When you’re making a cake for an event, it’s important to make sure that the size of the cake is enough to serve everyone on the guest list. It can be overwhelming to calculate exactly how much cake you need, especially when most from-scratch cake recipes are written to yield a small party cake. This post should answer all of your questions about cake sizes, how to scale your favorite cake recipe to yield the perfect amount, and how to cut a cake depending on what kind of event it’s for.
![](jpg/sprinkle-ombre-funfetti-cake-slice-scaled.jpg)
Cake Serving Sizes
In the cake world, there are two main portion sizes: wedding servings and party servings. For weddings, cakes are generally sliced into rectangles that are about 4 inches tall (the height of the cake) x 1 inch wide x 1 inch deep. For cakes taller than 4 inches, wedding servings often get sliced into tall rectangles and then cut in half widthwise. Here are some examples to help you visualize:
![how to cut a wedding cake](jpg/wedding-cake-serving-chart-837x1024.jpg)
![wedding cake serving size](jpg/cake-serving-chart-1-784x1024.jpg)
Party servings are generally a little bit larger since party guest lists don’t tend to be as long as a wedding guest list. Depending on the size of the cake and number of people it’s planning to serve, a party cake may be cut into tall rectangles that are wider than a wedding serving (4 inches tall x 2 inches wide x 1 inch deep) OR cut into triangle-shaped slices that are about 2 inches wide. If the cake is taller than 4 inches, you might see the slices cut in half widthwise. Here are some examples of party cake slices:
![how to cut a party cake slice](jpg/party-cake-serving-chart-837x1024.jpg)
![coconut cake with coconut cream cheese buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow](jpg/coconut-cake-recipe-8-859x1024.jpg)
Calculating the Amount of Cake Batter You Need
Now that you know how cakes are sliced for different kinds of events, you can use the chart below to figure out what size cake you’ll need for your next event. Note that the cake batter amounts are included in the chart so you’ll know approximately how much you need per cake size. For reference on how much to scale your cake recipe per cake size:
- My recipes written for 3 layer 6-inch cakes or 2 layer 8-inch cakes = 6 ½ Cups of batter
- My recipes written for 4 layer 6-inch cakes or 3 layer 8-inch cakes = 9 Cups of batter
- 1 box of cake mix = 4 to 6 Cups of batter
![how to scale a cake recipe for pan sizes](jpg/how-to-scale-a-recipe-1-886x1024.jpg)
Note that the chart below has batter amounts for filling the pans ½ to ⅔ full. Any less full and you’ll end up with pancake-like cake layers and any more full and you risk the chance of the pan overflowing. It’s best to test the cake recipe you’re planning on using ahead of time just to see how much rise it has, especially if it’s for an important event. This way you’ll be totally prepared!
PS: If you need to figure out how much frosting to make for your cake, here’s a handy chart on buttercream quantity per cake size!
Cake Portion Chart
Use the chart below to plan out your cake size and calculate the amount of batter you need.
Round Cakes | ||||
Size of Cake | Number of Layers | Party Servings | Wedding Servings | Batter Amount Needed(½ to ⅔ full) |
4-In | 2 | 6 | 8 | 1 ⅓ to 1 ½ Cups |
4-In | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 to 2 ¼ Cups |
6-In | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 to 5 ⅓ Cups |
6-In | 3 | 12 | 15 | 6 to 8 Cups |
7-In | 2 | 13 | 18 | 5 to 6 ⅔ Cups |
7-In | 3 | 20 | 27 | 7 ½ to 10 Cups |
8-In | 2 | 20 | 24 | 6 to 8 Cups |
8-In | 3 | 30 | 36 | 9 to 12 Cups |
9-In | 2 | 24 | 32 | 8 to 10 ⅓ Cups |
9-In | 3 | 36 | 48 | 12 to 16 Cups |
10-In | 2 | 28 | 38 | 10 to 14 ⅔ Cups |
10-In | 3 | 42 | 57 | 15 to 22 Cups |
12-In | 2 | 40 | 56 | 15 to 20 Cups |
12-In | 3 | 60 | 84 | 22 ½ to 30 Cups |
14-In | 2 | 63 | 78 | 23 to 30 Cups |
14-In | 3 | 95 | 117 | 34 ½ to 45 Cups |
Sheet Cakes (3 inches tall) | ||||
9 x 13-in | 2 (torted) | 36 | 50 | 10 to 13 ⅓ Cups |
12 x 18-in | 2 (torted) | 72 | 98 | 15 to 20 Cups |
I hope this chart comes in handy when you’re planning out your next cake! I put some related posts below to help you even further. Let me know in the comments what you used this chart for and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me! I love to see what you create.
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