The question we get most often on 0948 128 000 is: “There will be twenty-five of us — how big a cake?” There is no single answer, because it depends on whether the cake is the only dessert on the table or whether sweets and savoury platters go with it. But you can calculate it fairly precisely.
One portion means 90 to 120 grams
We work with a 90 g portion when there is other food on the table, and 120 g when the cake is the only sweet thing at the party. That gives us the table we keep taped next to the display fridge:
- 18 cm diameter (10 cm tall) — 1.3 to 1.5 kg, 10 to 14 portions
- 20 cm — 1.8 to 2.2 kg, 16 to 20 portions
- 24 cm — 2.8 to 3.2 kg, 24 to 30 portions
- 26 cm — 3.5 to 4 kg, 32 to 38 portions
- 28 cm — 4.5 to 5 kg, 40 to 48 portions
Above forty guests we advise against a single round. A 32 cm cake can be baked, but cutting it at a party is a mess — the last pieces from the centre collapse and nobody wants them. That is the moment for two tiers, or a cake plus a tray of sweets.
Tiers are not just decoration
A two-tier 24 + 18 cm cake yields roughly 38 to 42 portions and photographs better than one wide round. Two conditions apply. The bottom tier has to be supported — we insert four or five plastic dowels and a cardboard base, otherwise the filling squeezes out under the weight of the top tier. And the cake needs a fridge shelf at least 35 cm high. More than one customer has collected a cake the day before and then called us asking where to put it.
When a cake makes sense and when sweets do
A cake is a ritual. Candles, singing, a photo, the first slice. When a party has no such moment — a corporate breakfast, a small christening, a housewarming where people stand and mingle — half the cake usually stays uneaten, because nobody wants to fetch a plate and fork.
For standing events we suggest three banquet pieces per person and no cake at all. It costs less, nothing gets thrown away, and guests take what they actually fancy.
The compromise that works best: a small 18 cm cake for blowing out the candles, plus two or three sweets or banquet pieces per person. The cake gets cut into symbolic slices and everyone else grazes from the tray.
What changes the weight besides diameter
Two cakes of the same diameter can differ by half a kilo. A fruit cake with whipped cream and fresh raspberries is lighter than a chocolate one with ganache and hazelnut filling — the latter can weigh 30 % more for the same volume. Chocolate is also eaten more slowly, so a smaller portion genuinely goes further. If you are planning for 30 guests and you know you want a rich chocolate cake, we happily go for 26 cm instead of 28 cm.
The practical bits people forget
- Cutting: wipe the knife in hot water between slices. A chilled cake cuts cleanly; a room-temperature one smears.
- Out of the fridge: buttercream and ganache cakes 40 to 60 minutes before serving, whipped-cream cakes no more than 20.
- Transport: anything over 3 kg travels on the car floor, not on the seat. On the seat it tilts when you brake.
- Buffer: always add 10 %. Someone unexpected always shows up.
What to do with the leftovers
Even with the right calculation you will usually have a piece left. A buttercream cake keeps another four days in the fridge and often tastes better on day two — the filling settles and the sponge is moister. Whipped-cream and fruit cakes need finishing within 48 hours; after that the fruit starts bleeding water into the sponge. Slices you know will not be eaten are best wrapped individually and frozen straight away — buttercream and chocolate cakes freeze well for up to 30 days, and should be thawed slowly in the fridge overnight, not on the worktop.
We take orders at least 48 hours ahead; tiered cakes and special decoration need about a week. Call us with your guest count, the date, and whether there will be other food. We will do the rest of the maths.
