Vanilla Wafer Cake

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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.

Mama Reed’s Vanilla Wafer Cake Recipe

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!

Ingredients for Mama Reed’s Vanilla Wafer Cake Recipe

Recipe Ingredients

  • Eggs
  • Coconut
  • Milk
  • Nilla vanilla wafers
  • Sugar
  • Nuts (I’m using pecans but walnuts work too)

How to Make Vanilla Wafer Cake

Crush vanilla wafers with rolling pin.

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).

Crushed wafers.

Once crushed, your Nilla wafers should look a little bit like this.

Beat eggs well in mixing bowl.

In a medium bowl, beat up your eggs well and coarsely chop your pecans.

Mix all remaining ingredients in mixing bowl.

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 greased bundt pan.

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.

Mama Reed’s Vanilla Wafer Cake Recipe Baked up!

Oh my goodness gracious, don’t we all just love Mama Reed now?

A Slice Of Mama Reed’s Vanilla Wafer Cake Recipe

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

Apple Dapple Cake

Lemon Icebox Cake

Apple Pound Cake

Vanilla Wafer Cake

Loaded with vanilla wafers, coconut, and pecans, this old-fashioned vanilla wafer cake has been a popular Southern dessert for decades.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, vanilla, wafer
Servings: 8
Calories: 587kcal

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

Calories: 587kcal
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This recipe featured on Meal Plan Monday

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349 Comments

  1. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I have been craving it ever since I saw you make it with Miss Paula Deen. 🙂

  2. Im so excited to make this cake tonite… I will be sharing this at a family gathering tomorrow… Im sure it will be a hit. Thank you so much for sharing your family memories and recipes with all of us. I saw you on Paula Deen and got inspired!!!

  3. My mother would always make this cake for Christmas, we always looked forward to her making this for us! It always reminds me of the holidays when I think about it! I

  4. I made this recipe in mini-muffin pans Christmas 2010 to put with other goodies on gift trays – baked about 20 min after experimenting. They were really good and a wonderful 2-bite sweet treat to go with the other candies and sweets on the tray. My Mom first made this recipe when I was about 15 in the mid-’60’s. Always one of my favorites! Your pictures are spot on, but you forgot to say this cake weighs a ton!!. Love your blog!

  5. Hey Christy, just saw this recipe & how you said it travels well. Do you think it would survive a mailing to Iraq? My son is there & I like to bake things & send. The thing is…it can take up to two wks to get there. If you don’t think this would make it, can you recommend something? Thanks tvj

  6. This cake is amazing!!! I made it for our Easter dinner and it was a huge hit!! I’ve made it 2 more times since then!!

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