Cake Servings & Tier Calculator
Plan a tiered cake for any guest count. Pick round or square tiers, sizes and heights, choose wedding or party slices, and see the servings for each tier and the whole cake.
Free to use. No sign-in, no email and no card. Your numbers stay in this browser.
Your servings
- Serving style
- Your tiers
- Guest count
How servings are counted
By default the calculator uses Wilton's published serving chart for the round and square sizes it lists. The chart is based on 2-layer cakes 4 in. high (it lists the same counts for 3 in. high cakes), with party slices of about 1½ × 2 in. and wedding slices of about 1 × 2 in. For example, it lists 24 wedding or 20 party servings for an 8 in. round.
Sizes the chart doesn't list (such as 5, 7, 11, 13 and 15 in., or a 4 in. square) use the slice-area estimate instead, and each one is labelled as an estimate in your results.
The slice-area method divides each tier's top area by the area of one slice, using the dimensions shown (1 × 2 in. wedding, 1½ × 2 in. party), and rounds down. It gives 25 wedding or 16 party servings for an 8 in. round. Its numbers can differ from the chart's, most of all for round party slices.
Tiers from 3 in. up to about 6 in. tall get the same count by default. For extended (about 6 in.) and double-barrel (about 8 in.) tiers you can choose to count standard-height servings (× 1.5 and × 2). Whether those extra servings are realistic depends on how you cut and portion a tall tier.
References
Wilton: Cake serving chart (slice sizes and published counts) · Wilton: How to cut a round cake
Frequently asked questions
How many servings are in a tiered cake?
Add up the servings of each tier. Each tier depends on its shape, size and slice size: Wilton's serving chart, for example, lists 24 wedding or 20 party servings for an 8 in. round. This calculator adds up each tier and the total for you.
What is the difference between wedding and party servings?
Wedding slices are smaller, about 1 × 2 in., because cake is usually one of several desserts. Party slices are about 1½ × 2 in. The same tier gives more wedding servings than party servings: Wilton lists 56 wedding and 40 party servings for a 12 in. round.
Do round and square tiers serve the same number of people?
No. A square tier has more cake than a round tier of the same width, so it gives more servings. Wilton's chart lists 32 wedding servings for an 8 in. square, compared with 24 for an 8 in. round.
Does a taller tier give more servings?
By default, tiers from 3 in. up to about 6 in. tall get the same count, with taller slices. For extended or double-barrel tiers you can choose to count standard-height servings instead (× 1.5 or × 2). Whether that's realistic depends on how you cut and portion the tier.
How many extra servings should I plan for?
That's up to you and your client. Some bakers add a few extra servings for vendors or second helpings, and some don't. Enter a percentage in Extra servings and the calculator adds it to the guest count.
Why don't these numbers match every serving chart?
Charts use different slice sizes and cutting methods. By default this calculator uses Wilton's published counts where Wilton lists the size, and a labelled slice-area estimate where it doesn't. You can switch to the slice-area method for every tier. Confirm the final count with the way you'll cut the cake.
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