Which Cake Size Should I Bake/Order for my Birthday?
You can get your delicious cakes in various shapes and sizes. The number of guests
decides the size and shape of your cake. If you choose a square-shaped cake, then it
yields more pieces than a round or heart-shaped cake. Like a square-shaped cake,
the hexagonal or octagonal cakes can also be cut into many pieces.
If you are pretty unsure about the sizes of cakes, then do not panic. We are here to
help you with all. Come on, let us start exploring everything related to the “Size of
cakes.”
What is the Standard Size of a Cake?
The standard size of a cake depends on the shape and size of the pan. There are
varieties of pans like a round cake pan, square pancake pan, rectangular baking dish, tube cake pan, a loaf pan, a pie plate, etc.
Pans like a Loaf Pan are used to make bread, a Pie Plate is used to make a delicious
pie, and a Square Pancake Pan is used to make pancakes.
Let us have a look at the most common shapes and their standard size. Before we
start, you should know the below conversions:
⦁ 1 inch = 2.54 cm
⦁ 1 cup = 240 mL
Now, let’s jump to the standard sizes of pans of different shapes
Round Cake Pans
6×2 inches = 4 cups
8×2 inches = 6 cups
9×2 inches = 8 cups
Square Cake Pans
8×2 inch square = 8 cups
9×2 inch square = 10 cups
10×2 inch square = 12 cups
Rectangular Cake Pans
11×7 inches = 10 cups
13×9 inches = 14 cups
Springform Cake Pans
9x 2.5 inches = 10 cups
10×2.5 inches = 12 cups
Bundt Cake Pans: (volume varies because of various designs)
10×3 inch = 10-12 cups
Tube Cake Pans
9×3 inches = 12 cups
Jelly Roll Cake Pans
1 inch tall
10×15 inches = 10 cups
12×17 inches = 12 cups
Loaf Cake Pans: (about 3 inches tall)
8×4 inch = 4 cups
9×5 inch = 8 cups
What Size Cake Do You Need for Your Birthday Party?
What if sometimes there are guests left to serve the cake, but the whole cake is
exhausted? Or, there is a large quantity of cake left and gets stale while it is kept in
the fridge? We hope that you won’t feel good about either of the conditions. This is
the reason why having an idea about the size of the cake matters.
If you are unaware of how to decide on a cake size for your birthday party, let us
assist you.
The most crucial factor while deciding the size of a cake is the number of guests.
Remember, while counting the number of guests, the final number should be 3-4
more than the actual number. This is so because you never know if someone asks
for more or you have some uninvited guests at your doorstep.
So now, talking about the size of the cake that you need for a birthday party. The
round cake and the Sheet cakes are the most commonly used and preferable ones
for your party. This is because they are easy to cut into equal pieces.
For a Round cake, you can have your cake size between 5 inches to 12 inches. To get
a better idea, you can understand that a 12 inches cake can serve up to 25 people.
On the other hand, three 10 inches cakes can serve 50 guests at your birthday party.
If your party is even bigger, you will require a minimum of 6 cakes of 10 inches each.
Coming to the Sheet cake, there was not much but a light change in the serving size.
A sheet cake is made on a rectangular baking dish. There are three categories of a
sheet cake: Quarter sheet cake, Half sheet cake, and Full sheet cake. Quarter sheet
cakes are 9×13 inches in dimensions. It can serve up to 20 people. A half sheet cake
is 11×15 inches in dimensions and can serve up to 40 people. Lastly, a Full sheet
cake can serve about 80 guests, with measurements being 18×24 inches.
Cake Serving chart Guide
Below is the cake serving chart that will help you a lot in choosing the most
appropriate cake. The round, square, heart, sheet, and diamond are the most
common and preferable birthday cake shapes.
Hence, we have discussed the serving of these categories in the below table. We
Hope our chart helps you.
| Pan Shape | Size | Birthday Party Servings |
|---|---|---|
| Round | 4 inches | 8 |
| 6 inches | 12 | |
| 8 inches | 20 | |
| 9 inches | 24 | |
| 9" | 28 | |
| 10 inches | 40 | |
| 12 inches | 63 | |
| 16 inches | 77 | |
| Square | 6 inches | 12 |
| 8 inches | 20 | |
| 10 inches | 30 | |
| 12 inches | 48 | |
| 14 inches | 63 | |
| 16 inches | 80 | |
| Heart | 6 inches | 8 |
| 8 inches | 18 | |
| 9 inches | 20 | |
| 10 inches | 24 | |
| 12 inches | 34 | |
| 14 inches | 48 | |
| 16 inches | 64 | |
| Sheet | 7x11 inches | 24 |
| 9x13 inches | 36 | |
| 11x15 inches | 54 | |
| 12x18 inches | 72 | |
| Diamond | 10.25x7.4 inches | 12 |
| 15x11 inches | 20 | |
| 19.25x14.25 inches | 42 |
