Below is the reference chart I use to determine the tier sizes for all of my wedding cakes. I have always used this guide and have never had an insufficient number of servings. I shared a rather poor copy of the cake slice chart here in September of 2010. I knew it had to be available somewhere online, but I just couldn’t find it. Thanks to Angela from Sugar Sweet Cakes and Treats for sharing the link to the chart, and thanks to Wilton for providing the information.
A few notes: The baking times are for conventional home ovens. (Commercial convection ovens bake faster.) A 7″ round serves approximately 18 guests, and an 11″ serves about 48.
I hope you find this chart useful–and easy to find!
Hi Erica,
Thanks for sharing this. Do you ever recommend to the couple that they order a few extra servings, in case some guests want more cake? Or do you simply calculate the sizes of your cake tiers based on the guest count they give you during the consultation?
Needless to say, I am a follower of your blog and LOVE your work.
Thanks so much! I use the guest count to determine the number of slices. I also discourage them from saving the top tier for their first anniversary, since after a year in the freezer it tastes like, well, a cake that’s spent a year in the freezer. Instead, I encourage them to splurge on something special on their honeymoon, like a nice bottle of wine, and save it for their first anniversary.
Hi Erica,
Would you say your serving sizes on your chart would be for desert size or sample size??
Thanks
Holly
Hi Holly,
They are considered “wedding cake” serving size. Since wedding cakes are traditionally served after a big meal, it is supposed to be more symbolic than anything, so the portions are smaller than a birthday cake slice might be. Each slice of wedding cake is approximately 1″ wide by 2″ deep by 4″ high. Hope that helps!
Your chart states that a 10″ round cake provides 38 servings. Does that mean a 2-layer 10″ round cake will provide 38 servings? Or are you assuming a different number of layers? Thanks!
Hi Debbie,
Excellent question. I actually bake two 2″ high pans, and then torte them, so I’m left with four layers of cake (and three layers of filling). Wedding cake slice sizes, however, are actually based on the final height of the cake, rather than the number of layers. This chart is based on cake slices that are about 1″ wide, 2″ deep, and 4″ high. (The standard height for a wedding cake is 4″.)
Hope that helps!
Erica
Hi,I’ve just found your cake severing size and would like to know if the cake where between 6-8 inches in hight, how would you slice the cake?
As a rule, you should never layer cakes higher than 4″. After 4″, you’ll want to support the additional cake (I use dowels) and a board. A cake tier that is 8″ tall should actually be two 4″ tall cakes the same in diameter stacked on top of each other. For a 6″ tall cake, I would either do two 3″ tall cakes or a 4″ real tier and 2″ faux. Hope that helps!
Thank you for posting this! I’m just starting out at decorating, and have been asked to do a wedding cake-this chart is extremely helpful. Especially good to know is that wedding cake slices are smaller, so I don’t have to worry about making a HUGE cake for 150 people!
I noticed that the “link to the chart” on the Wilton page also includes the amount of icing needed for each size cake-very helpful information!
Thanks for this; Just wish I could pin it for easy finding in the future!
Thanks Katie. I’ll be posting a new chart with all the sizes soon for easy pinning.
Wilton’s chart now has the serving size for a 16″ pan as 78 slices which differs from what you have. In fact all of the pan sizes have less slices. I have read several comments about truth in serving slices and I am extremely confused. I am making my daughters wedding cake and I don’t want to run out of cake but I also don’t want to take it home. What do you suggest? Our guest list is for 200
Hi Vicki,
I think you’re looking at the Party Chart, which is different. Wedding cake slices are a lot smaller, since the cake is symbolic and is served after a large meal. Some areas of the country have larger serving sizes in general though, so you’ll want to consider the location and cultural expectations of the party. I have relied on the Wilton chart exclusively for years and have never gone wrong. Standard wedding cake slices are 1″ wide by 2″ deep and 4″ high. You can measure the surface area of the cake based on slices this size. Measure the diameter and divide by 2 to get the radius. Now multiply the radius by itself (r-squared) and multiply by pi (3.14). Divide by 2 and you have the number of servings.
Example:
8″ cake pan.
Diameter = 8
Radius = 4
Square the radius = 4 x 4 = 16
Multiply by pi = 3.14 x 16 = 50.24
Divide by 2 = 50.24/2 = 25.12 slices. I would round down to 25.
Good luck!