Discover CU’s New Ube Dessert Line: 6 Must-Try Filipino Treats!

Convenience-store chain CU announced on April 27 that it’s rolling out six new desserts and baked goods featuring ube, the Filipino ingredient that’s been blowing up across social media.

Ube is a purple yam commonly used in Filipino cuisine, prized for its subtle sweetness and nutty undertones—think purple sweet potato with a creamier vibe. If matcha drove last year’s green-dessert craze, ube’s vivid violet hue is fast becoming the next visual obsession.

With hit cycles at convenience stores getting shorter, CU says it’s keeping a close eye on domestic and global trends and accelerating product development. Starting April 21, the chain began a phased rollout of ube desserts and bakery items.

Highlighting the lineup is an Ube Basque cheesecake (KRW 3,900, about $2.93). The dessert blends rich cream cheese with ube for an indulgently dense, fudgy texture. The Ube Rice-Cake Skewer (KRW 3,600, about $2.70) wraps ube paste in chewy rice cake (tteok) for a satisfying bite.

The Yonsei Milk Ube Fresh-Cream Bread (KRW 3,600, about $2.70) is a purple-hued bun filled with both ube cream and vanilla cream for a two-layered flavor hit.

CU is also introducing an Ube Cheese Pearl Cake (KRW 3,700, about $2.78), inspired by the Yangtze Kanlu concept that recently trended in Shanghai. This spoonable dessert layers ube white pearls, ube cream and a light cheese foam.

Through its bakery brand Bakehouse405, CU will also offer an ube roll and an ube bun as part of the collection.