Ube, also known as purple yam, is a root vegetable native to Southeast Asia that’s prevalent in Filipino cuisine. To give your dessert a pop of pretty color, add a bit of ube powder.

Ube powder is dried, dehydrated ube that — as the name suggests — was turned into powder. Add ube powder directly into your baking mix for a boost of flavor and color.

There's no general rule on how much powder to add, as it depends on the recipe and type of dessert you’re making, but feel free to add as much as you desire for taste and color.

Rehydrating ube powder is also ideal for using the purple yam as a creamy filling. To rehydrate your ube powder, add the powder and water to a pan over medium heat.

You typically want to use one cup of water for every ¼ cup of ube powder. Stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and thick, with a paste-like consistency.

Ube powder is available at most Asian grocery stores, as well as Walmart and Amazon. Some brands sell their ube powder product online as well.