Cake Size Calculator: How Big a Cake for Your Guest Count
Wedding Cake Portions
This calculator is for bakers and cake decorators quoting a cake from a guest count. Enter the number of guests, choose finger or dessert slices and tier height, and it suggests a tier combination.
Finger portions are the traditional wedding slice (1″ × 1″), perfect after a meal.
For 120 guests, I’d suggest three tiers.
What’s the difference between finger and dessert portions, or classic and torted tiers?
Finger portions vs. dessert portions
The slice size makes a big difference to how many portions your cake gives, and there are two main ways to serve it.
A finger portion is the traditional wedding size — 1″ × 1″ × the height of the tier. It’s perfect after a three-course meal with coffee, when people want a taste rather than a full pudding.
A dessert portion is more generous — 2″ × 1″ × the height of the tier. This is the one to go for if your cake is being served as the actual dessert.
Tier heights
Cake height matters too, because a taller tier gives more portions. I usually offer two.
A classic rise is 4″ tall — two layers of cake with one layer of filling. A tall rise is 6″ tall — three layers of cake with two fillings, so you get noticeably more from the same size tier.
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