I'm going to be doing my first ever paid for cake this weekend for an event on Monday. It needs to be 120 servings. Not dessert-sized; smaller to have after the meal (I think it's called wedding serves in US?!)
Anyway, I looked at various serving guides and decided (with the client) on 10" and 8" round both about 4" high. And I think this will really suit the design as well.
However, I just read another thread on here where someone said that a 10" and 8" cake would serve 66. Please tell me this is dessert servings and I'm not going to completely under-cater this event?? 
Wouldn't you know that the first paid cake I do will also be the biggest and the most difficult design-wise?!
So, I'm over here biting off more than I can chew. Anyone want to join me? 
Any help/advice/reassurance would be warmly welcomed!!
TIA
A wedding sized cake serving is 1" x 2" x 4". This Wilton site tells you how many servings for each size of cake. An 8"/10" cake serves about 62. It does sound like you need a much bigger cake for 120 servings.
http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-wedding-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm
I hope that helps. Don't worry, though. Just break it down step by step, stay organized, give yourself enough time to get it done with a little time to spare and you'll be okay. Good luck!
You do need a bigger cake. If you add a 12" tier to your cake, you'd end up with 118 servings.
Another idea would be to do a kitchen cake in addition to the main cake, to make up the extra servings.
If you are looking at Austrailan/UK charts, then what you are looking at is coffee portions/finger slices, that is 1in x 1in x height of cake, usually only used for fruit cakes (which are v.rich and therefore can be served smaller). If you are serving mud/sponge type cakes, you really need it to be no smaller than 1x2xheight of cake (as it is difficult and messy to try to serve smaller than that). If you need a tiered cake for 120 1 x 2 portions, firstly, you will need to extend the cake to 3 tiers (as I think your ovens are smaller like ours in Europe, so can't bake huge diameters - right?) - and then a 8, 10 & 12in round cake will give you 120 servings.
HTH!
MikeRowesHunny
LOL - no, our ovens are large enough to take a standard 12 - 14 inch cake tin.
Yes, we call that size *Coffee Portion* like in the UK.
Smaller than what is served in the USA - from what i have seen on their charts.
Bluehue.
Yes, ours too, but in the US domestic ovens are often big enough for 16in+ inches 
! The biggest I can get in mine is 14in and that's a squeeze.
However, I just read another thread on here where someone said that a 10" and 8" cake would serve 66. Please tell me this is dessert servings and I'm not going to completely under-cater this event??
Possibly your cake would go down well at a weight watchers event?
That is way too small even for coffee slices. You need to pretty much double it or make a kitchen cake.
OK, this is the serving chart I use:
http://www.weddingvenuesandservices.com.au/tips.ews?tips.ewdid=1
This gives you 130 treat size portions (1"x1"x height) and I've used this chart for a couple of weddings and it has been enough cake (with leftovers actually).
What type of cake are you making? I do mud cake with ganache and thats so rich you don't need a big piece - but if it's a lighter cake you would probably want a bigger slice.
With all these conflicting replies, I'm even more worried.
It's a rich chocolate mud cake (dense texture) so I think it would hold up to being cut 1"x1"xheight (4") and that's what I used as the guide to calculate the servings. And I also think that would be enough for a coffee portion because it is a rich cake.
Perhaps I'll do a 6" to go on top, just to be sure. Although the client said she didn't want a 3 tiered cake as she thought it would look like a wedding cake. I think I'll give her a call and see what she thinks - she's a friend.
Thanks for your replies,
Emma
But then they do the Thanks Giving Turkey's in their ovens - and you know how huge they can be -
Don't think our Christmas Turkey's grow that big - lollllll
Bluehue.
I think everything is bigger in the U.S. the turkeys and well, all the "turkeys" if you know what I mean lol
With all these conflicting replies, I'm even more worried.
Perhaps I'll do a 6" to go on top, just to be sure. Although the client said she didn't want a 3 tiered cake as she thought it would look like a wedding cake. I think I'll give her a call and see what she thinks - she's a friend.
Emma
I think you shouldn't bother since she already told you she doesn't want 3 tiers, just do as you have planned and make an extra kitchen cake then add that when you begin to serve.I think an extra 10 '' will do.
For more info on this cake:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-655292-.html
hth
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