Ube Coconut Cake for World Alzheimer’s Day: A Memory on a Plate 💜
Every year on September 21, World Alzheimer’s Day, I use my platform to do something that is deeply personal to me: raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease.
I lost my mama, Shirley Mae, to Alzheimer’s in 2021. If you’ve followed Spilling the Sweet Tea for a while, you know that so much of what I do in the kitchen is connected to her. Many of the recipes I make, the traditions I carry on, and the memories I share started in the kitchen with my mama.
That’s why World Alzheimer’s Day will always hold a special place in my heart.
For more than a decade, I’ve participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, advocating for awareness and a cure. And now that I have this platform, I feel an even greater responsibility to continue sharing her story.
This year, I decided to do it the way I know best...through food.
Why I Made a Purple Cake đź’ś
Purple is the signature color associated with Alzheimer’s awareness, so I knew I wanted to create something beautiful and purple for World Alzheimer’s Day.
And that's how this Ube Coconut Cake came to life. Ube gives this cake its gorgeous purple color and a slightly sweet, vanilla-like flavor that pairs beautifully with coconut. I topped it with a fluffy homemade coconut buttercream and plenty of flaked coconut.
The cake may be purple for Alzheimer’s awareness, but the reason behind it is all about remembering.
Because even when a disease like Alzheimer’s begins taking memories away, the love, traditions, recipes, and stories our loved ones gave us can continue to live on.
For me, so many of those memories live in the kitchen. This one is truly a Memory on a Plate.
Ube Coconut Cake
This recipe starts with a box of French vanilla cake mix, but we're not following the instructions on the back of the box. I'm using the viral box cake hack by adding eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and ube flavor to create a richer, more homemade-tasting cake.
Ingredients For the Ube Cake
1 box French vanilla cake mix
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons ube flavoring
For the Coconut Buttercream Frosting
1½ sticks butter, softened
5 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
â…› teaspoon salt
5–6 tablespoons coconut cream
Flaked coconut, for topping
*Start with 2 cups of powdered sugar, then gradually add additional powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired sweetness and consistency.
How to Make the Ube Cake
Preheat your oven to 315°F and prepare a 9 x 11-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or your preferred cake-release method. Add the French vanilla cake mix, eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and ube flavoring to a large mixing bowl.
Using a hand mixer, mix the ingredients together until the batter is smooth and everything is well incorporated. Pour the batter evenly into your prepared baking dish.
Bake at 315°F for approximately 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Because ovens can vary, begin checking the cake near the end of the baking time. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the frosting.
How to Make Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Add 1½ sticks of softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the butter for approximately 5 minutes, or until it becomes light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until incorporated.
Gradually add additional powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing between each addition until the frosting reaches your preferred consistency and sweetness. Add ⅛ teaspoon salt and 5–6 tablespoons coconut cream.
Increase the mixer to high speed and continue beating until the frosting is smooth, light, and fluffy. Once your ube cake has cooled completely, spread the coconut buttercream generously over the top. Finish it with a layer of flaked coconut.
Slice, serve, and enjoy!
More Than Just Cake
As beautiful as this purple cake is, this recipe isn't really about cake.
It's about my mama.
It's about the millions of families who have watched someone they love live with Alzheimer's disease. It's about the caregivers. It's about the memories we fight so hard to hold onto. And it's about continuing to advocate for a future where fewer families have to experience this disease.
Losing my mama to Alzheimer's changed me forever, but it also gave me another reason to use my voice.
Every time I tell her story, cook one of the dishes she taught me, or share one of our memories, I get to keep a piece of her with me.
So, on World Alzheimer's Day, I'm wearing my purple and this year, I'm baking it too. 💜
Here's to remembering the people we love, sharing their stories, and continuing to hope for a cure.
In loving memory of my mama, Shirley Mae.
Save This Recipe
If you make this Ube Coconut Cake, tag Spilling the Sweet Tea so I can see your creation. Below is the link to the grocery shopping list.
And while you're here, take a moment to learn more about Alzheimer's disease, support the families and caregivers affected by it, and find ways to get involved in the fight to end Alzheimer's. Below is the link to the Alzheimer's Association.
đź’ś Remember. Honor. Advocate.
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