can you really get 20 servings out of an 8 inch round cake? i don't see how that is possible

If you use the Wilton "wedding size" which is based on a 1" x 2" x 4" slice then yes you can.

Here's the link to their chart.
http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-wedding-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm

And if you cut it the way Indydebi shows on her website, definitely!!! Her website is cateritsimple and once you get there, you can click on the link to her cutting the cake info. http://cateritsimple.com/id10.html is the actual link.

I was actually thinking the same thing...these wilton sizes give a huge number of servings and they seemed high to me. thanks for asking the same thing !

When I first started making cakes, I was a little shocked at those numbers, too. But I thnk it was becuase we're all used to cutting a cake in pie-shaped wedges and eating it like a meal!

When cut in the proper wedding-serving size, you can easily get 20-24 pcs from an 8" cake.

have you ever cut an 8" cake before?? Like indydebi shows on her site??? I tried it one day just for giggles.......and I got like 28 pieces I think. I thought, I'm just going to cut slices that look decent sized.......so you should try it. My cakes are 4-5" tall. I don't have an electric saw to cut out chunks of wood for a serving size, so I cut a standard serving out of styrofoam and take it to all of my consults and nobody has ever said........whoah, that's a little piece of cake.......they actually always say......whoah that looks a lot bigger than I thought.

Also, my best friend got married a little while ago and I made her cake and cut and served for her (considered a huge honor in her family), anyhow...she had 140 guests and I made 150 serv. of cake and I cut it.....everyone had at least 1 slice, some had 2 or 3 and she had leftovers of one layer and one layer (8" square) was never even touched. So I must have been slicing the cake smaller than normal but they were definitely "normal" slices of cake, nobody thought they looked small......and a couple people commented on how generous the portions were!!
Once you actually cut the cake you will be shocked at how far it goes!

When I first thought the serviing size was small, I pulled out a ruler, and my my - those serving sizes look pretty healthy to me!!!

My thoughts exactly--- 20 servings--- or more!--- out of an 8"?! I know it can be done, but it seems crazy. At my daughter's coffee shop-- we serve 12 out of an 8 in.

We serve pie shaped wedges at the coffee shop. Now I did a 10" the other day and we did cut those more traditionally as a wedding cake or we wouldn't have been able to get the slice on the plate! I expect to cut a cake over 10" as I would a wedding cake, but I guess we're just accustomed to seeing an 8" or smaller cut into pie-shaped wedges. Don't you agree? I know that's one of the reasons I must be having an issue charging by the slice. There's such a HUGE variance on what people consider a slice! I sat down and figured -- according to Wilton-- and they have even had different charts over the years-- how much batter goes into the pans and then tried to set my prices that way. Of course then you'll have some that don't put as much--- or way more! I guess we all just have to do what we're comfortable with. Thanks for letting me ramble!

Another thing, when I order cake at a coffee shop I get a pretty huge piece of cake. But I also pay $5-$8 for it. If it was a wedding sized piece I'd pay $3 for it. Really works out about the same.