Cupcakes, Cake, or Both? How to Decide

A cake is the right pick when there's a cutting moment. Birthdays where everyone sings and the birthday person blows out candles. Weddings with a first-cut photo. Gender reveals with a colored filling inside.

Cakes also make sense for smaller groups (under 20). One cake, one flavor, simple. No need to complicate things.

If the cake is the visual centerpiece of the party — the thing people photograph and gather around — go with a cake. Cupcakes don't create that same focal point.

Cupcakes work better when portioning matters more than presentation. Office events where people grab food between meetings. Kids' parties where small hands need something they can hold. Outdoor events where plates and forks are impractical.

Cupcakes also win when you want to offer multiple flavors. Six chocolate, six vanilla-strawberry, six vanilla-raspberry — everyone picks what they like. With a single cake, you're locked into one flavor for the whole group.

Storage is easier too. Cupcakes fit in the fridge more easily than a 22 cm cake. And if you have leftovers, individual cupcakes are simpler to hand out to guests as they leave.

Ordering both a cake and cupcakes works in three situations:

Sweet tables. A display cake as the centerpiece, cupcakes spread around it. This is the most common reason people order both. The cake provides the visual anchor, the cupcakes provide easy serving.

Large groups (40+ guests). One cake rarely feeds a big group on its own unless you go very large. A mid-size cake for the cutting moment plus cupcakes for everyone else is more practical and often cheaper than one massive cake.

Weddings and engagement parties. The cake is for the couple's first-cut moment. Cupcakes are for dessert. Different purposes, same table.

If you're going with both, here's how to split it:

• The cake is for show and a few servings. Go with 18 cm (10–12 coffee portions). This is enough for the cutting photos and close family.
• The cupcakes cover the rest. One cupcake per remaining guest. For 50 guests with an 18 cm cake, order about 40 cupcakes.

Use our cake calculator to figure out exact numbers, or start your order here and tell us your guest count. We'll recommend the right split.