Cake Baking and Serving Size Guide

One of the struggles we often encounter during events is the slicing of cake! It is challenging to slice it evenly and neatly.

If you are sharing this same sentiment with us, keep on reading this cake serving size guide because we will give you the recommended slice size for cakes. That way, you won’t need to worry about not having enough or having excess cake anymore!

Different cake shapes and sizes

To start, let us discuss these basic shapes and sizes for cakes. You probably have seen some of these at parties or any occasion. Nevertheless, let us give you further information.

Round

Round-Cake

Our first kind of cake is a circle or round one. Many cake shops offer this for birthday parties and events. It is much more aesthetically pleasing and elegant compared to other shapes. Hence, why they are used for tier cakes for weddings.

The standard size of round cakes lies between 8 to 9 inches. But commonly, you will find other variations from 6 inches as the smallest to 12 inches as the biggest. 4-inch round cakes often called mini cakes or smash cakes, are also gaining popularity.

Bundt

Bundt-Cake

If you ever see a bundt cake, you’ll notice that it is somehow similar to a round cake. It is circular, but the difference is it has curves and a hole in the center. Some people may say that it looks like a donut.

Similar to round cakes, bundt also has different sizes. The standard size for this shape is 10 to 12 inches. Meanwhile, mini bundt cakes are only 4 to 5 inches in size.

Rectangular

Rectangular-Cake

Rectangular or sheet cake pans vary in four different sizes. The smallest measures 7 x 11 inches, while the largest is 12 x 18 inches. Between these sizes, you can buy or make a rectangular cake with 9 x 13 inches and 11 x 15 inches.

Technically, rectangular cakes will yield more slices because of their bigger size. For the same reason, it is much more expensive than round cakes.

Square

Square-Cake

Square is another traditional shape for cakes. In fact, you can see a lot of sizes for square cakes, from 6 inches to 16 inches. While the standard size is 8 or 9 inches.

Cake serving size guide

Now that we have already introduced the basic shapes for cakes and their sizes. Let’s put them together with their cake serving number and size guide!

Note that we will only use a serving size for party and wedding occasions. All are also for one tier cakes only and are 4 inches tall (typically 2 layers).

Table 1: Round and bundt cakes

Round and Bundt cakes
Cake sizes Wedding Slices (4” x 1” x 2”) Party Slices (4” x 1.5” x 2”)
12” 56 40
10” 38 28
8” 26 20
6” 14 12
4” 8 8

Table 2: Rectangular cakes

Rectangular cakes
Cake sizes Wedding Slices (4” x 1” x 2”) Party Slices (4” x 1.5” x 2”)
12” x 18” 98 72
11” x 15” 74 54
9” x 13” 50 36
7” x 11” 32 24

Table 3: Square cakes

Square cakes
Cake sizes Wedding Slices (4” x 1” x 2”) Party Slices (4” x 1.5” x 2”)
16” 128 80
14” 98 63
12” 72 48
10” 50 30
8” 32 20
6” 18 12
4” 8 8

Remember that these data are only for your reference. You can always change the serving size for your guests! What’s important is you calculate the sizes accurately so you will know how many cakes you need to buy or bake.

If you need more information or a visual representation for cake serving guide, this video might be helpful:

What is the standard cake serving size?

No law states the actual size of a cake serving. But, as we did our research, the standard sizes for different events are almost the same.

You can serve 4″ x 1.5″ x 2″ cakes for small and intimate parties. This measurement could cater to 20 people at most if your cake is 8 inches. It is a reasonable serving, not too much and not too little.

Intimate gatherings are very personal. In that sense, you wouldn’t want to serve the significant people in your life inadequate cake serving, but instead, bigger portions.

On the other hand, for more massive occasions like weddings, a cake serving of 4″ x 1″ x 2″ is already enough. This portion is reasonable if you are on a budget and want all your guests to taste the wedding cake.

Lark cake shop also suggested a cake serving measurement you can use. They said that small cakes can be cut into 6 sq. inches or roughly about 2.5 inches. A more sensible size of 3 ½ sq. inches or 1.9 inches is also possible.

You can adjust these sizes to your liking. Some people even use 2″ x 2″ and 2″ x 1″ measurements. Just remember to consider cutting huge portions if you have a massive cake. Most of all, keep in mind the number of your guests.

Why is it essential to get the right cake serving size?

Why-is-it-essential-to-get-the-right-cake-serving-size

There are numerous reasons why you should follow the right or standard cake serving size. These are not suggested for nothing! Let us discuss them one by one.

The most apparent reason is the satisfaction you will get. If you slice enough portions of cake, you will be satisfied. Although some people will still have another round of cakes, the most possible is a single slice will already be enough.

Another utmost reason is the health benefits you will get. Indeed, cakes are made to satisfy our palate, but if we overeat them, we can put our health at risk.

As we all know, cakes are not suitable for people with diabetes because they are sweet! Too much sugar can lead to tooth decay and obesity, too.

If you are not yet aware, 24 grams is the ideal daily intake of sugar for women. Meanwhile, it is much higher for men, which is 36 grams. Can you imagine how the 55.14 grams of sugar from a single chocolate cake with frosting will affect your body? If not, then think about it now!

One more thing that we should be mindful of is the calorie content of cakes. We highly suggest that people who are on a strict diet be aware of this reason.

A 2″ x 2″ inch frosted cake has about 175 to 270 calories. Actually, this amount is not yet harmful since the recommended calorie amount per day is 2,500 (men) and 2,000 (women). However, if you don’t control your cake intake alongside other food with calories, you might surpass the suggested daily amount.

Take note, a reasonable serving size of the cake will never put your body at risk!

What is the right way to cut cakes?

There is no right way to cut cakes!

If you are slicing a cake only for your consumption, you can cut it in a way you are comfortable with. Square cuts are also a good option if you are wary of the size and how many you will get. But, if you like it to be sophisticated, you can do a wedge cut– like the one we always see in cake shops or cafes.

Cutting the cake is a skill, too, since this will determine how many slices you will get. Unfortunately, only some people are patient enough to learn that skill. So, if you are one of the impatient people who want to slice the cake fast but still even, check out this video:

The linked guide will help you make your own cake serving chart. That way, you will have an accessible pattern whenever you need to slice your cake!

5 Tips when slicing a cake

Before we end this blog, here are some tips you can follow or keep in mind if you are slicing a cake.

  1. The higher the cake, the thinner the slice. If your cake has more than 2 layers, don’t worry about slicing it slimmer than usual.
  2. Conventional cuts are not always appropriate. Again, if you like to yield more cake pieces, you can do it in squares instead of the usual wedge cut.
  3. Chill the cake first, but don’t overdo it. This tip is helpful, especially for cakes that have lots of frosting.
  4. You can use clean dental floss to cut the cake. If you don’t have a thin knife, consider using a floss. The slices will be cleaner and not thick.
  5. Mark the cake. When slicing your cake, it is ideal to mark your slicing direction first. This way, you are sure that it is even.

Final Thoughts

With this cake serving size guide, you can now slice your cake worry free! No matter what its size or shape. The possibility of having excess or leftover cakes will also lessen.

As we conclude this blog, we want to remind you again that this cake serving size guide is optional. Only use this as a sample or reference, do not contain the sizes of your cake within the numerical data we gave you!

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