Mama Reed’s Vanilla Wafer Cake
Sometimes I post things and it actually worries me that you might live your life without trying a particular recipe. Like my Chicken Stew, Apple Dapple Cake, or Banana Pudding. Well today I’m adding Vanilla Wafer Cake to that list. 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 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 for to use in her own kitchen.
Mama Reed was known for her cakes and her large scale baking. Of course back then they didn’t think of it that way, she had ten kids so small scale baking was certainly out of the question. During the winter when family was expected to visit, Mama Reed would start baking cakes a few days ahead of time and due to space constraints in the house, she’d set them out on tables on the screened in porch covered in towels to keep for the few days until company arrived. This cake is sturdy but very moist and would no doubt have been carefully set out along with the best of them. My mother says this is a great cake to take places as it is more stable than others so it travels very well. It can also sit under a cake dome for a week and still be moist. Trust me, the only way we know this is from the times Mama made more than one!
My parents have a large house on the Tennessee river with one of the best views you’ve ever seen. They often have friends come to visit for the weekend and this is the cake she makes every time. Its great to have on hand as a dessert, quick coffee treat, or filling snack. I love desserts that are filling and not too sweet but sweet enough.
Okay so basically, I am assigning this cake as homework because I just know you’re are going to love it. Now y’all know I have a teaching degree (Home Ec) that I’ve never got to put to good use so I’m gonna get my fork ready and my red pen out and wait on your to turn in your assignments!
You’ll need: eggs, coconut, milk, vanilla wafers, sugar, and nuts
(we use pecans -pronounced puh-kahns)
Place vanilla wafers in a large sealable bag and crush them with the rolling pin or any other stress relieving device.
Mama and I think this rolling pin was the one which belonged to my great grandmother, Lela. There is a funny story about that.
You see, Lela had this rolling pin (perhaps the one above) which she had used for years, as long as my mother and her sister could remember. After Lela passed away, both my mother and my aunt asked my grandmother about possibly having “Granny’s” rolling pin. My Grandmother is uniquely practical (sometimes in rather humorous ways) and not wanting to disappoint, she went to an antique store and bought another one just like it, thereby having a rolling pin to give to each daughter.
They didn’t realize this until years later when Mama mentioned something about having Granny’s rolling pin and her sister looked quite confused as she said that she was the one who actually had Granny’s rolling pin. Upon talking to my Grandmama she said “Weeeeellllll now, I hated for one of you to have it and not the other so I just bought an extry”.
Gotta love my family…
Crush your vanilla wafers like this.
Beat up your eggs well and coarsely chop your pecans, then toss all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well blended, about two minutes should be more than enough.
Until it looks like this.
Now if y’all don’t dip a spoon in that and take a bite then something is wrong with you!
Pour into a greased and floured tube pan.
(I just dip a paper towel into some shortening and smear it all over the insides of my pan, then 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.
Oh my goodness gracious, don’t we all just love Mama Reed now?
Serve to happy people! (If they weren’t happy before, they will be now!)
This is AWESOME with coffee….or a Diet Dr Pepper…or a glass of tea…..or water…..or…well, you get my point.
Mama Reed’s Vanilla Wafer Cake
Ingredients
-
- 6 whole eggs
- 3.5 oz can of coconut (if you use bagged sweetened flaked coconut, just use 1 cup - don't use frozen)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 12 ounce box vanilla wafers (Mama says don't use generic ~eyeroll~ I'll do a "no comment" on that one coz y'all know what I do...)
- 2 C sugar
- 1 C chopped nuts (we use pecans)
Instructions
- Beat eggs well. Crush vanilla wafers. Mix wafers and all other ingredients into eggs. Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin
Ingredients
- 6 whole eggs
- 3.5 oz can of coconut (if you use bagged sweetened flaked coconut, just use 1 cup - don't use frozen)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 12 ounce box vanilla wafers (Mama says don't use generic ~eyeroll~ I'll do a "no comment" on that one coz y'all know what I do...)
- 2 C sugar
- 1 C chopped nuts (we use pecans)
Instructions
- Beat eggs well. Crush vanilla wafers. Mix wafers and all other ingredients into eggs. Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Print This Recipe
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For more stories about Mama Reed, please visit some of her other recipes below
(views of the Tennessee from my mother’s house can be seen on the Rice Pudding post)
Mama Reed’s Southern Style Rice Pudding
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Dear friends,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your wonderful comments. Comments are everything to me when it comes to Southern Plate, absolutely everything. When you comment, you give me a chance to “meet” you, to know you’re out there. You turn this into a conversation for me rather than just me talking to the wind and I can’t tell you how much they mean to me. For each of you who take the time to read Southern Plate, thank you so very much. For each of you who take the time to comment, that thanks goes double!! I just love y’all, I really do!
Gratefully,
Christy 
“I really don’t think God wanted me to be skinny!” ~Thea Pappalardo
“God made too many good foods and too many good cooks!” ~Colleen Sowa
Conversation eavesdropped between two members of Just a Pinch recipe club. Permission to quote obtained by moi…(Debbie Strum)
Thank you for submitting this on our Give A Penny Page, Debbie Strum!
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Feb 20 2009. Filed under Cake, Southern Classics.
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I saw this recipe, showed it to my mom, and she practically threatened me, saying that if I didn’t make this cake for her, she’d kick my butt.
So I guess you’ll see this recipe on my blog soon, with credits to you and Mama Reed, of course.
This is one of my favorite cakes, my mother use to make this cake all the time. She passed away last year, and that is how I found your web sight, looking for the cake recipe.
Oh my, this looks wonderful!
Definitely going to try soon….Like run to walmart and try now…
I made this cake and it was AWESOME!!!! I do HAVE to get me a rolling pin though, I thought it would be easy to bust up those vanilla wafers so I didn’t bother with the food processor but WOW, a rolling pin would have been SO much help!! Luckily my coworker and I travel around the state with our jobs and he is an antique person so I told him to keep an eye out for one. Last month I asked him to look for a milk can and he came back with one the VERY NEXT DAY!!!
You could also use a glass to crush the wafers. That’s what I do and it works out great!
Wow, you know this is a winner when your hubby wakes you up asking for ingredients so HE can run to the store and get the stuff to make this cake. He told everyone about it last time I made it and carried this buddies at work a piece.
I have made a cake very similar to this, actually it is the identical recipe with the exception that it has 2 sticks of butter in it and the eggs and butter must be creamed together first. It is a great tasting cake, but yours has no butter or oil and if I can have great taste and less calories, I will go for your recipe! I searched the internet and found Vanilla Wafer Cake several times, but always with butter. Does you recipe really not have butter or oil?
Thanks!
My Mississippi mother has been making this cake for my entire life. I am so tickled to see it here! It is one of my favorites. I could eat the entire thing.
yes yes the cake I’m sure is wonderful but what I want to know is ..Is that a “McCOY” pottery piece sitting beside the cake? I love that little kitty
I collect McCoy cookie jars.,
Thanks
Merry Christmas
Marian
My husbands family are from the southern part of Virginia, right on the Tennessee and North Carolina border. They are still very “old school” about certain things. His Greatgrandma still cooks ALL her meals on a wood burning stove! Even on the hottest day in July! We used to get this cake sent to us from another relative from down there every Christmas, except this one so I decided to make it myself. Oh, here in West Virginia we pronounce it pee-CONS! LOL
Dear, Dear, Christy! I sing your praises wherever I go! Love your blog and family. I have loved this Nilla Wafer Cake for all the years I have been making it and it is still just as good today!! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us all again and to the newcomers you will love this cake as it is rich, satisfying and delicious! Enjoying in Texas!
Oh, Just made another Double Batch of Mama Reed’s Tea Cakes for my husband’s and our granddaughter’s birthdays this week. Cut out the letters of their names and decorated them the Mama Reed way and also their ages 6-0 and 1-0. It’s a good recipe. Love it for special occasions: recitals, parties, holidays, birthdays, etc. Yum!! Thanks.
saw several variations of this recipe on another site. their recipes call for butter or shortening. yours does not. is that accurate or was something left out? this is my first visit to your site and i must say i love it!! you have a talent for writing. am looking forward to the publication of your cookbook. thank you for the splenda recipes. my husband being recently diagnosed with diabetes and all.. have subscribe d to your site!! thank you again.
I love receiving your e-mails and all the recipes. The Vanilla Wafer Cake is a favorite – both to eat and the memories it elicits.
This was one of my mother’s (now deceased 16 years) specialties back in the 60s and 70s before she became ill. I can taste it now!
We lived in a little town in AR and she worked for the post office for 30 years, so she knew everyone and everything about them.
She felt a homemade cake could cure anything!
Thanks for the recipe and for sharing. No one around here has ever heard of it, so I guess I’m just going to have to make one!
I am a huge fan of your recipes! Thank you!
I was wondering if i could substitute the coconut for something else?…I’m not a coconut person.
Thanks again!
Hello! I just came across this recipe and would love to make it for my family. But, my kids and husband don’t like pecans (no matter how you say it!). Can I leave those out? Will the cake still hold up?
By the way, I made your chicken planks the other day and they were so good! I will never make fried chicken another way! I love your site!
Just made this for my Sunday School tomorrow. I have a convection oven, so it only took about 40 minutes. A little tiny piece stuck to my pan so I had to taste it, you know it is my duty, can’t give something bad to the Sunday School. Oh my goodness this cake is pure delight. Sweet to the max, no frosting needed or wanted. Yummy. Hope they like it as much as I did my tiny bite, why couldn’t a bigger piece have stuck? Keep the recipes coming.
Did you forget about the buht-tuh?
Well, upon second reading, the recipe that was given to me calls for 2 sticks butter/margarine! Seems like the wafers would have enough fat in them…
I can not believe I have lived my whole without trying this cake before now. Who needs butter or oil? This cake (or sweet bread?) was soooo good and so moist. Please tell your mama that I went to two different stores so that I wouldn’t have to buy generic wafers. The taste was definitely worth the travel. Thanks so much! Tomorrow I’m making the pintos beans recipe. Thanks!
I just baked this cake and had to have a slice (hunk) even before it cooled. It is delicious and so easy to make. We also love your Apple Dapple Cake. Honestly, every thing I’ve made from your recipes has turned out great. Thanks Christy.
A dear friend recently shared her treasured recipe for Vanilla Wafer cake; she said her husband ran over the bag of wafers with his pick-up to crush them! Anyway, I was relieved to see the picture of how they should look on your website! I am making this for our group of Water Aerobics Women, who get together once a month to celebrate birthdays…it’s my turn to host and make the cake! LOVE Southern Plate.
OK, Christy…which is it….buht-tuh or no buht-tuh????
I make this all the time and everybody loves it but I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. It always crumbles!! I can never get a nice pretty slice, it always crumbles towards the inside of the cake/slice. Can somebody help me?? THANKS!!
I had a patient’s daughter make this for her one day and she told me I HAD TO TRY IT..NOW, I did and I was hooked for life but I lost my recipe and I wanted to cry but then I found your site and am soooo happy to have it back! It is so easy and a crowd pleaser everytime! I have made a modification (gasp!) I half the nuts and add in white raisins…yummy!
Oh you have saved my life! My mom called needing to know what was in Nilla Wafer Cake. I canNOT find where she put her copy of the recipe and I googled to see if anyone had it. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
What can be substituted for the nuts? I have a friend that is allergic to nuts, but want to try this cake, it sounds wonderful!
You can just leave them out altogether with no problems. Hope this helps!
I grew up eating this cake. I agree with your Mamma. Generic vanilla waffers just aren’t as good. In fact my Mamma made this cake with Jackson Nilla Waffers ONLY. (The original receipe came off of the back of a Jackson Nilla Waffer bag.) Using anything else would be considered sacrilege. I did get her to unbend enough to put in mini-chocolate chips. DEVINE!
Yummmy!
I was at the ER with my son when i heard all the staff going after this lady about an amazing cake she had made. She said it was a vanilla wafer cake with no flour. I luv to bake so im all ears. Im like no flour! WOW I gotta try this one. Everyone was asking her the recipe so u know i had to pull out sum paper and my pen. I just had to stop by the store on my way out to pick up what i need. lol but I also had to get online and see if there was a recipe by the name. And sure it was. Im on my way to the kitchen to bake me and the kids a vanilla wafer cake.
It says to beat your eggs, but looking in your bowl, they hadnt been touched.
Just wondering.Johnny
Stands to reason to show the eggs unbeaten with all of the other ingredients, then say “beat the eggs”, then show it all mixed up together! LOL! Very simple! And to the comment earlier that your recipe said to beat eggs first . . . . we all know that Christy just dumps it all in there and goes from there! That’s how I roll, too!
And this cake is wonderful!
Christy, Can you use the spray for your cake pan for this ? I like the convenience of using the one with flour in it. Also years ago I got a recipe that I keep ready in my refrigerator. It is 1/3 cup Crisco shortening, 1/3 Cup Crisco Oil, & 1/3 cup all purpose flour. Blend together until smooth. I just dip in with a paper towel and cover my pans.
Thanks Dorine! Gotta remember this!
I actually made this cake for Christmas last year and it was a big hit. Even though my all-time always favorite cake is Red Velvet, this cake is by far my next favorite of all time. It did stay moist and it did last a couple of days after Christmas because I was mean and did not share that much of it. I figured they should have eaten all of it Christmas Eve and whatever was left was mine. Thanks for sharing it this morning – it reminds me to add it to my Easter meal list.
Love the attitude, Beverly! I ration out all sweets around here and I have a hunch I’m gonna soon be referred to as the ‘Sweet Natzi’! …Now that I think about it…that doesn’t SOU”ND too bad! ~snickers
Hi Christy!! I hit the print button for the recipe and when it went to the print page….no recipe??? I tried a couple of times…no luck….no problem though…I did it the “old fashion” way and wrote out a recipe card!! Thanks for the recipe. I love Nilla wafers…can’t wait to try this.
Alice
Austin, TX
It’s TX Independence Day!!!! Proud to be a TEXAN!
So here’s the deal…Nanner Puddin’ …Mama Reed’s Vanilla Wafer Cake…both need vanilla wafers…one will have to wait until next week…lately,I’ve been having a ‘love affair’ with my bundt man…OOPS,… I meant PAN (I think…) …and yet it’s been a while since I’ve make Nanner Puddin’…I just LOVE this kind of dilemma…~snickers~
*sigh* I have such a backlog of your recipes to try… guess one more won’t hurt!
Just as I’m ready to make banana crumb cake, I see this post. Now I can’t decide which to make. Problem solved-I’ll do both!
OH MY That sounds so-o-o good ,going to try it this Sunday when I’m home. I’m working 7:30 am to 7:30 pm everyday, but I have Sunday off. Can’t wait…I’m already counting the days…making a mental check list of everything I’ll need…
hmmm got an error trying to reply – hope this doesn’t come through twice…
You had me at “kissing cousin of the apple dapple cake”…oh how I love THAT cake! So, as all good students do, I will be making this cake TODAY. I have always tried to be teachers pet!
When I go to print recipe it goes to a page with no recipe and no other options to print. Help?
I’ll be home soon and see if I can fix it
Thanks!
Fixed! Thank you for letting me know Tammi. I have to hand code each recipe to make it printer friendly and I thought I had this coded right – but I do now!
Your apple dapple cake has made all my friends just love me. Now I have to make this one immediately, so I can keep them thinking so highly of me!
This must be a very old recipe because my mother always made this at Christmas time. Several years ago, I also started this practice & my daughters remembered it from their granny. I also served it at a christmas party this year & had to share the recipe. My favorite cake!
Oh, my goodness, this brought back sweet memories of my Mom sitting her cakes out on the screened-in poarch at Christmas. There were always 3 big cakes–German Chocolate, Orange Date Cake and of course, Fruit Cake.
Hi Christy, I’m new to your site and I’m lovin it , I’m from your neck of the woods, so all the recipes are just wonderful to me and to everyone else from everywhere, that you’re bringing good ole southern food to them to fall in love with, But it seems the question remains to beat the eggs or not to beat the eggs? ( Isee you din’t ) To But-ah or not to But-ah ? Giggles and laughes , I will go by your recipe as you wrote it, unless I hear otherwise. i will be buying your recipe book too, very soon . You GO Girl, keep up the good works !!
I just ordered your cookbook from Amazon because the library would NOT renew it for me again.
Can’t wait to get it!!!
Looks like “yummy in the tummy” to me!
Looks so good – - – oh how I wish I could have this but I have a major egg allergy! : (
Christy, this recipe looks so yummy. I have saved it. I was wondering if this glaze would work on this cake to make it look pretty?
Glaze for Cake
½ cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 ½ cups water
1 tbsp. vanilla
In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in sugar and cornstarch; add water.
Cook, stirring occasionally until sauce comes to a boil about 5 to 7minutes. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Pour sauce over cake to serve.
With only 1/3 cup of sugar, would it be too sweet?
Did we miss the butter or does your cake not call for it?
Thanks.
My husband’s grandmother made this cake and added maraschino cherries to the batter – so very good! She has Alzheimer’s and lives in a nursing home now. Whenever I see this cake or any type of pound cake I think of her. She was such a very good cook. Thank you for sharing your stories of your family both past and present – I love reading your blog.
My husband’s grandmother made this cake all the time. She added in a well drained jar of maraschino cherries to the batter – so very good! She has Alzheimer’s and lives in a nursing home now. Every time I see this cake or any type of pound cake, I think of her. Thank you for sharing you stories about your family – both past and present!
Christy,
This recipe brings back so many wonderful memories! My mama (who passed away when I was 31) used to make this every Christmas. I continued the tradition after I got married. The neighbors loved the plates of treats we always took when it included Vanilla Wafer Cake. Our pharmacist raved over it when we took his “food gift” to him. I think it was his favorite, too. Thanks for the memories. I’m wondering if I have a box of Nillas in the pantry???? Have to go check! Blessings to you and yours, Pat
Can you leave out the coconut? No one in my family likes coconut so I was wondering if it changes the texture or maybe something else.
I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this, but you really ought to write a book about your family. Every time I read something you write it takes me right back to my childhood….and after the age of 50, going back sure seems safer than going forward! LOL I think you would do well…..especially with all of us who follow Southern Plate……sure would enjoy it!
Sharon
Hey Christy, now ya have me in a fix, LOL, I was all set to make the banana cake, and I sign on and wouldn’t ya know here is this recipe with my favorites in it, coconut, pecans and Nilla wafers, LOL. So guess since I”m the only one that likes coconut in this house, I’ll have to make both!!! So glad that the weather is getting warmer, I really need to do some serious walking to take off some of the cakes and such that I’ve enjoyed since I received your book! : ) The dishpan cookies were such a hit, everyone is begging me to make more!! So much to say, little time to do so, supper needs to get cooking!! Thanks again for all that you do, make my day complete reading your post!!
This is just the best cake! I don’t like overly sweet cakes and this one is just right! I’ve made it in the past and everyone loved it. Seeing the recipe makes me want to bake one again very soon! If you’ve not made this cake and are hesitant about it, don’t be. You won’t be disappointed!