Think Wilton Servings Chart Is Fair?

Decorating By Angela93 Updated 6 Apr 2014 , 2:53pm by Katebaker

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Angela93 Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 1:12pm
post #1 of 48

Am I the only one who thinks the Wilton servings chart is rediculous? 1in x 2in peices?! do people really cut them that small?!?!! I'm making my first wedding cake and a quinceaneta cake in october and i want to make sure i get the right amount of servings but i really dont see the cake being cut into such tiny peices!!!! does EVERYONE go by this chart? anyone do their own sevings chart?

47 replies
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CakeandDazzle Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 1:24pm
post #2 of 48

I use the wilton chart... a 1x2x4 slice of cake i think is MORE then enough cake... people sometimes complain when they get the slice, i just say your more then welcome to get more, but they never do its a large slice.... people now adays have prtion distortion.... i only use it and can easily serve 12 people with one of my 6 inch cakes

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saberger Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 1:34pm
post #3 of 48

I use the chart that comes with Cake Boss as my reference.

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-K8memphis Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 1:50pm
post #4 of 48

It's been the industry standard for decades well before the homemaker cake movement got underway.

It's not a 1 x2 teensy cake bite rectangle. It's a 1x2x4 it's a four inch slice of cake. Fits nicely on a 6 inch dessert plate.

It's not family dessert time. It's a not a dinner meal of cake.

When you catch the first savvy hostess cutting your generous over sized servings in half or thirds to serve 100-150 from your "fifty" serving cake, you tend to catch on.

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Gingoodies Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 1:53pm
post #5 of 48

My rule of thumb is... if you are making a cake to be served at a banquet hall/restaurant, then yes the wilton chart is perfectly adequate. If the cake is going to be served at someone's home, then the wilton chart is not the one I use. Most people in a home setting do not cut a cake into even little slices. Wilton also has a "party" cutting guide and I would tend to use that for home settings.

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 1:54pm
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I think for a wedding/quinc where there will be tons of other food, or a full dinner before the cake, the Wilton wedding servings are perfectly adequate. Now, if the cake was to be the only food served (say at a punch & cake reception), then I would advocate using the party/dessert serving chart to get my pieces, BUT, I will still be charging for the equivalent wedding servings. I'm afraid that I'm not in the business of giving cake away for free!

I made wooden blocks showing the size pieces of cake, which I take to all my consultations, and most choose the wedding slice (1x2x4), and some who are serving the cake for dessert go for the party sized piece, but not that many. My cakes are rich, sumptuous flavours, filled at least twice, nearly all decorated with fondant for weddings - therefore a large piece is overkill and it would go to waste.

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Angela93 Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 2:03pm
post #7 of 48

ok... i see now! i looked at the cutting guide on indydebi's site after i posted this and i guess the slicess do look reasonable! and i guess no one really NEEDS a bigger peice! i didnt realize they had a different chart for parties. thats where i was confused! cause i know at all of our parties, there's no 1x2 in peices being cut!

thanks everyone! i definitely feel more comfortable about it all! i was so scared to make my first wedding cake and quinceaneta cake because i was afraid to make them too small or too big! luckily, they are both for family members so i will request to be the cuttericon_smile.gif

i'm really glad i posted this cause i would have made a cake for 500 when i only need it to serve 250 if i didnt!!!!

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wolken Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 2:12pm
post #8 of 48

Angela93, I do think Wilton size charts are absolutely ridiculous. And yes, it's reaaaaaally hard to cut a slice soooo thin and tiny.

I've found that determininig cake portions is one of the toughest things for me at my home cake business. And I'm still learning how to do it in a way that's fair both the customer and my profit!

But here's an idea of somebody from CC which I've found very useful and I've done it with all my baking pans no matter what shape or size they are. Don't go by the exact portions they drawed here, just the idea and then adapt it to your own needs.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1181193.html

I guess the clue to it all is to determine the height of your OWN cakes and then go on from there. For example, my cakes aren't so tall (2 1/2 - 3"), so I have to consider that when slicing the cake. Instead of a "tall" slice, you'de be getting a "wide" one with me.

Hope this helps.
Good luck

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__Jamie__ Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 2:17pm
post #9 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by wolken

Angela93, I do think Wilton size charts are absolutely ridiculous. And yes, it's reaaaaaally hard to cut a slice soooo thin and tiny.




icon_confused.gif Tiny and thin? Really?

Have not ever once in this biz ever had someone say my slices were tiny. I think people need to remember the days before 32 ounce Thirstbusters and Triple Big Macs. Seriously, I remember when Circle Ks started selling Thirstbusters. Holy cow, 32 ounces??? And now....that's practically a small soda.

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 2:47pm
post #10 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by wolken

Angela93, I do think Wilton size charts are absolutely ridiculous. And yes, it's reaaaaaally hard to cut a slice soooo thin and tiny.

I've found that determininig cake portions is one of the toughest things for me at my home cake business. And I'm still learning how to do it in a way that's fair both the customer and my profit!

But here's an idea of somebody from CC which I've found very useful and I've done it with all my baking pans no matter what shape or size they are. Don't go by the exact portions they drawed here, just the idea and then adapt it to your own needs.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1181193.html

I guess the clue to it all is to determine the height of your OWN cakes and then go on from there. For example, my cakes aren't so tall (2 1/2 - 3"), so I have to consider that when slicing the cake. Instead of a "tall" slice, you'de be getting a "wide" one with me.

Hope this helps.
Good luck




At 2.5in you are really only serving half a cake, so yes, your servings would be half that of a standard 4-5in deep slice. Wilton does have a different chart for 3in deep cakes that might be more of use to you.

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Motta Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 2:53pm
post #11 of 48

Earlene Moore did some research into the actual servings that yield from different size pans. She wanted to know if the Wilton serving chart was right and it turns out it was not. I've included the link to her serving chart.

http://www.earlenescakes.com/ckserchart.htm

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 2:57pm
post #12 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by Motta

Earlene Moore did some research into the actual servings that yield from different size pans. She wanted to know if the Wilton serving chart was right and it turns out it was not. I've included the link to her serving chart.

http://www.earlenescakes.com/ckserchart.htm




Not to contradict the great Earlene or yourself, but she's wrong. If you cut the cake like Indydebi does (in rectangles not the silly circle method), you get the right amount, and in a lot of cases, a few extra! I have never, ever been short using Indydebi's method (and it's much easier too!).

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indydebi Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:03pm
post #13 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by __Jamie__

Quote:
Originally Posted by wolken

Angela93, I do think Wilton size charts are absolutely ridiculous. And yes, it's reaaaaaally hard to cut a slice soooo thin and tiny.



icon_confused.gif Tiny and thin? Really?



People hear "one inch" and they think "paper thin. It's not. It's about the size of a folded over peanut butter sandwich. when I tell people that, they tend to respond with "Oh, that's fine!"

I cut all my wedding cakes this size and a number of people ask for "...a smaller piece, please."

Whether they are having other food or not is immaterial as far as you, the cake maker, is concerned.

KFC says 2 pieces of chicken is a serving. A 16 pc bucket serves 8 people. If you're serving chicken AND potatoes AND green beans AND cole slaw, this works out. But if all you're serving is chicken, then logically THE CLIENT needs to buy more chicken. You don't ask KFC for BIGGER (or more) pieces of chicken.

If you DO go by party AND wedding sizes, depending on the event, then be sure you're charging more for party servings, since they are getting more cake.

Wedding size: 1x2x4 = 8 cubic inchees.
Party Size: 1.5x2x4 = 12 cubic inchees .... 50% bigger.

So if your wedding price is $3/serving, then logically your party size will be $4.50/serving. And guess what? It all works out to be the same price for THE CAKE, so it's just a bunch of semantics anyway.

A coke is a coke, but a small coke costs less than a large coke.

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bellabakes Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:04pm
post #14 of 48

I too thought that 1x2x4 seemed tiny on paper and have even already agreed to do a cake with 2x2 slices but once I saw the blocks that MikeRowesHunny made to illustrate the sizes (thanks for that!! icon_smile.gif ) I don't think 1x2x4 is small at all... I'm posting the picture here so everyone can see. (hope thats ok with you mikeroweshunny!) They are of a 2x2x4, 1.5x2x4 and 1x2x4 : Thanks so much for making these and posting them!
LL

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:09pm
post #15 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by bellabakes

I too thought that 1x2x4 seemed tiny on paper and have even already agreed to do a cake with 2x2 slices but once I saw the blocks that MikeRowesHunny made to illustrate the sizes (thanks for that!! icon_smile.gif ) I don't think 1x2x4 is small at all... I'm posting the picture here so everyone can see. (hope thats ok with you mikeroweshunny!) They are of a 2x2x4, 1.5x2x4 and 1x2x4 : Thanks so much for making these and posting them!




You are more than welcome! If you can do this too, I highly recommend it as it really, really helps a lot of clients to be able to physically see the portion sizes rather than imagine them thumbs_up.gif

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bellabakes Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:12pm
post #16 of 48

I plan on it! As soon as I saw that picture I was like "Wow! That's a huge hunk of cake!" I love cake but I don't think I'd need that much..

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grandmom Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:32pm
post #17 of 48

Where can we see how indydeb does it, please?

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Caralinc Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:43pm
post #18 of 48

Yes, I am trying to locate indydeb's chart too, please. Thanks for anyones help in forwarding the link. icon_smile.gif

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Donnagardner Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:47pm
post #19 of 48

http://www.cateritsimple.com/id10.html

Here is a link to Indydebs way of cutting a cake.

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grandmom Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 3:57pm
post #20 of 48

Thanks for the link!

Dang, that indydeb is a smart one! Now to find a cake comb...

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 4:05pm
post #21 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by grandmom

Thanks for the link!

Dang, that indydeb is a smart one! Now to find a cake comb...




I bought mine on Ebay - it has a lovely ruby red bakerlite handle and is from the 1950s - gorgeous (and didn't cost me loads either!).

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PinkZiab Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 4:33pm
post #22 of 48

If you have trouble finding a "cake comb," search for "angel food cake cutter," as that is one of the intended purposes for a cake comb (cutting delicate cakes, such as angel and light sponges without crushing them).

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Angela93 Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 4:38pm
post #23 of 48

ok, so now that i'm ok with 1x2x4in slices, i'm trying to figure out how many servings would be in each of my round pans. anyone have a chart other than the wilton one? cause i'd like to use indydebi's cutting method...

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 4:52pm
post #24 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by Angela93

ok, so now that i'm ok with 1x2x4in slices, i'm trying to figure out how many servings would be in each of my round pans. anyone have a chart other than the wilton one? cause i'd like to use indydebi's cutting method...




Indy's method will get you the Wilton serving amounts no problem, so that's what I go by. HTH!

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grandmom Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 5:24pm
post #25 of 48

Found the cake comb! Thanks, pink, for putting me onto the angel food cake cutter. I kept coming up with cake decorating combs, don't want one. It wasn't expensive, just $5 plus shipping. Gonna spell this funny to keep it from getting the mysterious block... c h e f t o o l s dot com

There are a couple of vintage combs on ebay, some costly, one not so. Wish I had looked there first!

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mommyle Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 5:53pm
post #26 of 48

Just use your Word and make a circle. Then insert the proper number of lines to get the number of pieces that you need for that size. So, for instance, an 8" round, 4" tall serves about 24 ppl. So, make your lines from left to right 1" apart to start with. Then, startiing from the top, make lines 2" apart. This will give you too many pieces, but some of them will be VERY small, so erase the lines accordingly.

Did that make sense to anyone at all???? UGH!!!!

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grandmom Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 6:25pm
post #27 of 48

mikeroweshunny,

I'm so glad you mentioned ebay. I'd much rather have the vintage tool than the new one. Found a beautiful pristine cake breaker from the 40's or 50's, still in the box. This one has a yellow-gold color bakelite handle. Just a few dollars more than the new model, order for which has been cancelled.

As I said in a previous post on another topic.... powerless to resist a tool or gadget. Just can't help myself.

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MikeRowesHunny Posted 11 Aug 2009 , 6:33pm
post #28 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by grandmom

mikeroweshunny,

I'm so glad you mentioned ebay. I'd much rather have the vintage tool than the new one. Found a beautiful pristine cake breaker from the 40's or 50's, still in the box. This one has a yellow-gold color bakelite handle. Just a few dollars more than the new model, order for which has been cancelled.

As I said in a previous post on another topic.... powerless to resist a tool or gadget. Just can't help myself.




Just wait until you get that thing in your hand - you will feel it comes from a time when things were made to last (and it will)!

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beachcakes Posted 12 Aug 2009 , 12:36am
post #29 of 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeRowesHunny

I made wooden blocks showing the size pieces of cake, which I take to all my consultations, and most choose the wedding slice (1x2x4), and some who are serving the cake for dessert go for the party sized piece, but not that many. My cakes are rich, sumptuous flavours, filled at least twice, nearly all decorated with fondant for weddings - therefore a large piece is overkill and it would go to waste.




I loved bonjovibabe's wooden cake so much, I made some myself!! Thanks bonjovibabe/MikeRowesHunny!! It's very very helpful! It's in the gallery template section if anyone wants to see...

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beachcakes Posted 12 Aug 2009 , 12:41am
post #30 of 48

Oops! See what happens when you don't read the entire thread before posting? Someone already posted bonjovibabe's wooden cake! icon_smile.gif

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