How to Cut a Tiered Cake: Perfect Portions for All Your Guests

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: September 17, 2020 References

With the right know-how, you can cut a tiered cake into perfectly-sized portions for all your guests to enjoy. Instead of cutting a cake into triangular wedges, use a different technique to divide it into 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) slices, thus turning a single tier into dozens of pieces of cake. It may look daunting, but with a little patience, you can make quick work of cutting the cake for all kinds of special occasions.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Basic Round Cake Method

1
Unstack the tiers and remove any dowel rods. Gently wiggle a spatula under the top tier and move it off to the side. Carefully pull out any dowel rods so they won’t get in the way as you cut the cake.^{[1]
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- If there are dowel rods you can’t grab with your fingers, use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to pry them loose carefully.^{[2]
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2
Measure 2 inches (5.1 cm) in from the outside of the tier and cut across. Since the cake is round, there isn’t a straight edge to measure from. Choose the side closest to you and measure in from the side of the cake. Use a serrated knife to cut across the cake parallel to your body. This creates a 2 in (5.1 cm) wide strip of cake that can then be divided into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces.^{[3]
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- Cutting a tier may seem tricky, but you can easily do it yourself if you go slow.
- With this method, some of the pieces on either side of the cake will be slightly smaller than the ones in the middle. If you want each piece of cake to be exactly the same, use the ring method.
3
Cut the strip of cake into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces. Don’t worry about the round edges being a little differently shaped or smaller than the others—they make great pieces for people who love a little extra frosting!^{[4]
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- This process will divide the entire tier into multiple 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) pieces of cake.
- The majority of the pieces of cake will be small, rectangular shapes. The pieces on the ends will be rounded.
- Rinse and dry your knife between slices to keep them looking pristine. You most likely won’t need to do this between each cut, but every once in a while can make a big difference.^{[5]
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4
Continue dividing the tier into equally-sized pieces. Keep measuring 2 inches (5.1 cm) in from the edge and making parallel cuts across the cake. Then divide that strip of cake into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces.^{[6]
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- Some of the pieces where the dowel rods sat might fall apart and be unusable. Just set them off to the side.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Ring Method for Round Cakes

1
Unstack the tiers one-by-one and remove the dowel rods. Take a firm spatula (the type used to frost a cake works well for this) and wiggle it underneath the bottom of the top tier. If the tier is on a piece of cardboard, slip the spatula under the cardboard and use it as a base to supper the tier as you lift it. Gently remove the tier and carefully set it to the side. Repeat on all the remaining tiers. Pull out any dowel rods so they won’t get in the way of your knife.^{[8]
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- Some people like to remove all the tiers at once and start cutting the biggest tier first, while others prefer to work from the smallest tier down to the largest. In the end, it doesn’t really matter which way you do it! You’ll still end up with lots of evenly-sized pieces of cake for your guests.
- This method only works on round tiers. It would create too many unevenly-sized pieces on a square or rectangular tier.
2
Cut a circle 2 inches (5.1 cm) in from the outer edge of the tier. Use a clear serrated knife to make your cut. As you cut the ring out of the tier, do your best to keep the depth equal all the way around. Here’s the breakdown for how many 2 in (5.1 cm) rings you can get out of differently-sized tiers:^{[9]
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- 8 in (20 cm) and 10 in (25 cm) tiers are divided into 1 ring and a core.
- 12 in (30 cm) and 14 in (36 cm) tiers can be divided into 2 rings and a core.
- A 16 in (41 cm) tier makes 3 rings and a core.
- An 18 in (46 cm) inch tier divides into 4 rings and a core.
3
Slice the ring into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces. With your serrated knife, work your way around the ring, slicing it into equally-sized pieces.^{[10]
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Research source} Place each piece of cake onto a small dessert plate.^{[11]
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- 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) pieces of cake are the typical size for all types of tiered cakes.
4
Repeat the ring-cutting and slicing until each tier is fully divided. Depending on how big the tier is, you may be able to cut a few more 2 in (5.1 cm) rings before getting to the core.^{[12]
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Research source} If the knife starts to get caked with frosting and crumbs, wipe it off between slices.^{[13]
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- For example, a 16 in (41 cm) round tier can be cut into 3 rings, excluding the core. When finished, you’ll have 94 pieces of cake from that individual tier.
5
Divide the tier’s core into equally-sized triangular wedges. Once you’ve finished cutting and dividing the rings, each tier will have a round center section leftover that is too small to continue dividing into rings. For the best-looking option, you can divide it into equal pieces, like how you would a pie. The breakdown goes as follows for differently-sized tiers:^{[14]
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- Cut the core of an 8 in (20 cm), 12 in (30 cm), or 16 in (41 cm) tier into 6 pieces.
- Cut the core of a 10 in (25 cm) or 14 in (36 cm) tier into 12 pieces.
- Cut the core of an 18 in (46 cm) tier into 4 pieces.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Square Cakes

1
Separate the tiers and remove all dowel rods from the cake. Use a spatula to separate the top tier from the one underneath it carefully. Move it off to the side, and remove any additional tiers. Slowly pull out any dowel rods so your knife won’t knock into them when you’re cutting the cake.^{[15]
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- A single dowel typically goes through each layer of a tiered cake to help it stay together. Some cakes may have multiple dowels throughout for extra stability.^{[16]
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- If there are any removable decorations, take them off to make cutting the cake easier.
2
Slice the tier 2 inches (5.1 cm) in from the edge. Take a long serrated knife and cut the tier in an even line along one side. It doesn’t matter which side you start on. For the following tier sizes, you can expect to get this many 2 in (5.1 cm) sections:^{[17]
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- An 8 in (20 cm) tier divides into 4 sections. Each section gets sliced into 8 pieces for a total of 32 pieces of cake.
- A 10 in (25 cm) tier divides into 5 sections.
- A 12 in (30 cm) tier makes 6 sections.
- A 14 in (36 cm) tier makes 7 sections.
- A 16 in (41 cm) tier divides into 8 sections.
3
Divide the sliced section of cake into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces. Carefully divide the tier into smaller pieces for serving purposes. It’s okay if the measurements aren’t exact—an estimation will work just fine.^{[18]
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- This same process works for rectangular tiers.
4
Continue dividing the tier into 2 by 1 in (5.1 by 2.5 cm) sections. As you go, keep cutting off 2 in (5.1 cm) deep sections and dividing those into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces.^{[19]
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- You can cut all the tiers this way. It doesn’t take long once you get the hang of the process.
- Save the edges for people who enjoy more frosting.