Cake serving chart: round, square, sheet and tiered cakes

Two slice sizes, one height

Wilton’s chart assumes a cake about 4 inches tall — two 2 in layers with filling — and two serving sizes. A party serving is about 1½ × 2 in; a wedding serving is about 1 × 2 in. Cakes 3 to 6 in tall give the same number of servings (the slices are just taller); cakes under 3 in give half. The last column below is that half: what a single-layer cake serves.

Round cakes

The 8 in round is the standard birthday cake: 20 party servings if you cut it in rings, Wilton’s way, but only 8 to 12 if you cut wedges from the middle. The difference is explained in how many servings in an 8 inch round cake.

Square cakes

Sheet cakes

This is the table that causes most confusion. A “half sheet” from a bakery or grocery store is usually one layer, so a 12 × 18 in half sheet serves about 36 party or 49 wedding slices, not Wilton’s 72 and 98 for a two-layer cake. Iowa State Extension’s figure of 24 to 50 for a half sheet fits a single layer cut large or small (Iowa State lists its half sheet as 13 × 18 in). Two one-layer half sheets give about 72 party slices; a one-layer full sheet about 78. Details in how many people does a half sheet cake feed and how many people does a 9x13 cake feed.

Heart and hexagon cakes

Tiered cakes

A tiered cake serves the sum of its tiers. Common two-tier wedding cakes: 6 + 8 in rounds give 36 wedding servings, 6 + 10 give 50, 8 + 12 give 80. Three tiers of 6, 8 and 10 in give 74. If the couple saves the top tier, leave it out of the count. Worked example: how many servings in a 2 tier cake.

How to cut for the full count

• Rounds: Wilton cuts a circle 2 in in from the edge, slices that ring into pieces about 1½ in wide, then moves in another 2 in and repeats; the last 6 in center is cut into 12 wedges.
• Squares and sheets: start 2 in from one edge, cut across, and slice that strip into 1½ to 2 in pieces; repeat. Wilton says the same method works for 9 × 13, 11 × 15 and 12 × 18 in sheets.
• Tiers: remove each tier and cut it separately on a board.
• Use a long thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped between cuts.

Batter for each pan

Wilton also lists batter per 2 in layer — for example, about 4 cups for an 8 in round, 6 cups for a 10 in round and 16 cups for a 12 × 18 in sheet. An average two-layer cake mix makes 4 to 5½ cups of batter, by Wilton’s wedding cake guide. Cupcakes from the same box are covered in how many cupcakes does a box of cake mix make.