I've seen round (wedding) cakes cut to serve many people, but you are right, it's complicated, and basically they try and cut it like a flat, square cake. Most don't get a triangular slice, The slices are rather more square, and on a three layer cake, very unstable, i would guess.

Good luck and enjoy

Here is a link that might be useful: Go to the bottom of page 7

Thanks, momj47. That chart is interesting and probably easier for ordinary people, like me and the waitstaff, to understand. But still rather complex. I never would have thought of cutting the outside perimeter off and then slicing the inner core.

That's really not a complicated way to cut cake, it's just one you probably haven't used and aren't familiar with. Once you've use this method you'll find it works quite well. The cut you linked to actually fits small serving plates much better than the more common wedge cut. It's also harder to keep a 3-layer wedge from a 9" cake together to move them from the cake to the plate when you have to cut them really thin.

I would go ahead and use the chart for cutting and get 22 slices. You occasionally lose a slice because it falls apart, or the end slices are more frosting than cake and not as desirable for serving.

-Grainlady

Oh, GL, you haven't met my DH. His preferred cake slice would be 90% icing, and 10% cake!

bbstx - Tell you what, invite me and your husband and I can share the four corner pieces and the remaining 16 guests can have the rest! Cake is just a vehicle for frosting in my book.

The chart that you linked becomes less complicated if you imagine the sequence of cutting it rather than the whole picture. And it's significantly less complicated for you since you only need 18 slices:

1) Cut it into four in one direction.
2) Turn it 90 degrees
3) Working away from you, cut the first piece into four, and the middle two into five, and the last piece into four again.

I have never had to consider your problem but find it an interesting engineering problem. I googled around and found many examples of the inner circular method (page 7, above) but without serious explanation. Since even grainlady didn't feel an explanation was needed; I gather that one should vertically plunge a thin and hopefully narrow knife, exactly 2 inches inside and tangential to the outer edge and mostly maintaining contact with the bottom, cut a circle that maintains the two inch distance by inspection.

One nice feature of this method for bbstx is that following the inner circle cut, making three traditional cuts through the center and then dividing each outside section in half delivers exactly 18 approximately equal sections although the six inner wedges have no edge frosting.

Of course, one could always go traditional; cutting the round cake with three equal spaced cuts, giving 6 divisions and in the same manner dividing each section into thirds again giving exactly 18 sections. However, as grainlady said, the narrow multi-layer sections might fall part. I also looked around for cake grabbing tools to prevent such collapse without success.

Both hubby and our son seek the end slices heavy with frosting. :-)

I learned this cake cutting method from my mother who made extra money organizing and serving special functions. It was also taught to me in 4-H when I was 10-years old and we learned cake decorating. I used it when I was 15 and worked as a waitress on weekends.

You can also practice with a 9" sheet of paper and scissors.

-Grainlady

This is how I was taught to cut a cake. I only drew out one quarter, but all quarters are done the same.

Hmmmm, I remember learning and practicing cutting cakes eons ago in Girl Scouts. Now, I believe that why God made cupcakes! ;)

/tricia

The method in the link provided by monj47 and described in words by chas045 is what my mother's 1960s Better Homes and Gardens cookbook suggests. It's been around a while :-)
Bbstx, I'd have to say I don't know whether I'd feel more gypped getting the smallest piece (that curvy one on the right) or the one with the least frosting (the central one) :-)

colleenoz, the curvy piece on the right is coveted in my family for its high icing to cake ratio! If you are especially nice to the cook, you are rewarded with the "end piece."

My DH would pick the middle piece with less frosting.

Just found this thread and I, too am making a 9" 3 layer cake (1st time doing this!) and wondering as you cut the individual layers, doesn't it get a bit messy with the filling between layers? Is there a 'best' filling to use so it still looks nice on the plate after it's cut?

In my family we have a relatively even mix of the "frosting" people and the "middle of the cake" people, so everyone would be happy somehow.

I would simply cut the cake into three pieces straight across, then cut the two outside edges into 6 and the middle into 8 or 10, so you'd have a few extra pieces in case someone wanted seconds or dropped a piece, etc.

Elery, of course, got out the calculator and is figuring that the pieces should be approximately 2.55 inches thick, we're working on length, LOL. If you cut wedges, you would need each wedge to be 1.559 inches wide on the outside edge. (grin)

dlbk, I've found that the easiest filling to cut is good old buttercream, the gloppier fruit or custard fillings are a bit messier and prone to falling apart after cutting.

Be sure you have a sharp knife, nothing is going to hack up a cake more than a dull knife. I like serrated but others like a straight blade (which I think crushes the layers if they are delicate).

Annie

This post was edited by annie1992 on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 19:35

I'll take a piece from the middle, please. No frosting for me. I guess frosting was invented as a means to keep the cake from drying out. Otherwise, I'd leave it off if it were up to me.

Can you give the chart, whichever chart you choose to work from, to your wait staff? If they're experienced, they should be able to follow it, and may have served cake before.

Sally

I'm the oddball out, cutting a round cake into anything but pie shaped wedges is weird to me. I make 3 layers all the time and persist in cutting traditional slices even if the first piece is usually fairly big. Thin slices can be cut so they fall onto the dessert plate, once you get the knack.
My family side all want big pieces, dh's side all want tiny slivers so I had to learn as I'm the dessert maker for events.