I Am Confused About # Of Servings - Help?
Decorating By LittleMom Updated 25 Apr 2007 , 1:38am by LittleMom
I told someone that a one layer 9''x13'' cake serves 20-25, because that is what I got off the Wilton serving chart online. Actually, it said a 2 layer cake serves 45, so I just divided by 2. Anyway, I went home and looked at a Wilton cake decorating book, and it said a 2 layer 9''x13'' cake serves 28. Then, I saw a post on here said it would serve 25-30, although it didn't specify # of layers.
Help!!! Can someone more experienced tell me what is a reasonable number of servings from a 1/4 sheet cake? Thanks!
i would cut the 9 inch side into 4 rows, and the 13 inch side into 7 rows.(9 divided by 2 is 4.5, round down. 13 divided by 2 is 6.5, round up). that will give you approx 2x2 inch servings, and yield 28 servings. figure out how big you expect them to cut the pieces, and decide how many servings they get. one thing though, tell them how big you expect their pieces to be. if you say it serves 28, then they cut 3 inch pieces, they won't understand why they didn't get 28 servings.
Everyone does their cakes at different heights and sizes, which makes it difficult and confusing at times to get an answer. This way is fool proof:
figure out the total cubic inches of cake that you have (height x width x length ex. 3x9x13 = 351)
figure out the total cubic inches of what you are considering a serving (my ex. for party servings: 3x2x2 = 12)
divide the amount of cake by the size of a serving (ex. 351/12=29.25). THIS IS YOUR NUMBER OF SERVINGS.
HTH
For my 1/4 sheets I use a 9x13" pan and say that is 16-20 servings for one layer. When I make double layers, I say 20-30 servings.
However, like it's been said over and over, everyone goes by different size slices. In my house, that size cake would feed 12! 
I hate whimpy pieces of cake!
A good idea is to take your cake pan, turn it upside down and measure out with a ruler what size you want to go by. Then use a permanent ink marker to draw the lines on the pan.
Hope that helps!
KimAZ
THe nice thing about rectangle cakes is that is easy to just do the math to figure the servings. Here is a link to a thread in which I posted the math earlier today.....
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-2358651-.html#2358651
For my 1/4 sheets I use a 9x13" pan and say that is 16-20 servings for one layer. When I make double layers, I say 20-30 servings.
However, like it's been said over and over, everyone goes by different size slices. In my house, that size cake would feed 12!
I hate whimpy pieces of cake!A good idea is to take your cake pan, turn it upside down and measure out with a ruler what size you want to go by. Then use a permanent ink marker to draw the lines on the pan.
Hope that helps!
KimAZ
I also give them a range not an exact number because people cut the slice the way they want to. I sell the 11X15 for 50 people, but in my husband's office, they buy this size of cake for 20-25 people.
Oh man. These numbers are all over the place. LOL! This cake would be for a baby shower with other desserts available, so maybe it will be okay. My cakes are quite filling.
My husband's suggestion, always the thinker he is, was for me to make a 1/4 sheet cake just for him, he'll cut it up and count the pieces himself. What a good helper.
Everyone does their cakes at different heights and sizes, which makes it difficult and confusing at times to get an answer. This way is fool proof:
figure out the total cubic inches of cake that you have (height x width x length ex. 3x9x13 = 351)
figure out the total cubic inches of what you are considering a serving (my ex. for party servings: 3x2x2 = 12)
divide the amount of cake by the size of a serving (ex. 351/12=29.25). THIS IS YOUR NUMBER OF SERVINGS.
HTH
This has to be the best thing I have learned here on cakecentral. I can NOT thank you enough 
This really works for me better than any chart.
I have been sitting here figuring serving sizes with different cake pans. This is AWESOME
Thanks everybody!
I made a 9''x13'', and it seems like that was the right amount.
(It was the Cross cake in my photos, I was pleased with how it turned out, although I think it might have been too dense... but some people like that.)
I love this site!
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