ALL ABOUT WEDDING DESSERTS

Wedding Desserts

How much cake is too much cake?! It’s a question that haunts us all as we are trying to figure out how to deck out the desserts for your wedding day!

Luckily, I have a foolproof formula that will help you decide how much dessert you should have so that all your guests get as many sweets as their hearts desire. Keep reading to find out.

Now, over here in the South, we North Carolina folks sure like our sweets, so if your crowd doesn’t, you may need to order less. You should always keep your guests’ preferences in mind as you are deciding how much dessert to purchase.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in to my best tips on wedding cake and dessert tables for your big day.

There are several factors that affect your wedding day desserts and their consumption including which desserts you choose to provide, how you display them, the range in flavors and more. As a general rule of thumb, dessert tables with multiple dessert options are consumed more than one large cake. For what reason, who knows, but I think it could be because it is less of a “commitment” to pick up a mini cupcake instead of commiting to an entire slice of cake. Also, guests typically prefer finger foods for desserts and late night bites so they can get back on the dance floor the quickest. Keep in mind that if you are choosing the growing-in-popularity dessert tables, you should order more than if you were just choosing a cake.

Now, let’s move on to actual serving sizes, starting with cake. Here is some cake lingo to get you started:

Tier: the actual levels of the cake

Layer: layers are stacked on top of each other to make each tier

Faux Tier: typically made of styrofoam and wrapped in fondant or icing, these tiers are not edible but can add to the style and overall design of the cake

Cake is measured by comparing the diameter and the height of the tier. So a round cake tier that is 6 inches across and 4 inches tall would be referred to as a “6×4 round.” 

Another tip: square cakes serve more guests than round ones do. Here is the quick 4-1-1 on cake servings:

6×4 Round: 12 Servings

8×4 Round: 24 Servings

10×4 Round: 38 Servings

12×4 Round: 56 Servings

14×4 Round: 78 Servings

16×4 Round: 100 Servings

6×4 Square: 18 Servings

8×4 Square: 32 Servings

10×4 Square: 50 Servings

12×4 Square: 72 Servings

14×4 Square: 98 Servings

16×4 Square: 128 Servings

6×4 Square: 18 Servings

8×4 Square: 32 Servings

10×4 Square: 50 Servings

12×4 Square: 72 Servings

14×4 Square: 98 Servings

16×4 Square: 128 Servings

Now, by taking these measurements you can decide which size tiers will serve your guests best. I recommend that you choose the next size up when choosing your tiers. For example, I would choose a 6×8 round (a 6×4 on top of an 8×4) instead of a 6×10 just to keep the proportions similar. 

Many bakers will tell you to start at the top and work your way down until you cover your entire guest count. So, if you are serving 150 guests, you would start with a 6×4 square with 18 servings and work your way down until you got to 150. You would end up with a 4 tier cake that served 172 guests. If you are choosing to save the top tier, that leaves you with 154 servings which is perfect for your guest count of 150.

Now, if you are choosing to also serve other desserts, you obviously do not need as much cake. Let’s talk about that.

If you choose to serve a dessert table with multiple desserts, I recommend having 2-3 servings for each guest in attendance since guests usually eat more than just one serving of the smaller desserts. These are easier to decipher because they are individually wrapped from the beginning and often sold in dozens. Another option is to serve a smaller cake and desserts. If you are choosing this option, start with the cake and decide how much cake you would like. Then, supplement with the other desserts.

The options of desserts are endless! You can serve lots of options, on option or anything in between! You can even have faux tiers in between the real ones if you have your heart set on a large, extravagent cake. Choosing your desserts can feel like a math equation, but I promise you it is not as hard as you think! If you have any questions about wedding desserts or anything else wedding related, please reach out to me HERE. I would love to help you!