Wedding cake portion guide
Put in your guests and when the cake is cut. We show the tiered cakes that feed everyone, with the portions in each tier, and a smaller cake with a kitchen cake.
Your guests
Everyone there when the cake is cut. Babies don't need a portion.
Cakes that feed everyone
100 portions for 100 guests.
- Feeds everyone6/9/12 inch round
100Just enough
- 6-inch round: 12 portions
- 9-inch round: 32 portions
- 12-inch round: 56 portions
- With fewer tiers16 inch round
100Just enough
- 16-inch round: 100 portions
- A smaller cake and a kitchen cake6/9 inch round
11616 to spare
- 6-inch round: 12 portions
- 9-inch round: 32 portions
- 12-inch square kitchen cake: 72 portions
A plain square cake, cut in the kitchen and served with the rest. Same flavours, a lower price.
Your cake
Your baker's chart
Price
Empty until you add one: prices differ by baker and design.
Wedding cake
100 portions for 100 guests.
Feeds everyone: 6/9/12 inch round, 100 portions
- 6-inch round: 12 portions
- 9-inch round: 32 portions
- 12-inch round: 56 portions
With fewer tiers: 16 inch round, 100 portions
- 16-inch round: 100 portions
A smaller cake and a kitchen cake: 6/9 inch round, 116 portions
- 6-inch round: 12 portions
- 9-inch round: 32 portions
- 12-inch square kitchen cake: 72 portions
Made with Merriwell's free wedding cake portion guide.
The rule: a portion for everyone at the pudding, about two in three in the evening
Plan one standard portion (1 × 2 inches) for every guest when the cake is the pudding. Cut in the evening with other food, about two in three have some (Cutter & Squidge). Fruit cake is traditionally cut into finger portions of about 1 × 1 inch. Allowing for cutting, a tier gives about one and a half times as many finger portions as standard portions.
Wedding cake portion guide
| Tier | Round, standard portions | Round, finger portions | Square, standard portions | Square, finger portions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 inch | 12 | 22 | 18 | 27 |
| 8 inch | 24 | 38 | 32 | 49 |
| 9 inch | 32 | 49 | – | – |
| 10 inch | 38 | 60 | 50 | 76 |
| 12 inch | 56 | 86 | 72 | 110 |
| 14 inch | 78 | 118 | 98 | 150 |
| 16 inch | 100 | 153 | 128 | 195 |
How to order
- Ask how your cake maker cuts. Portion charts differ. Type their numbers into the calculator and we use theirs.
- Dummy tiers add height, not portions. Ask about them for a tall cake on a smaller budget.
- A kitchen cake feeds more guests for less: a plain cake cut in the kitchen.
- Final numbers. Give your cake maker your final numbers about three weeks before the wedding.
How to choose the size of your wedding cake
Count the guests when the cake is cut. At the wedding breakfast, or in the evening with your evening guests too. Babies don't need a portion.
Say how the cake is served. As the pudding, everyone has a portion. In the evening with other food, about two in three do.
Pick the portion and the shape. A standard portion is 1 × 2 inches; a finger portion, traditional for fruit cake, is about 1 × 1 inch. Square tiers serve more than round ones.
Choose a cake. We show the smallest tiered cake that feeds everyone, one with fewer tiers, and a smaller cake with a kitchen cake.
Check with your baker. Cake makers cut differently. Type their portions for any size and we use theirs.
Frequently asked questions
- How many portions are in a three-tier cake?
- A 6, 8 and 10 inch round cake gives about 74 standard portions, or about 120 finger portions. An 8, 10 and 12 inch cake gives about 118 standard portions.
- What size cake do we need for 100 guests?
- If it's the pudding, about 100 standard portions: a 6/9/12 inch round cake serves 100. Cut in the evening with other food, about two in three have a portion: for 150 evening guests, about 98.
- What's the difference between a finger and a standard portion?
- A finger portion is about 1 × 1 inch, the traditional cut for fruit cake. A standard portion is 1 × 2 inches, usual for sponge. Allowing for cutting, the same cake gives about one and a half times as many finger portions.
- Does every guest need cake?
- When the cake is the pudding, plan a portion for everyone. Cut in the evening with a hog roast or bacon rolls, about two in three have some (Cutter & Squidge).
- What is a kitchen cake?
- A plain cake in the same flavours, cut in the kitchen and served with the display cake. It feeds more guests for less, and nobody can tell on the plate.
- Should we save the top tier?
- Traditionally the top tier was kept for the first christening; many couples now keep it for their first anniversary. If you do, switch on "Save the top tier" and we leave it out of the count.
- How much does a wedding cake cost?
- It depends on your cake maker and the design, so we don't guess. Add your cake maker's price a portion and we work out the cake.
- Is the calculator free?
- Yes. No account, no email and no adverts. A free account saves your cake with your wedding and reads your guest list as people reply.
Related tools
- Wedding Drinks CalculatorPut in your day and evening guests. We work out the fizz, wine, beer and spirits for each part of the day, and what a bar tab buys.
- Wedding Guest ListFamilies, plus-ones, children, day and evening guests. Guests reply on a free private RSVP page, no account needed. Import a spreadsheet and collect postal addresses.
- Wedding ChecklistEnter your date and see every step in order, from the venue to giving notice at the register office. Tick things off, add your own, print it.