VANILLA WAFER CAKE
This old-fashioned Vanilla Wafer Cake is a classic. It’s full of crushed vanilla wafer cookies, coconuts and pecans, and it’s absolutely delicious!
You may also like our old-fashioned raisin bars and Mississippi mud cake!
Table of contents
❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS
This old fashioned cake holds many memories because Mom made it when we were kids. It’s so flavorful. It’s definitely in my top five of favorite cakes. The vanilla wafers add a wonderful texture and flavor; then, of course, add the coconuts and nuts and you just can’t go wrong. It’s dense, moist, and delicious! This dessert is perfect for any potluck, weeknight sweet or holiday.
🍴KEY INGREDIENTS
- Butter
- White Sugar
- Eggs
- Evaporated milk-you can use regular milk
- Box of vanilla wafers, crushed-the brand we use is the Nabisco Nilla Wafers.
- Shredded sweetened coconut
- Lemon extract
- Chopped nuts of your choice
SWAPS
Instead of lemon extract, you can use vanilla.
🎂HOW TO MAKE
Be prepared; once you make this cake, you’re going to want to make it over and over!
COOKING
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and continue mixing. Add milk, crushed vanilla wafers, and coconut along with lemon extract using mixer until well blended. Fold in nuts.
Step 2: Pour into sprayed bundt pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes until the center is done. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes and remove from pan.
⭐EXPERT TIP
The key to getting this cake OUT of the bundt pan is to let it sit till it cools. It needs to be pulling away from the sides of the bundt pan before you try and get it out. The caramel glaze is delicious on this cake. However, it’s just as good without it.
❓FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I’ve never made this cake without coconut. However, if you read the comments, you’ll see that people have left it out and had great success.
I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t. Just be sure and watch it, as the baking time may differ.
Vanilla Wafers are very popular in the states. They are a wafer cookie that are a bit thin and flat. Nabisco is most famous for making them, and they come in a yellow box. NOTE: This cake is not made with the cream-filled vanilla wafers.
STORING AND REHEATING
This cake should be stored in an airtight container and will keep for 3-4 days.
💗MORE OLD-FASHIONED RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY:
Vanilla Wafer Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter or margarine or 1 cup
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk (can use regular milk)
- 11 ounce box of vanilla wafers, crushed (Put in plastic bag and crush with rolling pin)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup of chopped nuts of your choice
Caramel Sauce (this is optional, it’s good with our without it):
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and continue mixing. Add milk, vanilla wafers and coconut along with lemon extract using mixer until well blended. Fold in nuts.
- Pour into sprayed bundt pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes until center is done. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes and remove from pan.
Caramel Sauce Instructions
- Bring to boil on top of stove and let boil for one minute.
- Remove from stove and add vanilla.
- Let cool to the consistency you like. It will harden as it cools.
Notes
This Vintage Cakes Digital Ebook is full of our most popular old fashioned cake recipes. Now in one ebook you can have all these recipes right at your fingertips! Any of these cakes are perfect for any gathering, from the holiday dessert table to any potluck!
- These cakes go back many generations are tried and true delicious!
- Anyone can make these classics, from a beginner baker to someone who bakes all the time.
- Great reviews on these cakes!
© The Southern Lady Cooks photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.
100% recommend! It’s absolutely delicious and easy to make. Recipe is perfect as is but could also tweek to suit your specific taste as some reviews have mentioned.
I used sliced almonds for nuts and I loved the flavors. But literally could adapt this in so many ways.
Thanks for the great recipe ladies!
YAY!!! We’re thrilled you enjoyed it! It’s such a good one. 🙂
Can you help? I made the cake yesterday. At 45 minutes, I checked the cake and it had alot of liquid around the top. Baked it for 30-25 more minutes- still liquid- less, but still there. The cake is moist. Is that the correct texture of this cake?
I have no idea what happened, did you combine the ingredients well?
Could you use this to make cupcakes instead of a Bundt cake?
Thank you!
We have never tried making this recipe into cupcakes. If you do you definitely need to spray each muffin tin very well, as this cake is known to stick.
This cake is yummy however I made the caramel glaze but it was like water and never got thick! I am baffled at to why!
Any suggestions?
My guess would be it didnt boil long enough, even though it says “boil for one minute” it needs to be fully boiling to combine the ingredients. That is my only guess.
I’m about to put this in the oven and looked over to find it have 2 bananas from a banana cream pie. I’m debating about putting them in with the batter? I researched and for a banana pie, normally cooks at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes. Any thoughts?
I have never made it that way so can’t say.
I didn’t rate the cake before, but if it helps, I couldn’t stay out of the raw batter, yeah I know eggs and all but it was absolutely delicious. I chickened out of the banana, but it was good earing the banana with the batter.
Is the goal of crushing the wafers in a ziploc to have small chunks? I see chunks in the picture, but didn’t know if using a food processor would make the crumb too uniform in size. I don’t want to have a cake that is too dense because I over pulverized the wafers!
Im sure you can use it but we prefer the consistency of having the wafers still a little intact.
I made this cake for the first time, and OH MY GOODNESS! It is delicious and so easy! The crusty top and sides is the best ever! I will definitely be making this cake frequently! Thank you for always sharing the best recipes!
We are so glad it was such a hit!! We love this one too!
Not being very good about “gather ingredients first”, I started on this before I learned my coconut was missing. I emptied a can of peaches into a colander to allow as much of the liquid to drain as possible, then cut up the peaches to about 1/4” pieces and used them instead of the coconut. Oh my goodness! I didn’t know what to expect but the cake was simply fabulous! I will definitely use peaches again with this recipe. Wow.
This is such a great idea!Thank you for sharing. I will definitely be trying it this way!
I wonder if you used peaches in syrup, if the syrup could be made into a sauce or glaze for the cake…
Thanks for this- considering making it without coconut and using pineapple instead.
You girls are absolutely wonderful! I love your recipes, they are a lot like what I grew up on. My parents and older relatives are all passed away so I have no one to ask about recipes now.So I gratefully say thank you for all that you share!
Thank you so much for this wonderful comment! We are so thrilled you have found our website and are enjoying the recipes.
I’ve been making Vanilla Wafer Cakes for 60 years…it was Daddy’s
favorite. The original recipe called for 2 8-inch square pans…over the years, I switched to a 9″ x 13″ pan because it was easier to take to pot lucks, and you didn’t have to worry about getting it out of the pan(s). Nilla vanilla wafers used to come in 2 sizes…12- and 7-ounce boxes. Nabisco, rather than increasing the price, chose to decrease the contents. The original recipe called for 12 ounces of wafers. Now I buy 2 boxes and just snack on the rest…lol It also called for a cream cheese icing. Daddy didn’t care for that, so I switched to a cooked powdered sugar icing. For a long time, I used ground coconut, but haven’t been able to find that in years. I liked the different texture. Pure vanilla extract…not lemon. It’s still a family favorite.
Thanks, ladies, for all of the wonderful recipes that you share with us.
Have made this cake twice in the last month and my company thought it was delicious! Easy to make.It is a dense cake – very filling. Had never heard of this cake before seeing it on your site. Love trying out your recipes!
So glad it’s a hit! This cake is definitely a good one!
I made this cake and it’s delicious! My husband isn’t a fan of coconut. Can I use bananas instead? Not sure if I should use 1 & 1/2 cups though. Please help!! TIA!!
Hello Kim,
I have never made it with bananas so I can’t really say.. it will change the moisture content. However, if you go through the comments you will see that people have left out the coconut and it was fine, so you may just try that. Glad you enjoy the cake!!
Good evening ladies . Even though I’m type 2 diabetic I crave something sweet. This vanilla wafer cake looks like this weekends cake of the month. I got this handled. Thank you for finding a recipe I’d want to eat. Have a great day, Dennis.
Hi Dennis, we hope it’s a hit for you!
It is so delicious! Very moist, dense, and flavorful- I will definitely make it again & again
My mama made this cake when I was a kid. I was thrilled to find this recipe. I baked it yesterday and it’s gone already. It’s absolutely DELISH! A superb dessert!!
Right? It’s one of our favorites! We’re thrilled you enjoy it too!
This cake is too too SWEET .Even thou i cut down on the sugar.
I have to say, in all my years of making this cake, I’ve never thought it was too sweet. I’m wondering if you used a different type of vanilla wafers that were overly sweet. Nilla Wafer cookies are not very sweet so that may have been your issue.
Could this be made in a 13×9 pan successfully? If so, any guess on bake time?
You can try it; I’ve never made it in a 9X13. Thanks!
I made the vanilla wafer cake and it didn’t last long at our house! Wonderful moist amd yummy! I left out the coconut and lemon and added vanilla. I just made it again with ginger snap cookies-added 1-T molasses amd vanilla amd it’s oh so good! It’s our family-me and my husbands-favorite of all time!
I made this Nilla Wafer Cake for my neighbors. They told me it was a big hit and the family was fighting over it!
So glad it was a hit! We love this one too, such a classic.
I am making it again!
Question actually……boxes of vanilla wafers vary in weight….. how many ounces are in the box of wafers for this LUCIOUS sounding cake??
The recipe states to use an 11-ounce box of Vanilla wafers.
Do you chopped the nuts?
What kind of nuts do you use?
Yes, I use chopped nuts. You can add whatever nuts you like. I’ve made it with walnuts and pecans.
Would it be the same if I omit the coconut? My husband is allergic
I’ve never omitted the coconut so I can’t advise. You’re welcome to give it a try!
Tell me about the caramel sauce. Does it stay runny? Do you typically just ladle it on right when you’re serving, or put it on like frosting?
When we use the caramel sauce we just drizzle it over a piece or the entire cake. Whichever you like!
I just made the cake. I had to leave out the nuts and the coconut. Per my daughter’s request. I am serving it tomorrow night. I will let you know!
If you bake this cake until you see the sides pull away from the pan-I’ll assure you it will fall out Super easy! I take my plate and put on top of the the Bundt pan and flip it. To Be on the safe side I occasionally take a butter knife and run it along the edges. I make 3-4 Bundt cakes a month-So Don’t get discouraged…
Made this today for a family reunion. Moist and so good. My sisters want the recipe. Non to carry home.
So glad the family enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know Tracy. Have a wonderful week 🙂
I just made this cake yesterday and was sharing the recipe with my mom and she said it sounded like an old recipe she had… Surely enough she went to her recipe box and it was her recipe for Oleo Cake!!!! I just received a history lesson on margarine, or the likes there of!!!
How neat! Thank you for sharing!
Should this vanilla wafer cake be stored in an air tight container and/or should it be refridgerated?
You could do either. I would keep it in a cool place even if it is out of the frig.
Years ago my Mom had a recipe for a fruit cake that used Vanilla Wafers for the cake portion. In her many moves she misplaced the recipe. Could this be modified to make a fruit cake?
I guess you could add fruit to it. I never have though.
I made this today. It is delicious! I used vanilla extract instead of the lemon. I could eat the whole cake! Yummy!
I just made two of these for a High School Reunion. They turned out wonderfully. I had many compliments. It’s delicious with or without the caramel sauce. One if the easiest cakes I’ve ever attempted.
So happy everyone liked the cake, Mary! Happy to have you on the site. Have a great week.
Can you use vanilla extract and also do you think it would be ok to make this in a 13×9 pan
Yes, that might work, Patricia.
OMG just made this cake it is sooo good ,,,
But I mixed powered sugar and milk for the frosting it is my new favorite cake …, thank you for sharing
So happy you like this cake recipe, Eulonda! Enjoy!
I said this before, this “cake” is GOOD regardless of what criticisms are out there about it…
I made this on Sunday…and it didn’t even last 24 hours. It is so good, as well as the Carmel Sauce to serve with it.
I agree Barb. I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. I’ll definately make it again.
Hi, I took everyone’s suggestions to heart but followed the directions as listed. The cake took longer than 20 minutes to unloosen itself but the end result is delicious. I didn’t flour the pan. I haven’t iced it yet but I will. Thank you for a luscious cake recipe that is oh so easy and delicious (I’ve been eating the crumbs). I thought that it would be interesting not to use flour, but it worked.
You don’t have to use nuts.
Crushing the vanilla wafers should thdg be kinda chunky or really fine
I do mine kind of like coarse crumbs, not powdery but not in chunks
Desicated coconut or fresh grated coconut?
I use the bagged coconut from the grocery. I have never tried it with fresh.
I have made this cake but have never put icing/frosting on it. It is a delicious cake, without either.
Can you make the sauce ahead of time and reheat it in the microwave before serving the cake?
I see no reason why you couldnt.
ps someone used bananas instead of coconut be we have someone allergic to bananas so am hoping something else works in place of coconut and bananas….
Yes,actually I substituted bananas
A tube pan is better so you can slide your knife around the edges to make sure it does not stick. Cream cheese icing works well it also
Also we moved to Germany a year ago and I still haven’t found my bundt pan so I put it in a 9×13
Can this be made in a 9 x 13 pan?
Yes, I think you could make it in a 9 x 13 pan.
Should we use Nilla wafers or the actual wafers that are layered and flakey?
I use Nilla Wafers.
Cant wait to try it! Sounds so YUMMY!!
I have not tried it that way. I think you could but I don’t think they would be as good.
Another wonderful recipe!! Made another sourdough pizza crust with your starter. You have made my life so much easier with your starter and wonderful crockpot recipes. Thank you, thank you!!
Judy, this cake is fantastic and so moist. I didn’t even have to lift a finger to make it. Shared your recipe with my sister and wha-la she did all the work. Thanks Judy this one is a keeper! And so is my sister…Lol
Soon as I saw this I had to pin it. I love recipes like this.
I’ve made this cake many times but I use vanilla extract. This cake is so moist & tastes great. The recipe I use doesn’t have the caramel sauce.
Oh Judy! This looks divine. I have an old recipe for this cake in my files somewhere from years ago too, but mine didn’t have the sauce to top it off. Love that – pinning this!