets, from unfold to waffle combine.

The e-book comprises greater than 50 recipes for all the pieces from halaya – one of many better-known ube staples, additionally referred to as ube jam – which is made by including ube powder to coconut milk, butter, sugar and each condensed and evaporated milk, to ube ice cream. Halaya will be eaten plain, as a selection, or in Halo-Halo, with shaved ice, for a phenomenal textural distinction.

The cake part options each conventional ube treats and Awayan’s personal innovations: ube chiffon, ube cheesecake, ube tiramisu, ube purple velvet (versus crimson), ube olive oil cake, ube coconut cake and extra. The bread part affords ube pan de sal and focaccia. The breakfast pastries part contains mochi pancakes, muffins, donuts, waffles and pancakes. There are chapters on custards and lotions, cookies and bars, and drinks.

Recipes name for ube in its numerous types: extract, powder, contemporary or frozen. Many Asian markets within the East Bay have ube in extract and powder types, however the contemporary and frozen varieties will be more durable to search out.

The truth that ube is ‘trending’ to such an extent is humorous to Awayan as he has identified about it his total life. The son of immigrants from the Philippines, he grew up in Alameda, and though there was a hiatus in between, he and his spouse at the moment are elevating their kids in the home the place he grew up, a couple of block from the bakery, on Lincoln Avenue. For many of Whisk’s existence, he did not have a storefront; He ran his specialty cake enterprise on the Navy base for 9 years, however moved to his present location two years in the past and now sells cupcakes, cookies, various flavors of cake and occasional (he serves Mr. Espresso, not simply because it is good espresso, he stated, however as a result of he is identified Luigi Di Ruocco, one of many house owners, since grade college), including, “Alameda is like that.”

The cookbook comprises a recipe for ube bibingka, a kind of Filipino coconut rice waffle. Credit score: Maurice Ramirez

Awayan remembers baking his first cake when he was ten years previous, when his mom returned from a visit to the Philippines. She had been in a boating accident and he thought a home-baked cake may cheer her up. Earlier than that, he stated he usually frolicked within the kitchen cooking together with his mom, grandmother or aunts.

“Filipinos, we like to prepare dinner. We like to eat. Our love language is meals,” he stated.

He wasn’t certain what he needed to do professionally, and earlier than he graduated from highschool, an advisor requested what his hobbies had been. When he talked about baking, the advisor requested if he had thought-about culinary college. He hadn’t, however he enrolled in Diablo Valley School’s culinary program and determined this was his path. He additionally took Penn State’s Ice Cream Brief Course, then a two-week specialty course. (Whereas there, he broke his leg skating for the primary time.)

He had labored in truffles, together with with famend baker Katrina Rozelle, and in ice cream earlier than opening Whisk.

Ube cheesecake is considered one of a number of visually interesting recipes in “The Ube Baking E book.” Credit score: Maurice Ramirez

Awayan had all the time needed to open his personal bakery, which he did 9 years in the past. He and his spouse agreed that they could not inform their kids to “observe their desires” if he did not observe his personal. He steadily constructed a buyer base, coming to him for customized wedding ceremony and birthday truffles.

In the course of the early months of the pandemic, he took a job delivering mail, and when all of Whisk’s orders had been canceled, Awayan got here up with an concept that began as a joke to maintain a number of individuals employed.

“Everybody was operating low on rest room paper, so I believed, let’s make a bathroom paper cake,” he stated. “We made a bit of four-inch cake embellished with fondant to seem like rest room paper, and it simply went loopy. In a method, it was virtually like the bathroom paper cookies had saved the corporate.”

In the course of the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, Awayan got here up with the thought of making a bathroom paper cake, which turned an on the spot hit. Credit score: Courtesy of Henry Awayan

Awayan stated he had considered a potential cookbook, that includes a few of his extra unique truffles and the tales behind them, however had not but taken any steps to make it a actuality. Then a highschool buddy who was already working at Ulysses Press approached him and requested if he may wish to submit a proposal for an ube cookbook.

At first he hesitated.

“Filipinos will be very essential, particularly the older titos and titas,” he stated. “I believed they could criticize me as a result of it isn’t fully conventional.”

However then he considered it extra.

“I am proud to be Filipino, and Filipino meals is certainly having a second now,” he stated, noting how younger Filipino cooks are making their mark within the Bay Space, and that this 12 months, eating places within the Philippines have been awarded Michelin stars for the primary time.

The e-book took loads of effort exterior of his common duties as a bakery proprietor. His recipes for truffles for 100 individuals needed to be scaled all the way down to feed 10. He did not understand that every picture would take hours to take (the pictures was all accomplished by Alameda-based photographer Maurice Ramirez, and the 2 did all of the styling themselves).

Whereas Awayan now has the e-book showing all around the Bay Space, he stated in 2026, he plans to supply lessons at his bakery, going by way of the e-book. Control his web site or Instagram account for extra info.

However within the meantime, Awayan is grateful to have this chance to function a Ube ambassador of types and “unfold the Ube love.”