Servings
Calculating serving sizes for cakes can be mind boggling and intimidating, this chart should help make it easier for you to figure out how much you will need to serve your guests. Specialty shapes are a little more tricky in getting the proper servings count, such as: heart, hexagon, number, letter cakes and sculpted cakes so please inquire with a guest count to get the right cake size.
This chart shows TRADITIONAL wedding servings cut at 1"x2"x4". Sheet cakes show one layer, no filling.
This chart shows TRADITIONAL party servings cut at 1.5"x2"x4".
This chart shows rounds cut at 2"x2"x4" servings.
Here is another way of seeing slices. Keep in mind that height can change on amount of layers(I do a standard 2 layer with filling or 3 layer with filling depending on the design of the cake). Standard finished layer sizing is usually 3.5"-5" tall(including filling).
These are "traditional" serving sizes that are standard in the cake industry....and what might be traditional to some is not always traditional to others, your family or for your event. My family loves cake and we like our portions bigger than the above sizes.
Adults eat larger portions than small children so knowing what type of guests you are having helps too. If you have a general idea of the slice size you would like to serve your guests you can calculate your portion sizes by the circumference of the pan sizes. Hope that helps!
Cake Cutting tips!
Here are some tips and some videos on ideas for cutting cakes!
UGH....why is cutting cakes, especially circle cakes, such a pain?!? Ya just want to throw the whole thing on the floor and do a angry dance on it! Well I'm here to help...here are a few good videos for cutting cakes..chose which works best, as well as is less stressful for you to get the most servings out of your cake!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJu-t3wgvc "You’re Cutting Cake Wrong | Rachael Ray Show"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdhPZ4C73gU "How to Cut Tiered Cakes | Karolyn's Kakes"
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=445031936311646 "Cake Cutting Hack" CREDIT: @katherine_sabbath on Instagram (my favorite video!)
It's always good to have a long bladed knife and a damp cloth to clean the blade after every few cuts, especially when you are cutting fondant cakes. Fondant build up can crush your slices if you have a lot of it stuck to your knife.
If you have a tiered cake, especially with different flavors, it's best to remove toppers and large decorations and then move each tier to their own plate/platter, removing dowels and any cake separators. Cakes are on their own cake pad/board and you can leave those at the bottom of the cakes to move the tiers around easier. Thick or inedible decorations should be easier to remove now and you can use the charts or videos to help you get the most out of your cakes! If you have any questions or need more help please send me a message!
By Dee