How Many Cake Servings Do I Actually Need?
Get my advice for ordering the right size cake, because planning isn’t always a piece of cake! To make this super easy, we’re going to do this as a vintage style Cosmo quiz.
Grab your pen and mark down how many A’s, B’s and C’s you’re racking up!
1. What are you celebrating?
The type of celebration will help us determine the size of the cake serving. Think of the difference between a kid’s birthday party where the cake is the star of the show versus a wedding where a smaller slice of cake is served after a large meal.
A.) I’m getting married, and I’m in full planning mode!
B.) It’s my birthday! (we’re gon’ party like it’s my birthday ♫)
C.) I’m planning the *cutest* kid’s party.
2. Do your guests have a sweet tooth?
I know this seems wild to ask, but not everyone loves cake. My dad would rather have a second helping of mashed potatoes for dessert. If your guest list isn’t going to try one of everything from the dessert table, you don’t need as much cake.
A.) They’re more of a savory bunch.
B.) Just a small treat after a meal.
C.) All the sweets, they will be trying one of everything.
3. How do you feel about the size of this slice?
This one is pretty straight forward. The bigger the serving, the more cake you’ll need! The image above shows a small serving size that is 1″ thick x 2″ wide x 5″ high as a dessert wedding portion. Perfect for weddings, afternoon tea and coffee.
A.) Perfect! I hate an oversized cake slice.
B.) Can I get one just a *touch* bigger?
C.) Awkward. I was expecting double that size.
4. Are there any dietary requirements?
Considering dietary requirements ensures that everyone will enjoy dessert. However, this may mean you need some extra dessert options. I like to look for treats that are naturally gluten-free (like fruit), or get recommendations directly from your guests.
A.) Surprisingly, our guest list doesn’t have any dietary restrictions.
B.) We’ll need a few gluten-free OR vegan treats.
C.) We’ll need a little bit of everything: no gluten, egg or dairy.
5. Will you be serving food at the event?
If your guests will be filling up with a large meal right before dessert—a small cake slice will suffice. Some guests might even skip dessert all together. On the other hand, people know to leave room for cake when celebrating someone’s birthday.
A.) So much food! It’ll rival a Thanksgiving day meal.
B.) We’ll provide a light meal / tapas situation.
C.) We’re just here for the dessert.
6. Will there be other treats besides cake?
This makes things a little trickier. My gut says that you’ll need less cake if you have a full dessert table planned, but some guests might try one of everything. You’ll have to take into consideration the severity of your guests’ sweet tooth in this situation.
A.) We have an epic dessert table planned.
B.) There’ll probably be lots of candy involved.
C.) Cake will be the one and only dessert.
7. How will the cake be served?
Seems like an odd question, but it helps determine how much cake you’ll need. If each of your guests will be served cake, we better make sure we have enough for everyone! If dessert is more casual and is placed on a table for people to help themselves, we can get away with less.
A.) We’ll be saving it for a late night treat.
B.) Cake slices will be on a table for guests to help themselves.
C.) Everyone will be given a slice right after their meal.
Mostly A’s
A CAKE THAT WILL SERVE: HALF OF YOUR GUEST LIST
100 guests? Your cake should provide about 50 servings. Sometimes, you just don’t need a lot of cake. Sounds like you either have a meal that will rival a major holiday feast or your guests just aren’t that into sweets. In either case, your cake doesn’t need to do the heavy lifting. If you have an epic dessert table planned, the same rules apply. You’ll have so many options, that cake might not be on the top of everyone’s list. The bonus? This means that you can play with interesting cake flavours since you aren’t trying to appeal to the masses.
Mostly B’s
A CAKE THAT WILL SERVE: MOST OF YOUR GUEST LIST
100 guests? Your cake should provide about 75-85 servings. This is the most common recommendation for cake servings. If you’re having a meal at your event, not everyone will want to indulge in a piece of cake afterwards. This is especially true if cake slices will be on a table for guests to help themselves. They might be so busy socializing, they don’t even realize there is dessert available! By ordering cake for 75-85% of your guests, you’ll have enough cake without worrying about leftovers.
Mostly C’s
A CAKE THAT WILL SERVE: MORE THAN YOUR GUEST LIST
100 guests? Your cake should provide about 110 servings. In this scenario, the cake is the star of the show! Since you’ll be serving a slice to everyone, you’ll need to make sure you have more than enough. This option is perfect for birthday parties or weddings where the cake will be served as part of the meal. This is also a solid plan if you like your cake slices to be on the larger size. You’ll want to pick a cake flavour that appeals to most of your guests, like a classic vanilla or chocolate cake.
