The wilton site says on BOTH 2" pans and 3" pans wedding cake charts that 2 and 3 inch cakes yield the same number of servings. It also says that cakes 3" to 6" yield the same number of servings because they are cut the same, but then it says any cake smaller than 3" yields half the amount of servings.

So, how can the 2" and 3" charts have the same serving size when they just said that cakes less than 3" have half the amount of servings?

Also, I charge per serving. I was charging the following for wedding cakes:
2" $3 BC $4 fondant
4" $3.50 BC $4.50 fondant
6" $4 BC $5 fondant

So, technically, shouldn't I charge double the amount for 4" cake based on 2" serving chart since they are getting double the cake?

Likewise for 6" cakes-based on a 3" serving chart, shouldn't I charge double because they are getting double the cake? Even though wilton says they get the same amount of servings??

I thought I was spot on when I devised my pricing list, now I think I might be ripping myself off!

I get confused with that too. When I am done putting a cake together, my tiers are 4" tall. So.....yeah, confusing. I don't give a rat's butt about pan depth, I want to figure out how much based on how tall my tiers are. It makes a difference, right?

The servings are based on a cake that is 4" tall (regardless of the pan depth it was baked in). A 2" tall cake would be 1/2 the servings of a 4" cake. A 6" cake would technically yield 50% more than a 4" cake, though they do tend to get cut the same as a 4" cake when served. I count them as the same in servings and charge more per serving to make up the difference. No one is going to cut them to 1 1/2 x 2 x 6 and then cut that in 1/2 to get the extra servings you know? Even if you leave instructions to do so.

If I were to make a 2" cake I would charge the same per serving as I do for a 4" cake. I just charge for 1/2 the servings.. so technically it's 1/2 the cost.. but I don't do it by cost.. just the servings. I don't do many 6" tall tiers so that is done on a per cake basis.

You are cutting the cake based on the surface size.

A 6" square cake, four inches tall, when cut in the standard 1x2x4 serving size (8 cubic inches), will be cut in 6 rows by 3 columns and will serve 18.

If the cake is 6" tall, instead of 4 inches tall, you would still cut it in 6 rows by 3 columns to serve 18. If you cut it thinner, because it's taller, then you're giving them literally a paper thin piece of cake. Guests wont' notice it's taller ... they'll only notice it's paper thin.

Because the piece of cake is 50% taller (6" instead of 4"), the client is receiving 50% more cake per serving ... so if your standard price per serving is $3 per standard (i.e. 1x2x4) serving, thene by all logic, a piece of cake that is 1x2x6 (12 cubic inches) would be $4.50/serving.... because they are receiving 50% more cake, even though it's STILL a 6" square ... it's 50% taller.

Also bear in mind that cake plates tend to be about 6" in diameter. You want to be sure the piece of cake actually fits on the plate.

On the opposite end of the discussion, a 2" tall cake is usually cut in 2x2x2" pieces. So a 6" square cake, two inches tall, would be cut into 3 rows by 3 columns = 9 servings (half of the 2-layer servings).

Once again Debi.. you said what I was thinking way better than I did..