I feel realy stupid for not knowing this. I am looking at the Wilton serving guide and it shows that a 6" (or any size for that matter) is 2 layers. Is that 2 layers meaning one pan is used and the cake is cut in two creating two layers, or does it mean 2 pans are used and each whole cake is concsdered a layer? Since the heigt of the serving is 2" and my pans are two inches, I'm guessing they mean just one cake layer....correct?

Technically each layer is supposed to be 2" thick. Im not really technical but to answer your question yes. I usually buy 2 pans fill and bake them then stack them. I also bought a 3" thick cake pan. this pan lets me bake one thick cake that i can cut and fill instead of doing 2 pans. hth.

Standard serving sizes are 4" tall (excluding sheet cakes). Some people use 2, 2" layers per tier, some use 4, 1" layers per tier. I love frosting, so I use 4, 1" layers to get in all the frosting I can!

so if I use 2 - 2" high pans, tort each cake to make 4 layers, then refering to my serving size chart (using a 6" pan again just for refrence) then that cake would yield 12 servings, not 24....? I want to make sure I am not giving cake away for free.

Yes. A 6" round cake, that is 4" high, serves 12.

Do you have a link where I can look what you are looking at too?
I went to Wilton, but I don't see any thing for a 6" cake.

LindaF144 - http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-wedding-cake-2-inch-pans.cfm ...if you look at the column that says "Number of servings" it states 2 layers. That is where I was getting confused because according to the Wilton site a serving is 2" high not 4".

Thanks greengyrl26....much appreciated. I feel better knowing I was calculating correctly all along!

I like the serving guide grid here on CC.

http://cakecentral.com/articles/74/cake-baking-cutting-serving-guide-2-in-deep-pans

Kristy

for how to cut cake, look up indydebis blog - way better than wiltons cutting method.

it doesnt matter how many cakes or layers are in your cake. as long as its at least 3 inches high, then the numbers from wiltons chart are applicable. the wedding serving is 1x2x4.
xx

I personally prefer more cake than filling (especially buttercream), so I always make my cakes 2-2" layers with 1 layer of filling. I guess it comes down to a preference thing.

One last question, I promise. I noticed the cutting/serving guide on cc lists the "wedding" servings and not the "party" servings. Do any of you quote "party" serving prices seperate from "wedding" serving prices, or do you all base your pricing off the "wedding" servings regardless of the type of event?

We don't officially at the cakery I work at. But like I said, we list 12/15 but I honestly do not believe it would feed that many, unless you want about 2 bits each. So I tell people to think about how they are going to cut it and go from there. That is why most people will go up to an 8".

But then again the people that do stick with a 6" usually say it is just for the family of about 4-6, which I believe 6-8 to be a better estimate. And even then they are small IMO. the guy I made the wedding cake for in my photos said he and his wife ate the top 6" tier all by themselves. I don't know if that was one serving each or more though.

The Wilton website actually says (not very clearly tough) that a slice is 1 X 2, but the next sentence references height. Because a slice of cake is not flat, you have to account for all THREE dimensions. 1" wide, by 2" long, by 4" in height.

If you really want to check the Wilton servings, trace the bottom of your 6 inch pan, making a 6 inch diameter circle. I just did this. Then using Indydebis square serving cutting method, draw 2 horizontal lines 2 inches apart. You will have 3 two inch sections. Then draw vertical lines one inch apart. This will give you 1 by 2 inch sections. I just did this and ended up with 11 sections with 4 good sized corners and 2 more long sections left over. The extras more than make up for the 4 pieces with a little missing cause of the curve and the 12th piece. I also did this last year with my 9 inch pan and it also matched up with the wilton wedding sizes. So it most certainly is possible to get 12 1 inch by 2 inch servings from a 6 inch cake. If people want larger servings it is on them to upsize.

Thanks everyone for all your help, I will eliminate the "party" serving sizes I have and just stick with the suggested serving amounts listed for the "wedding"....Yeah, more money for me!