CAKE SIZE GUIDE
CHOOSING THE SIZE OF WEDDING CAKE
So, what size wedding cake should you order?
The colour scheme has all been agreed and the style decided upon, now for the hardest part...how many tiers, what size and what shape is your wedding cake going to be?
There are lots of things that'll determine how much wedding cake you need. Here are some tips to help you decide:
NUMBER OF GUESTS
First things first, the most obvious factor, how many guests are you expecting to attend your wedding?
Some people opt for small, intimate affairs with only their nearest and dearest present on the big day. Whereas others decide on larger affairs inviting the whole family, friends and rest of their town. Either way, you'll want to make sure that every one of your guests receives a piece of your wedding cake.
Top tip - If you have your eyes set on a grand 5 tier masterpiece, but are only having a small number of guests and want to avoid any leftover cake. Ask your cake maker if it's possible to have fake, dummy tiers. These are made from styrofoam and give the same impression as cake, without the cake waste!
NO SHOWS
Many brides/grooms choose to save some of their wedding cake for those guests who are unable to accept their wedding invitation and attend their reception and give it to them as a small gift. This should be taken into account when calculating the exact number of guests.
ROOM FOR EXTRAS
Another thing to bare in mind is although you believe you've got your guest list down to a T, your number of guests may actually be larger than expected on the day. With guests turning up who have not RSVP'd, initially declined your invitation or attending with a +1 unexpectedly.
Although not true guest etiquette, there's always one person who gets a little greedy and asks for wedding cake seconds too.
Make sure you consider these additional factors when penning down your numbers as no one wants to be left short.
AVERAGE WEDDING CAKE SLICE
The total amount of servings your wedding cake allows for, depends on the type of sponge and also the slice sizes.
As sponge cakes are quite light, the average sponge cake portion size is usually about 2 inch x 1inch.
Whereas fruit cake is a lot richer and heavier, so serving sizes tend to be smaller. Fruit cake portion sizes are usually 1 inch x 1 inch.
This means that you will get more servings from a fruit cake than a sponge cake.
Many choose to serve their wedding cake as part of their wedding reception desert.
If this is something you are considering, you may want to give larger serving sizes than standard.
Need some guidance to help figure out serving amounts per tier? Use our cake size guide >
Please note not all bakers give the same serving suggestion amounts, this size guide has been created from our own experience and own sponge sizes @Create A Cake.
TOP TIER
It's a well known wedding tradition that the top tier of a wedding cake is saved for the couple's 1st year wedding anniversary or for the christening of their first child.
For this reason many brides/grooms opt for their top tier to be made from fruitcake, so that it can be safely stored and frozen.
Others go against the tradition and simply take the top tier home to enjoy together as a newly married couple the following day.
If like many others, you're sticking to tradition, remember not to count the top tier in your guest servings when deciding on your wedding cake size.
To discover the best way to freeze your wedding cake safely read here >
CO-ORDINATE WITH YOUR VENUE
Chances are it won't be your personal responsibility to cut up and serve your wedding cake. Usually your wedding venue kitchen staff or personal caterers will be in charge of doing the slicing.
Don't expect your cake maker to tell your wedding venue staff the ins and outs of how you want your wedding cake to be served, this is entirely up to you to communicate.
Consult before hand with your venue at the time of booking regarding cake cutting, as many venues charge an additional fee for this service.
This is also a great time to discuss any other additional details for your wedding cake, such as preferred slice sizes, serving seconds, what to do with leftovers and state if you want your top tier keeping to take home with you.
Go over all these factors with your chosen cake maker. They'll have first hand experience of working on hundreds of wedding cakes and will be able to advise and decide with you what size cake you should order for the number of guests you expect to be attending your big day.
Good luck!
