A cake serving calculator for wedding and party cakes
This cake serving calculator tells you how many slices a cake gives before you order it. Build the cake tier by tier — round, square or sheet, any size in inches or centimetres — choose wedding or party portions, and it adds up the servings, compares them with your guest count and draws a cutting plan for every tier.
Two numbers are shown for each tier. The chart column is the figure bakers quote from the Wilton serving chart for standard pans; the cutting plan column is geometry this tool works out for any size, so a 7-inch round or a 25 cm square gets a sensible answer too. If you are short, it suggests round tier combinations that would feed everyone.
How to use the Cake Serving Calculator
- Pick the slice size: wedding (1 × 2 in), party (1.5 × 2 in) or your own.
- Choose a starting cake in Start from, then change any tier’s shape, size or height — or add and remove tiers.
- Type the number of guests to serve; tick “Save the top tier” if it is going in the freezer for your first anniversary.
- Read the total, the per-tier table and the cutting plan. Switch Count with to “Cutting plan only” to see the geometry for every tier.
- Press Copy summary to send the plan to your baker.
Cake Serving Calculator features
Wedding and party portions
Standard 1 × 2 × 4 in wedding slices and 1.5 × 2 × 4 in party slices, or any custom slice.
Round, square and sheet tiers
Up to six tiers, each with its own shape, size and height, in inches or centimetres.
Chart and geometry side by side
Wilton’s published figures where the pan is in the chart, and a cutting-plan count for every size.
Cutting diagrams
Rings and slices for rounds, strips and cross-cuts for squares and sheets, drawn to scale.
Tier suggestions
When the cake is too small, the smallest round combinations that cover your guests.
Standard cake serving sizes
Wedding and party portions differ in footprint, not height. Both assume a tier about 4 inches (10 cm) high — usually two 2-inch layers with filling. The chart notes that tiers 3 to 6 inches high give the same count and tiers under 3 inches give half; this tool also doubles extended tiers over 6 inches, because bakers usually cut those as two stacked portions (check with yours).
| Portion | Slice (width × length × height) | Metric (approx.) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding | 1 × 2 × 4 in | 2.5 × 5 × 10 cm | Dessert after a meal; cut by the venue |
| Party | 1.5 × 2 × 4 in | 4 × 5 × 10 cm | Birthday or office cake as the main treat |
Cake serving chart (4 in high tiers)
Figures from Wilton’s Ultimate Cake Serving Chart (wilton.com, read 19 October 2026), the chart most bakers in the US and UK quote. For sheet cakes it lists 7 × 11 in (24 party / 32 wedding), 9 × 13 in (36 / 50), 11 × 15 in (54 / 74) and 12 × 18 in (72 / 98).
| Pan | Round: party | Round: wedding | Square: party | Square: wedding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 in (15 cm) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 18 |
| 8 in (20 cm) | 20 | 24 | 20 | 32 |
| 10 in (25 cm) | 28 | 38 | 30 | 50 |
| 12 in (30 cm) | 40 | 56 | 48 | 72 |
| 14 in (35 cm) | 63 | 78 | 63 | 98 |
| 16 in (40 cm) | 77 | 100 | 80 | 128 |
How the cutting plan works
For a square or sheet, the cake is cut into strips as deep as the slice length (2 in), and each strip is cut across at the slice width. An 8-inch square gives 4 strips of 8 one-inch slices: 32 wedding servings, exactly the chart figure — and the same method reproduces every square in the chart for both portion sizes.
A round is cut the way caterers do it: a circle 2 inches in from the edge, slices of the right width round that ring, then the next ring, and the small core in wedges. For an 8-inch round that is 18 slices from the outer ring plus 6 from the core — 24, matching the chart. Party counts for rounds come out a little below the chart, because the chart allows for practical cuts; the tool shows both so you can choose.
Cake Serving Calculator FAQ
How many servings is a 3-tier wedding cake?
A classic 6, 8 and 10 inch round cake, 4 inches high, gives about 74 wedding servings (12 + 24 + 38). With 6, 9 and 12 inch tiers it is about 100. Use the cake serving calculator above to try your own sizes.
What size cake do I need for 100 guests?
For wedding portions, rounds of 6, 10 and 12 inches (106 servings) or a single 16-inch round (100) are enough; 6, 8, 10 and 12 inches gives 130 with room to spare. For party portions you need more cake — try 8, 12 and 14 inches.
What is the difference between wedding and party portions?
A wedding slice is 1 × 2 inches across and the full height of the tier; a party slice is 1.5 × 2 inches — 50% more cake. Wedding slices are smaller because the cake follows a full meal.
Does a taller cake give more servings?
Not in the chart: tiers 3 to 6 inches high count the same, because the slice simply gets taller. A tier under 3 inches counts as half. Very tall (double-barrel) tiers are usually cut in two layers, which this tool counts as double.
Does the top tier count?
Only if it is served. Many couples keep it for their first anniversary — tick “Save the top tier” and it is left out of the total.
Are these numbers exact?
No. They are planning figures for a neat, consistent cut. Slices at a buffet are often bigger, so order a little extra if guests serve themselves.