Wedding Cake Sizing Options
Cake Layers -
As we dive into the serving sizes and guest counts for different sized cakes, it is important to understand how they are designed. Wedding cakes are cut in a much different format from traditional birthday cakes. Later on this page we will review cake cutting and slice counts, based on tiers and layers.
A single tier cake is generally made up of multiple layers. Layers describe each cake section itself. A single layer cake is cooked in a pan and can stand alone as a single, or is generally set on top of a second cake layer with a thin coating of buttercream or filling in between. These two cakes create a “2-layer” cake.
More substantial sized cakes can have 3 or even 4 layers within them. Usually a maximum of 3 layers is cut into for each serving. However, if there are more than 3 layers, each serving is “halved” so that there are two sections of 2-layer servings for each 4-layers of cake.
Cake Tiers-
Adding different sized cakes on top of others creates multiple tiers. Wedding cakes become quite substantial in size as multiple tiers are placed on top of one another. Each tier of a cake has a different serving count based on the size of the pan.
Cakes can be stacked directly on top of one another and we use dowels inside of them to help stabalize the additional tiers on top. These cake stabilizers will reduce the total cake serving count some, but it is a minimal reduction across the entire cake’s total slice count.
Cake Pan Sizes-
Cake pans come in a range of sizes from 4″ for very small cakes sizes and go up to 16″ for very large serving options. In addition, cakes can be round or square. This wide range in sizes and shapes can help accommodate a wide range of guest counts. For extremely large weddings (over 350 guests) sheet cakes can be prepared from the same flavors to help add servings to an order.
These diagrams help indicate approximate guest counts for each sized cake. This is based on a 2-layer or 3-layer standard. As mentioned above, if a 4-layer tier is utilized, often times it is sectioned into two 2-layer cakes, essentially doubling that tier’s total slice count.
PLEASE NOTE: Cake is heavy. Stabilizers must be used to help secure the cake from toppling. These stabilizers will affect total slice count to some degree. However, even with stabilizers, there are some tiers upon tiers that are frowned upon. We will guide you with a best practice as you begin to design your cake with us and we have alternative presentation ideas that may help you meet your serving count, and still avoid a very tall and unstable cake.
