This cake serving guide with charts is a quick and easy way to reference how many servings you can get from different types of cake! With this guide you can plan the cake of your dreams for weddings or parties without worrying about having enough for everyone. From tiered cakes to sheet cakes and everything in between, we discuss it all!
Easy Cake Servings Guide (With Charts)
When throwing a party, you want to make sure that every single person gets to enjoy the delicious food. Especially dessert! If you choose single-serving desserts like cupcakes or cookies it is easy to know how many you will get from a batch.
However, when serving a cake, it is more difficult. That is why using a cake serving chart guide can be helpful.
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Cakes are typically made for significant moments, such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. If you are having a small and casual get-together, then you can approximate how many pieces you will get based on the slices you want to serve.
When it comes to larger and more formal events though, you need to be exact.
Using the cake guide below will help you do just that. Whether you choose a layered cake, a tiered cake, or a sheet cake – I’ve got you covered!
Each cake serving chart below will provide you with the exact number of servings based on the size of the cake and the size of the slice. Therefore, you can plan any event and know that every person will get to enjoy as many pieces of cake as you plan for.
How Many Servings Are In A Tiered Cake?
Since one of the biggest events that require exact cake serving sizes is a wedding, let’s begin with tiered cakes.
Whether you are making your own cake or trying to price a cake you want to buy this guide will help you plan the exact amount you need for your guests.
Before discussing how many servings are in a tiered cake though, it is important to understand what a tiered cake is.
What Is Considered A Tier?
A tiered cake is made up of at least two tiers that are stacked on top of each other. Each tier is anywhere from 4-6 inches thick.
The height of each tier is not important to the serving size. However, it is important to the aesthetic of the cake. Therefore, be mindful that if you are making your own cake - that the tiers will need to be the same height.
A tier can be created in one of two ways. A baker can use a standard round cake pan that is approximately 2 inches thick and stack two layers to equal one tier.
Another option is to use a tier baking pan. Tier baking pans are about 4 inches thick. Therefore, you only need to make one cake for each tier.
How Many Tiers Are In A Cake?
The number of tiers in a cake will vary. It depends on personal preference and the size of the guest list.
This is another reason why understating how many pieces of cake are in one cake is important. It helps you know how many tiers to make and what size.
To help you get started here are how many servings are in a round or square tier for six different cake sizes.
Cake Serving Guide Charts
These serving sizes are for 2-layered cakes with each slice of cake being between 1 to 2 inches thick.
- Party-sized cakes are 1.5 x 2" x 4-inches tall
- Wedding-sized cakes are 1" x 2" x 4-inches tall
Number Of Servings In A Round Cake
| Size (In.) | Size (cm) | Wedding Cakes | Party Cakes | Cups Of Batter | Baking Time (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6” round | 15 cm | 14 servings | 12 servings | 4 ½ | 25-30 mins |
| 8” round | 20 cm | 24 servings | 20 servings | 8 | 35-40 mins |
| 10” round | 25 cm | 38 servings | 28 servings | 12 | 50-60 mins |
| 12” round | 30 cm | 56 servings | 40 servings | 16 | 60-70 mins |
| 14” round | 35 cm | 78 servings | 63 servings | 22 | 65-75 mins |
| 16” round | 40 cm | 100 servings | 77 servings | 30 | 80-90 mins |
Number Of Servings In A Square Cake
| Size (In.) | Size (cm) | Wedding Cakes | Party Cakes | Cups of Batter | Baking Time (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6" square | 15 cm | 18 servings | 12 servings | 6 | 40-45 mins |
| 8" square | 20 cm | 32 servings | 20 servings | 12 | 45-50 mins |
| 10" square | 25 cm | 50 servings | 30 servings | 18 | 55-65 mins |
| 12" square | 30 cm | 72 servings | 48 servings | 24 | 70-80 mins |
| 14" square | 35 cm | 98 servings | 63 servings | 32 | 75-85 mins |
| 16" square | 40 cm | 128 servings | 80 servings | 44 | 80-90 mins |
*These serving sizes are based on each slice of cake being between 1 to 2 inches thick. You want each slice to be at least 1 inch thick, but no more than 2 inches thick.
Perhaps the serving size for wedding cakes seems small compared to the servings in a party cake. Consider that there are often additional layers of frosting in a tiered cake. Therefore, a 2-inch slice is perfect for most guests.
Popular Tiered Cake Combinations
Now that you know how many servings you can get from each cake it is time to plan your cake. To appropriately plan, you need a clear number of how many guests are attending the event.
With this number in mind, you can use the popular tiered cake combinations provided below to determine how many tiers you need. Moreover, what sized tiers are best to pair with one another for the best aesthetic and serving size?
Two Tiered Round Cake Combinations
- 6” (15 cm) = 12 servings
- 8” (20 cm =) 24 servings
36 Servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
62 Servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
94 Servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) =78 servings
134 Servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
- 16” (40 cm) = 100 servings
178 Servings
Three Tiered Round Cake Combinations
- 6” (15 cm) = 12 servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
74 Servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
118 Servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
172 Servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
- 16” (40 cm) = 100 servings
234 Servings
Four Tiered Round Cake Combinations
- 6” (15 cm) = 12 servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
130 Servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
196 Servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
- 16” (40 cm) = 100 servings
272 Servings
Five Tiered Round Cake Combinations
- 6” (15 cm) = 12 servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
208 Servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
- 16” (40 cm) = 100 servings
296 Servings
Six Tiered Round Cake Combination
- 6” (15 cm) = 12 servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 24 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 38 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 56 servings
- 14” (35 cm) = 78 servings
- 16” (40 cm) = 100 servings
308 Servings
As you can see, the larger the guest list the more tiers you will need. However, part of choosing a tiered cake is also about aesthetics.
Let’s say you love the simple look of a 2-tiered wedding cake, but you have a guest list of over 200 people. What do you do?
The best thing to do is to go with the aesthetic! Choose the cake that you love the look of. Then, add other cakes for serving. This can be done by baking extra sheet cakes.
Make the sheet cakes in the same flavor as the tiered cake but use them only for serving (not for presentation). This allows you to have the best of both worlds – an aesthetic cake and plenty of dessert for everyone.
Sheet Cake Servings Guide Chart
Sheet cakes come in three sizes: a quarter sheet cake, a half sheet cake, and a full sheet cake. For weddings, they are generally cut into 1" by 2" pieces.
Since these cakes are typically single-layer, I suggest going with a 2-inch slice. For parties, you may consider larger 2" by 2" or 2" by 3" pieces.
Number Of Servings In A Sheet Cake
| Sheet Cake Size | Size (in.) | Wedding Cake (1" x 2") | Party Cake (2" x 2") | Party Cake (2" x 3") |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter Sheet Cake | 9x13x2 | 54 servings | 24 servings | 18 Servings |
| Half Sheet Cake | 12x18x2 | 108 servings | 54 servings | 36 Servings |
| Full Sheet Cake | 16x24x2 | 192 servings | 96 servings | 64 Servings |
Number Of Servings In Other Shaped Cakes
While round tiers and sheet cakes are two of the most common cake shapes, they are not the only ones. More and more people are choosing square tiered cakes as well as hexagon tiered cakes and even hearts.
If a fun-shaped cake is more your speed, here are the serving sizes for some of the more common (yet uncommon) shaped cakes.
2 Tiered Square Cake Serving Sizes
- 6” (15 cm) = 18 servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 32 servings
Serves 50 people
- 6” (15 cm) = 18 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 50 servings
Serves 68 people
3 Tiered Square Cake Serving Sizes
- 6” (15 cm) = 18 servings
- 8” (20 cm) = 32 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 50 servings
Serves 100 people
- 8” (20 cm) = 32 servings
- 10” (25 cm) = 50 servings
- 12” (30 cm) 72 servings
Serves 154 people
2 Tiered Hexagon Cake Serving Sizes
- 6” (15 cm) = 12 servings
- 9” (22 cm) = 26 servings
Serves 38 people
3 Tiered Hexagon Cake Serving Sizes
- 6” (15 cm) = 12 servings
- 9” (22 cm) = 26 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 40 servings
Serves 78 people
2 Tiered Heart Shaped Cake Serving Sizes
- 6” (15 cm) = 14 servings
- 9” (22 cm) = 22 servings
Serves 36 people
3 Tiered Heart Shaped Cake Serving Sizes
- 6” (15 cm) = 14 servings
- 9” (22 cm) = 22 servings
- 12” (30 cm) = 38 servings
Serves 74 people
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We hope to have cleared up any questions you had on the varying types and sizes of cakes, as well as how many servings they include! Let us know in the comments below if you found this cake serving guide with charts helpful!
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