Have you ever been puzzled about ordering the right size cake for your party? It’s a common dilemma! Recently, at a double birthday celebration, a well-meaning mom ordered two 12-inch cakes for 50 guests, based on bakery recommendations. The result? Loads of leftover cake, with only about ¾ of one cake being eaten. While extra cake might sound good, it can be wasteful and a hassle if you’re unsure what to do with it all. Sometimes, bakeries focus on quantity over quality, tempting customers with seemingly generous portions that are actually excessive.
When it comes to cake serving charts, the information out there can be incredibly confusing. You’ll find charts suggesting an 8-inch cake serves anywhere from 8 to 28 people! Some charts differentiate between “party portions” and “wedding portions,” adding to the confusion. But let’s be real – a slice of cake is a slice of cake, right?
So, let’s get down to the real question: how many servings does an 8 inch round cake truly provide? The answer, of course, depends on how you cut it. It’s not just about the size of the slice, but also the method you use to cut the cake.
This image illustrates how the number of slices from an 8-inch cake changes dramatically depending on the slice size. These examples show slices that are approximately 4 inches high.
Personally, I prefer the middle slice size shown in the image, which allows an 8-inch cake to serve around 20 people. While the smaller slice on the left might seem adequate to some, I believe in offering a more generous portion to ensure guests are satisfied and no one feels like they’re missing out. The large slice on the right? That’s just too much in my opinion. It’s likely to lead to waste, with many people unable to finish such a large piece, and it can look overwhelming on a plate.
The way you cut a round cake also significantly impacts the number of servings you’ll get.
Some people cut a round cake as if it were square. While this method can yield a higher number of slices visually, I’m not a fan. You end up with uneven slices – some tiny, others large – and some pieces get an excessive amount of frosting or fondant from the cake’s edges. Although this approach might suggest 26 servings, in reality, many of these slices are quite small, and I would still only realistically count about 20 generous servings from an 8-inch round cake using this method if aiming for reasonable portion sizes.
My preferred method for cutting round cakes is using concentric circles. For this technique, start by cutting a circle about 2 inches in from the outer edge of the cake. Then, cut slices that are approximately 1.5 inches thick within this circle. For an 8-inch cake, you’ll typically get two concentric circles of slices. On larger cakes, you can create even more circles. As you can see in the image below, this method ensures that all slices are roughly the same size, minimizing waste and providing consistent portions for your guests.
Based on 1.5” x 2” x 4” slice dimensions and using the concentric circle cutting method, here is my recommended round cake serving chart:
I’ve often found that I can even get a few more slices than indicated in this chart, especially because my cakes are typically taller, around 4.5 inches in height.
I hope this guide helps you confidently determine the right size cake and servings for your next event!
Best,
Renata
