How many people does a 9x13 cake feed?
A single-layer 9 × 13 in cake feeds about 18 people with party-size slices, or 25 with small slices. Stacked two layers high, it serves twice that.
How to work it out
- 9 × 13 in sheet 36 × ½ = 18 servings (party slices, Wilton chart)
- Batter: 10 cups ÷ about 4 cups per box of mix = 3 boxes
The 9 × 13 in pan is the home baker’s sheet cake: one box of mix, one pan, one evening. It is the right size for a family birthday or a classroom — and it is easy to over- or under-count.
Adjust for your project
- With the other slice size
- 25 servings
- Batter to bake it (approx.)
- 10 cups
- Boxes of cake mix (at 4 cups of batter each)
- 3 boxes
By cake or tier
| Cake or tier | Party servings | Batter |
|---|---|---|
| 9 × 13 in sheet | 18 | 10 cups |
- Wilton’s chart is for cakes about 4 in tall. A single 2 in layer — how most sheet cakes are sold — gives half the servings.
Servings by slice size and height (cakes as above)
| Slice size | Servings | Batter to bake it (approx.) | Boxes of cake mix (at 4 cups of batter each) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party slices | 18 servings | 10 cups | 3 boxes |
| Wedding slices | 25 servings | 10 cups | 3 boxes |
Wilton’s 36 versus the 18 you will actually get
Wilton’s chart lists a 9 × 13 in pan at 36 party servings and 50 wedding servings — for a cake 4 in tall, which means two layers. Baked in one pan, a 9 × 13 cake is about 2 in tall, so by Wilton’s under-3-inch rule it gives half: about 18 party slices (cut 3 rows by 6, roughly 2 × 3 in) or 25 small ones. Twelve big squares is also common at home, and that is a generous slice.
| Cut | Pieces | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 3 × 4 | 12 | about 3 × 3¼ in — a big slice |
| 3 × 6 | 18 | about 3 × 2 in — Wilton party slice, one layer |
| 4 × 6 | 24 | about 2¼ × 2 in — small |
| 5 × 5 | 25 | about 1¾ × 2½ in — wedding-size, one layer |
One box of mix, one pan
Betty Crocker’s cake mix box lists a 13 × 9 in pan as one of its standard bakes, so one box makes one single-layer 9 × 13 cake. Wilton’s chart allows more batter — about 10 cups for a full 2 in deep layer in this pan — so a one-box cake comes out a little thinner than Wilton’s, and the calculator’s batter figure is on the generous side for a box-mix cake.
- For 24 people, bake two 9 × 13 cakes, or cut one into 24 small squares with ice cream alongside.
- For a class of 30, two 9 × 13 cakes cut 3 × 6 give 36 pieces.
- Frost in the pan and cut at the table — it travels better than a turned-out cake.
Bigger crowd: how many people does a half sheet cake feed. Cupcakes from the same box: how many cupcakes does a box of cake mix make.
Different size? Use the full Cake Serving Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Sheet cake pan (12 × 18 in)Mid-range price
A 12 × 18 in pan, 2 in deep, bakes a half-sheet cake for a big birthday or office party.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Round cake pans (6, 8, 10 in)Mid-range price
A graduated set of 2 in deep rounds builds most two- and three-tier cakes. The serving charts assume 2 in deep pans.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How many servings in a two-layer 9x13 cake?
36 party servings or 50 wedding servings, by Wilton’s chart.
How many people does a 7x11 cake feed?
About 12 party slices as a single layer.
How many 9x13 cakes for 50 people?
Three single-layer 9 × 13 cakes give 54 party slices — enough for 50 guests, 4 spare.
Other common sizes
- How many people does a half sheet cake feed — about 36 (one layer, party slices)
- How many servings in an 8 inch round cake — 20 party or 24 wedding servings
- How many servings in a 2 tier cake — 50 wedding servings (6 + 10 in rounds)
Sources
- Wilton — Cake baking and serving guide (opens in a new tab) — Party (about 1½ × 2 in) and wedding (about 1 × 2 in) servings for 4 in high cakes by pan shape and size; 3–6 in high cakes give the same servings, under 3 in half; batter per layer.
- Wilton — Wedding cake guide (opens in a new tab) — Wedding servings for 2-layer tiers; an average 2-layer cake mix yields 4 to 5½ cups of batter; fill pans ½ to ⅔ full.
- Wilton — How to cut a round cake (opens in a new tab) — Cut a circle 2 in in from the edge, slice the ring into about 1½ in pieces, repeat, and cut the 6 in center into 12 wedges.
- Iowa State University Extension (AnswerLine) — Graduation party tips (opens in a new tab) — A half sheet cake serves 24–50 and a full sheet (18 × 26 in) 48–100, depending on 2 × 3 in or 2 × 2 in pieces. (Iowa State’s guide gives the half sheet as 13 × 18 in; this site uses Wilton’s 12 × 18 in half-sheet pan.)