Everything To Know About ½ Sheet Cake Size [Complete Guide]

Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, office gathering, or any other special event, a cake is great to have. And for simplicity and deliciousness, a half-sheet or ½ sheet cake is often the most common option.

But what is the ½ sheet cake size? Most ½ sheet cakes are measured exactly at 13 inches by 18 inches. This can serve approximately 54 people, but it might be higher or lower depending on the occasion.

½ sheet cakes are usually the go-to because they’re not too big and not too small either. There’s a lot to know about them. Hence, we’ll cover everything about the ½ sheet cake, the proper size, and more. Let’s begin.

Table of Contents

What is the ½ Sheet Cake Size All About?

½ sheet cakes are a type of rectangular sheet cake, and the name is given since it’s cooked in a ½ sheet pan or a half sheet pan. Because of this, the ½ sheet cake size is 13 inches by 18 inches, as the pan itself is of that size.

These cakes are especially popular because of their convenience. Since it’s a rectangular pan-based cake, you can trim the edges to make it look smaller or even sharper. But if you want more frosting or decoration, you can add a thick layer on the sides to make the whole cake look slightly larger.

They’re also called “slab cakes” in some places, and a ½ sheet cake is common in tons of different flavors. That includes chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, marble, lemon, and a lot more.

It’s excellent for just about any occasion, as the size is big enough for relatively large occasions. But even if you don’t need all of it, you can store it to eat later anyway.

Accordingly, the serving size depends largely on how you cut it, but you can generally expect to serve around 54 people. You’ll have 108, 54, and 36 servings for the sizes 1” x 2”, 2” × 2” to 2” × 3”, respectively.

So, as you can see, it’s suitable for just about any occasion. If you want to serve it to a medium amount of people, you can cut it bigger. But for more people, you can cut it smaller. It’ll always stay easy to store and move around too, and you can get sharp, clean slices with a knife.

Table Of Popular Sheet Cake Sizes

For a general idea of the ½ sheet cake sizes and their different servings for each type of slice, here’s a table —

Cake Size	Slice	Serving
12” x 16”	“2×2”	48 servings
12” x 16”	“2×3”	32 servings
12” x 18”	“2×2”	54 servings
12” x 18”	“2×3”	36 servings
18” x 13”	“2×2”	58 servings
18” x 13”	“2×3”	39 servings

How To Decorate A ½ Sheet Cake?

Aside from a large number of possible flavors, you can decorate a ½ sheet specifically to your liking too. There are a whole lot of options, but most people put chocolate ganache or buttercream frosting.

This is because since it’s a rectangular cake, you’ll generally want to have a smoother finish. And with buttercream frosting, you can easily achieve a smooth layer on top by spreading it with a knife evenly across the cake.

After covering the entire cake to your liking, whether it’s smooth or rough, you should be piping rosettes of the cake near its edge to give it that professional look. The piping is up to personal preference, but a star tip of 1M is recommended, or a french star tip of 6B.

Likewise, for the box of your ½ sheet cake, make sure it’s at least 19″ x 14″ x 4″. This is slightly bigger than the ½ sheet pan, but it’ll make sure that your hard work on decorating won’t go to waste and stick on the sides of the box.

There are a lot of different ½ sheet cake recipes, so you should try to find one to your liking.

Where And How To Store A ½ Sheet Cake?

After making a ½ sheet cake, the next important thing is to know how to store it to bring it to another occasion properly. If you want to make your ½ sheet cake beforehand, make sure you apply the frosting later.

This is because if you have just an unfrosted ½ sheet cake, you can store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can do it by covering it with something like a bowl to ensure no dust gets on the surface of your cake.

But if you need to store the cake for longer than 4 days, you should refrigerate it. So, if you need to refrigerate ½ sheet cake with frosting, first put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then wrap it with plastic wrap to make sure the cake doesn’t go dry after you refrigerate it.

Freezing it slightly beforehand will make sure your frosting is cold when wrapping, which will reduce the chances of ruining the frosting. You’ll need to do the same for leftover cake, too.

If you have any slices left over, you should wrap them with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. To make sure the taste or texture doesn’t get worse, you should put it in a container. This way, it can stay in your fridge for up to 3 months.

This are just the simple steps, though, but you’ll need to follow more steps to ensure the optimal quality while storing ½ sheet cakes.

Conclusion

The ½ sheet cake size is 13 inches by 18 inches. It’s called a ½ sheet cake because it’s baked in a ½ sheet cake, and it’s occasionally served on medium-sized occasions such as a birthday or office gathering. You can get 54 small-sized slices or a little over 30 big slices from a ½ sheet cake.

Accordingly, if there’s some cake left over, you should put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then take it out, wrap it with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and put it back in the freezer. You can keep it there for 3 months. You can also keep an unfrosted ½ sheet cake at room temperature for 4 days. Cheers!

FAQs

Here are some questions that we get asked often —

Can a ½ sheet cake fall apart while cutting it?

Yes, it’s common for a ½ sheet cake to fall apart if you aren’t careful while cutting it. Try to use a sharp knife, and if the knife is slightly warm, it will make the cuts smoother.

How much does a ½ sheet cake cost?

½ sheet cakes aren’t very pricey, and usually, it can cost $20 to $30 to get one. The price may be higher if you’re getting it custom-made.

Is a ½ sheet cake worse than a quarter-sheet cake?

It depends a lot on occasion. If you need to serve 25 or fewer people, it’s better to get a quarter-sheet cake. But for serving 40 to 50 people comfortably, get a ½ sheet cake.