Vanilla Wafer Cake
Tender and moist, each morsel of this Vanilla Wafer Cake recipe with coconut and pecans is so delicious!
Made in a bundt or tube pan this easy cake makes a beautiful presentation for your holiday meal or nice family gathering.
If you enjoy wafers in this recipe you may also enjoy them in our Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes.
An Easy Cake Recipe With Nilla Wafers
The prominent flavor in this cake is vanilla wafers. Nuts and coconut add a nice accent to every bite. We enjoy the accent that nuts and coconut provide in this cake where they are the primary flavor in our Coconut Cake.
This made from scratch vanilla wafer cake recipe is unique because it uses ground up vanilla wafer cookies in place of flour. Like our Sherry Cake, it’s an old fashioned dessert recipe with an enjoyable taste that is timeless.
After testing, we like this recipe the best. Serving with whipped cream, maraschino cherries, caramel sauce, or a fruity syrup to enhance the flavor are possibilities.
Vanilla is one of my favorite flavors from our Homemade Ice Cream to our Spiked Root Beer Float. Using vanilla wafers and adding some real vanilla creates a brighter flavor than a traditional yellow cake.
Ingredients Needed:
- Box of Nilla wafers or store brand vanilla wafers
- Granulated sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Milk
- Unsweetened coconut
- Pecans
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Soften butter, but don’t fully melt.
Use a food processor to crush vanilla wafers. Ensure there are no large pieces remaining.
Using an electric mixer and a large bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar together.
Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix again.
Then add milk and mix well.
Once these ingredients are mixed into a liquid batter add fine crumbs of Nilla wafers.
Pour finely chopped pecans and coconut into the batter and fold in by hand.
Grease a bundt pan well just before you’re ready to pour in the batter. Be sure to get the center and sides of the pan very well.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees f for 60 – 70 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. If there’s not very much on the cake it is almost done.
Let cake rest for 10 – 15 minutes. Use a butter knife to loosen the cake around the edges and then flip onto a serving dish or wire cooling rack to continue cooling.
Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Ensure that vanilla wafer cookies are all finely and uniformly ground. I typically crush crackers in a bag with a rolling pin, I always use a food processor for this recipe.
- Anywhere from 5 to 7 ounces of coconut works well, depending on how much you like coconut.
- Wait to grease bundt cake pan until right before pouring batter in so that the spray doesn’t all run to the bottom. I have not found a benefit to flouring the pan, but if you have a system that works keep stick with it!
- Finely chopped pecans blend in to the batter and create a more even flavor.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Cake stays fresh longest when stored in an air tight container. This vanilla wafer cake recipe freezes well in a freezer bag. Defrost for 24 hours in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
This dessert is always a hit with crowds!
More Easy Cake Recipes:
- Earthquake Cake take a look if you’ve never seen one!
- Our Pumpkin Cream Puff Cake is a rich and creamy dessert that’s perfect for fall.
- Carrot Cake with Baby Food has a surprise ingredient that saves so much time at Easter.
- We also found this Pineapple Vanilla Wafer Dessert that looks perfect for summer.
Vanilla Wafer Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup milk
- 12 ounces vanilla wafers crushed
- 7 ounces unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs and vanilla beat well.2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup butter, 6 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Pour in milk and beat.1/2 cup milk
- Add crushed vanilla wafer crumbs and thoroughly combine.12 ounces vanilla wafers
- Stir in coconut and pecans, then mix well by hand.7 ounces unsweetened coconut, 1 cup pecans
- Generously grease a tube pan. Pour into tube pan and bake for approximately 55 – 65 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run knife around edges. Invert and remove from pan to a wire rack to completely cool.
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