If you’re looking to bake or order a cake, you should look into popular cake sizes. Then, you can make sure you choose the right size and shape to feed yourself and any of your guests. Read on to learn about different cake sizes.
Round Cake Serving Sizes
Round cakes are popular, especially for weddings and other parties. You can cut into them like a slice of pie or pizza, so it’s easy to keep the pieces relatively uniform.
Now, you should think about whether you’ll cut small or large pieces. Pieces smaller than two inches are good for weddings. However, you may cut pieces that are larger than two inches for other parties.
Consider some of the following round cake serving sizes.
| Pan Size (inches) | Party Servings | Wedding Servings |
| 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 7 | 12 | 22 |
| 8 | 15 | 24 |
| 9 | 22 | 32 |
| 10 | 30 | 38 |
| 12 | 45 | 56 |
| 14 | 65 | 78 |
| 16 | 90 | 100 |
Round cakes are perfect for everything from birthdays to weddings. You can combine different sizes to make a tiered cake or use multiple of the same size for a more simple design.
Square Cake Serving Sizes
While not as common as round cakes, square cakes are another great option. They can be a useful base for creating a unique cake design. After baking, you can cut the cake and readjust it into a new shape, such as a triangle.
Like with round cakes, different square cake sizes will produce more or fewer servings. Keep that in mind whether you want to serve the cake as-is or cut it into a unique shape.
Here are some popular sizes and how many servings you can get out of each.
| Pan Size (inches) | Party Servings | Wedding Servings |
| 6 | 12 | 18 |
| 8 | 24 | 32 |
| 10 | 35 | 50 |
| 12 | 50 | 72 |
| 14 | 80 | 98 |
| 16 | 90 | 128 |
Cutting a square cake will be more similar to a sheet cake. You probably won’t get triangular slices, but you can still serve the cake for you and your guests to enjoy.
Sheet Cake Serving Sizes
Sheet cakes are another popular type of cake, and you can choose from a few different sizes based on how much cake you want to bake. In many cases, you’ll serve a single-layer cake, but you could put smaller sheet cakes on top of larger ones.
Like square cakes, you’ll cut into these across, rather than like a pie. However, that can make it easier to get the right size and shape of a slice that you want.
Consider the following size options for sheet cakes.
| Pan Size (inches) | Party Servings | Wedding Servings |
| 7 x 11 1/8 | 20 | 35 |
| 9 x 13 1/4 | 48 | 56 |
| 11 x 15 | 70 | 80 |
| 12 x 18 (half sheet) | 108 | 120 |
| 18 x 26 (full sheet) | 108 | 135 |
Sheet cakes are a great choice for many events and occasions. The nice thing about them is that you can keep the icing the same by just using it on top. However, you can also remove the cake from the pan and add more icing to the sides.
Most Popular Cake Pan Sizes
Whether you want to create your own recipe or follow an existing one, you may wonder what cake pan sizes to use. Of course, a recipe will tell you. However, if you haven’t chosen one, you should consider what pan sizes to add to your collection.
Here are some of the most popular cake pan sizes for each type.
Round Cake Pans
The most popular size for round cake pans is 8 or 9 inches, which can give you 15 to 32 servings. You’ll find that a lot of boxed cake mixes have instructions for either or both sizes.
Pans in these sizes are easy enough to find at the grocery store. Plus, you can find both reusable and single-use round cake pans that are eight or nine inches in diameter.
Square Cake Pans
Square cake pan sizes are very similar to round cake pan sizes. The most common size in this category is either the 8 by 8 or 9 by 9-inch pan, and you can get 24 to 32 servings.
Like round cakes, you may find directions for cooking this size on many boxed cake mixes. A good mix will typically fill two of these square cake pans.
Sheet Cake Pans
Sheet cake pans are great, but some of the larger ones can feel unwieldy. The most popular size for this type of pan is the 9 by 13-inch variety, which produces 48 to 56 servings.
You’ll almost always find directions for this size on boxed cake mixes. That makes this size a good option to have in your kitchen.
How to Choose the Right Cake Size and Type?
As you compare cake sizes, you may wonder what size and type you should use. Keep the following factors in mind when choosing the best cake pan for your next baking project.
Start With the Recipe
Of course, if you’re baking with a recipe, you’ll need to use the cake pan the recipe calls for. It should tell you the size and shape you should use.
Baking is like a science, so you want to follow the instructions as closely as possible. That way, you can make sure the cake will cook through while it’s in the oven.
Now, some recipes will give you a few options for cake pans. In that case, you can choose the one you prefer.
Review Your Cake Pan Collection
If you can choose from a few pans, look at your collection. Consider if you have certain sizes and shapes or if you’d need to go buy some.
You can always buy more cake pans, which is a good idea if you bake often. However, if you rarely bake, you may want to stick with what you currently have.
Alternatively, you could look for a single-use cake pan in the size and shape you need. Then, it won’t take up space in your kitchen after you use it.
Consider the Occasion
Another thing to think about is what you’re baking a cake for and if a size or shape would make more sense. If you’re baking for a large party, you may want to use larger cake pans.
On the other hand, if the cake will just be for you and a few friends, keep it small. Adjust your recipe accordingly so that you can make enough cake.
You should also consider if you want to make tiers. That’s easiest to do with round cake pans, but you could also make a pyramid with square pans.
Think About the Servings
Not only should you consider how many people will eat the cake but how many servings you want in total. The exact number will depend on how big the cake is.
However, you should also think about how big the individual servings will be. Smaller servings are more common for weddings and other formal events.
When baking for a more casual party, though, you might serve larger pieces. In that case, you may need to bake a bigger cake.
Don’t Forget Other Treats
If you’re baking cake for an event, consider if you’ll serve other sweet treats. For example, many people like to have some ice cream with their cake.
But maybe you’ll also offer candy or other sweets to your guests. In that case, not everyone will have a slice or as big of a slice of cake.
You could get away with baking less cake when you have other desserts for people. On the other hand, if cake will be the main dessert, bake more of it.
Along with that, consider if you’ll serve other food, such as lunch or dinner. If the cake is the only thing people will eat, you might want to offer more.
Decide If You’ll Want Leftovers
You don’t have to eat all of the cake the same day. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a piece of leftover cake the day after a big party. Also, a lot of married couples save a piece of cake to eat on their first anniversary.
Either way, you may want to decide how much of the cake to keep after the event. Then, you can make sure to choose a larger cake pan.
Alternatively, you could use a couple of smaller pans so that you have a cake with multiple tiers. If you know you’ll want leftovers, set some of the cake aside before you start serving it.
Combine Different Sizes
Some of the best cakes have multiple layers. Sure, you can use multiple layers of all of the same size, which is common with birthday cakes, for example.
However, maybe you want a tiered cake for a wedding or a similar event. In that case, you’ll want to choose a few different sizes that all work together.
One of the best options is to go with round pans that are all even-numbered in diameter. Then, you can increase the size by two inches each time. The cake will look better than if it increases by one inch then two inches, and so on.