Vanilla Wafer Cake
Densely loaded with soft vanilla wafers, sweetened coconut flakes, and chopped pecans, it’s no wonder this old-fashioned vanilla wafer cake has been a popular Southern dessert for decades.
Today y’all I’m adding Mama Reed’s vanilla wafer cake recipe to the list of recipes I worry about what your life will be like without! This cake is the kissing cousin of my apple dapple cake. They come from a different branch of the family but chances are if you have the good sense to like one of them, you’ll like the other as well.
My mother got this vanilla wafer cake recipe from her grandmother, Mama Reed. Mama Reed had an expansive array of recipes but this cake was my mother’s favorite by far. When she married my father, this was the first recipe she asked to use in her own kitchen. It’s an old-fashioned classic cake recipe that’s been baked in the South for decades. It’s great on its own with coffee or with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for dessert.
If you like pound cake, this vanilla wafer cake has the same delicious moistness and density. However, we use crushed soft vanilla wafers instead of flour and combine them with milk, shredded coconut, eggs, sugar, and chopped pecans. Can you imagine it? The flavor and texture are just out of this world. Fortunately, it’s super easy to make as well, so let’s get baking!
Recipe Ingredients
- Eggs
- Coconut
- Milk
- Nilla vanilla wafers
- Sugar
- Nuts (I’m using pecans but walnuts work too)
How to Make Vanilla Wafer Cake
Place vanilla wafer cookies in a large sealable bag and crush them with the rolling pin or any other stress-relieving device (you can also use a food processor).
Once crushed, your Nilla wafers should look a little bit like this.
In a medium bowl, beat up your eggs well and coarsely chop your pecans.
Then toss all remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix until well blended (about two minutes should be more than enough).
It will look like this. You can do this with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon.
Now if y’all don’t dip a spoon in that and take a bite then something is wrong with you!
Pour cake batter into a greased and floured tube pan or bundt cake pan.
To grease my bundt pan, I dip a paper towel in shortening and smear it all over the insides of my pan. Then I put a few tablespoons of flour in and turn my pan while patting it a bit until the flour has coated the inside. Then I hold it over the trash can upside down and pat it until the excess falls out.
Bake at 350 for one hour. Cool cake for at least 10 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Oh my goodness gracious, don’t we all just love Mama Reed now?
Serve your vanilla wafer cake with a dollop of whipped cream and extra chopped pecans to happy people (if they weren’t happy before, they will be now).
Storage
Covered cake leftovers will last at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
- The old-fashioned recipe often called for frozen coconut. You can use whatever you have on hand or prefer, whether that’s canned coconut flakes or bagged coconut.
- If you don’t like coconut and/or pecans, you can leave them out.
Recipe FAQs
How do you serve vanilla wafer cake?
You can serve your vanilla cake on its own, dusted with powdered sugar, or with whipped cream (here’s my homemade whipped cream recipe). For a more decadent dessert, add a drizzle of caramel sauce or a serving of fresh berries. Another option is to butter the cake and toast it quickly in the air fryer. That’s a Paula Deen recommendation. YUM.
You might also enjoy these delectable cake recipes:
Caramel Apple Cake from Mama Reed
Old-Fashioned Crispy Tea Cake Cookies
Chocolate Pound Cake with Fudge Glaze
Ingredients
- 6 whole eggs
- 1 can sweetened coconut flakes equals 1 cup of bagged coconut
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 box vanilla wafers 12-ounce
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup chopped nuts we use pecans
Instructions
- Crush vanilla wafers in a large sealable bag with a rolling pin.1 box vanilla wafers
- Beat eggs well in a medium bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Mix for a couple of minutes with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until blended.6 whole eggs, 1 can sweetened coconut flakes, 1/2 cup milk, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup chopped nuts
- Pour the cake batter into a greased and floured tube or bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
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This recipe featured on Meal Plan Monday
you are so funny …love the family stories and how you don’t want me to live my life without this or apple dapple….
now I just gotta bake! this one looks easy peasy which is what I need!!!
got no back porch to hold the baked goods…seem like a Mama Reed family has extra blessings!
No butter?? How can you bake a cake without butter?! Haha
Mama Reed could do anything 🙂
Hello, Christy! I am so happy to run across this recipe! My best friend made this for me in 2008 and I was hooked! Her Mom taught her how to make it and I fell in love with it. I never knew all the ingredients that the cake had in it, but I remember the coconut, vanilla wafers, and pecans!
I had one question about leavening – I notice that there isn’t any baking powder or baking soda in this cake. Can it be added? Would it make a difference in the density, perhaps making it a bit lighter? Also, I noticed that someone commented on the sugar or sugar substitutes. Instead of 2 cups of sugar, I asked my friend to just put one cup and it still was delightful because the vanilla wafers are sweet! Just thought that may help someone.
Christy, as usual companies try to confuse us and keep the package the same size but it does not have the same amount in it. Vanilla wafers have 11 oz now instead of 12 so how do you adjust the recipe for that. I have bought 2 boxes and added a few more wafers but I wondered if you could leave out an egg instead. We have made your cake for years and it is always a hit.
Hey Cathy! No worries. We still make it using just one box of Nilla wafers and have not had to make any adjustments. So far the change does not impact us – but goodness knows how small the box will get next! I’m so glad you like this!!
HAVE made mama reeds vanilla wafer cake 4 times now…EVERY TIME IT STICKS AND IS NOT DONE INSIDE HAVE USED SHORTNING FLOUR ON CAKE PANS..BEAT EGGS AND BATTER BEFORE POURING INTO PAN A SECOND TIME!! USE OVEN THERMOMETER…WHY DOES IT STILL STICK AND NOT GET COOKED ??????
Hey Theresa! Thanks for all the caps. I didn’t even have to grab my glasses to read your comment! I have never had this problem but I’ve also never baked this cake in your cake pan, in your oven, in your kitchen. There are two variables at play here that differ between when I make it and when you make it: the oven and the pan. I use a really thick, heavy bundt pan and Mama uses a really thick, heavy springform pan. If this sticks every time, I assume you’ve been extra diligent in greasing it so I’d grab another pan and try that. As for not getting done, I assume you’ve tried cooking it longer. It may just take longer to cook in your oven as they do tend to cook differently. I will tell you that myself, my mother, and Paula Deen cook this for the suggested time and it comes out fine. You can probably add 10-15 minutes to the cook time and solve the problem. Hope this helps and thanks again for the easy reading comment! Feel free to release caps lock next time. I generally have my glasses at the ready and they are progressive so we’re good to go!
I’ve made this cake for over 50 years. My recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter.
Christy, if we didn’t want to put coconut in it, could we just use more vanilla wafer crumbs?
You can just leave it out and not add anything in its place 🙂