1/4 Sheet Cake, Size and Servings explained

I started baking a few years ago, and just like any beginner, I struggled with various terms that professional bakers used in their recipes. I decided to explain these terms for the convenience of home bakers and beginners.
Sheet cakes are a must for any kind of event, like weddings, parties, and birthdays. ¼ sheet cake, popularly known as a quarter sheet cake, is usually used in small events like birthdays or small gatherings. You can make variety of cakes like Vanilla, Red velvet, Italian Cream, Strawberry cake and many more with help of 1/4 sheet cake pan.

Size of ¼ Sheet Cake

The size of 1/4 sheet cake is 9”x13”x2” and is baked in a quarter sheet bake pan. The depth of the baking pan can vary from 2” to 3”. Sheet cakes have a large surface area because of their rectangular shape, and you get enough area for decorations, frosting, and filling flavors.

How many people ¼ sheet cake (9×13) can feed?

The number of people that ¼ sheet cake can feed usually depends on the size of the serving. The two most popular serving sizes are 2”x2” or 3”x3”. You can use custom sizes for servings as well. My friend used a 2”x3” serving size on her son’s birthday. 2”x2” can serve almost 30 people, while 3”x3” can serve 13 people.  

Batter required for ¼ sheet cake

Home bakers often struggle while making batter for their sheet cakes as either they make more batter than required or in smaller quantities, which messes up the whole experience. For ¼ sheet cake, 3-4 cups of batter are required.

Size of gatherings for 1/4 sheet cake

As explained earlier number of servings depends on the size of servings. ¼ sheet cake is enough for gatherings of 30 people, like bridal showers, Birthdays, baby showers, and work parties. The serving size must be 2”x2” to serve 30 people. If you have small house parties or holiday parties with 10-12 persons, ¼ sheet cake is still enough, but you can increase the serving size to 3”x3”.

1/2 vs 1/4 Sheet Cake

Half sheet cake is almost double in quantity as compared to ¼ sheet cake. ½ sheet cake with a massive baking pan of 12”x18”x2” is perfect for mid-size events, and you can serve 54 people with a 2”x2” serving size. A 3”x3” half sheet cake can serve 24 people. 7-8 cups of batter are required in the making of half sheet cake.

Full sheet vs 1/4 Sheet Cake

¼ sheet cake is a quarter part of a full sheet cake. Full-sheet baking Pan comes in different sizes. The most well-known sizes are 18”x24”x2” and 18”x26”x2”. Full sheets are usually used in large events like weddings. 2”x2” can serve 110 to 115 people, while 3”x3” can serve 48-52 people. You can use 14-16 cups of batter to make a full-sheet cake.

Calculations for different Pan sizes and custom serving sizes

The bakers without standard-sized baking pans find it very difficult to determine how many people they can serve. Different serving sizes make this task equally tiring. For ease for home bakers and beginners, I have explained the method that I use to find how many people I can feed with a sheet cake that I just prepared.

Surface Area of Baking Pan or Cake

First of all, multiply the length and width of the Baking Pan or cake to get the surface area, as I have done in the example below.

Full sheet size 18”x26”x2” (2” is depth here for surface area. We will use length and width only) 18”x26” = 468 (Total Surface Area)

Serving Sizes

• 2”x2” = 4 (Surface area of serving)
• Now divide 468 by 4 to get the number of people you can feed. (468/4=117)
• It means you can serve 117 people with an 18”x26”x2” size sheet cake and a 2″x2″ serving size.
• For 2”x3” = 6 (Surface area of serving)
• Divide the Total surface area by the surface area of your serving; like in this case, (468/6= 78)
• So, you can serve 78 people with a serving size of 2″x3“.

Pro Tips for Sheet Cake

I used to make a lot of sheet cakes to be served at various kinds of gatherings at my home. I like sheet cakes because you have a number of options when it comes to flavors like Almond, chocolate, banana, caramel, and coconut.
½ sheet cake is my personal favorite due to its perfect size for medium-level gatherings. Over time, I have worked on my baking skills, and I am sharing the best tips I mostly use during the process.

1. The ingredients that will be used should be at optimal temperature. You can wait for cold ingredients until the temperature normalizes.
2. You can use wet baking strips at the sides of the pan. This will prevent the sides of your cake from getting crunchy, and your cake will be baked evenly.
3. The batter should be prepared properly, and the cake should cool properly before any frosting.
4. You should use a cake tester to check if the cake is done.
5. Use a sharp, long knife for perfect-sized servings. You should dip your knife in warm water and clean the knife in between slices for easy slicing.
6. Enjoy the whole process of Cake baking and use your creativity during frosting. You can use a number of nuts, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or berries to decorate your cake.

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