When you're feeding 40, 60, or 100 people, a tiered celebration cake stops being the practical choice. A sheet cake — one large, flat, rectangular cake baked in a single pan — is built exactly for that job. Num Num's Bakery makes sheet cakes in any of our 15 flavours, all 100% eggless, sized for anything from a small team celebration to a full school assembly.
Event catering in Australia reached a $10.1 billion market size in 2026, spread across 4,011 businesses that grew at a 4.5% compound annual rate between 2021 and 2026, according to IBISWorld's Event Catering Services in Australia industry analysis. A large chunk of that spend goes toward exactly the kind of group celebration a sheet cake is designed to serve.
- A quarter sheet serves 20-25, a half sheet 40-50, a full sheet 80-100 guests.
- Sheet cakes are one of the more forgiving formats for eggless baking at scale.
- Sheet cakes can be split into two flavour halves for mixed groups.
- All 15 Num Num's flavours are available in sheet cake format, 100% eggless.
- Order 48 hours ahead for smaller sizes, 4-5 days for a full sheet.
What Is a Sheet Cake, and Why Choose One Over a Tiered Cake?
A sheet cake is a single flat, rectangular cake baked in one large pan, rather than multiple round layers stacked into tiers. It's the most efficient format for feeding a large group, since a single sheet delivers far more servings per dollar than an equivalent tiered design, without the structural engineering a multi-tier cake needs.
Tiered cakes make sense when the cake itself is the visual centrepiece of a formal event, like a wedding. Sheet cakes make sense when the priority is feeding everyone in the room efficiently, which is exactly why they dominate corporate events, school celebrations, and large family gatherings across Sydney.
Event catering in Australia reached a USD 10.1 billion market size in 2026, spread across 4,011 businesses growing at a 4.5% compound annual rate since 2021 (IBISWorld, Event Catering Services in Australia). Large-format desserts like sheet cakes sit squarely inside that growing group-catering market.
What Sizes Do Sheet Cakes Come In, and How Many Guests Do They Serve?
Sheet cakes are sold in standard fractional sizes — quarter, half, and full sheet — each scaling servings roughly in proportion to pan size. Using standard 5cm by 5cm party-size slices, a quarter sheet serves 20-25 guests, a half sheet serves 40-50, and a full sheet serves 80-100.
| Size | Approx. Dimensions | Party-Size Servings |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter sheet | ~23cm x 33cm | 20-25 guests |
| Half sheet | ~33cm x 46cm | 40-50 guests |
| Full sheet | ~46cm x 66cm | 80-100 guests |
Cutting for a formal sit-down dessert course, with larger, more generous slices, reduces these numbers by roughly a third. Tell us the setting when you order and we'll help you land on the right size rather than guessing.
Why Are Sheet Cakes Popular for Corporate Events and School Celebrations in Sydney?
Office attendance across Australia rose to an average of 3.64 mandated days per week in 2025, anchoring predictable weekday demand for boardroom catering and internal events, according to industry analysis cited alongside IBISWorld's event catering data. That steady in-office rhythm is exactly what drives regular team celebration, farewell, and milestone cake orders.
Corporate customers almost never ask for a tiered cake. The request is nearly always the same: something that looks presentable on a boardroom table, serves the whole floor, and doesn't need careful transport up a lift in a stacked box. A sheet cake solves all three problems at once, which is exactly why it's become our default recommendation for office orders.
Schools follow a similar logic. A single flat sheet cake is easy to transport to an assembly hall, simple to portion for a large group of students quickly, and far less fragile in transit than a multi-tier design. See our corporate events cake guide for more on ordering for office celebrations specifically.
Curious what eggless baking looks like at any scale? Hebbars Kitchen (7.8M subscribers) explains the fundamentals — the same technique we scale up for large sheet cakes.
Is a Sheet Cake Easier to Make Eggless Than a Tiered Cake?
Generally, yes. A sheet cake bakes as a single flat layer with no vertical stacking weight to support, which removes the structural risk that comes with an eggless sponge holding up multiple tiers under their own weight. There's no dowelling, no cake boards between layers, and no risk of a top tier compressing a bottom one.
From our experience baking hundreds of sheet cakes, the single biggest risk isn't the eggless recipe at all — it's an unevenly heated oven producing an uneven bake across a large flat surface. We manage that with careful pan rotation and consistent batch sizing, which matters more for a full sheet than it ever does for a smaller round cake.
That said, a large sheet cake still needs careful handling once it's out of the oven. A bigger surface area means more exposed cake and a higher risk of drying out if it isn't stored and transported properly, so we recommend collecting as close to your event start time as your schedule allows.
How Do You Store and Transport a Large Sheet Cake?
A full sheet cake is heavier and more awkward to carry than a round cake, so a flat, stable surface in your vehicle matters more than the box itself. Lay the cake flat in the boot or on a flat back seat rather than propping it upright, and avoid sudden braking on the drive.
Once you're at the venue, keep the cake in a cool spot away from direct sun or heater vents until it's time to cut it. Buttercream softens quickly in Sydney's summer heat, and a large flat surface loses its shape faster than a smaller cake once the icing starts to slide. If your event runs more than two hours after collection, ask us about a slightly firmer finish that holds up better over a longer service window.
For orders over a full sheet, or multiple sheet cakes for a very large event, see our bulk cake ordering guide for how we handle larger-scale requests.
What Designs and Flavours Work Best for a Sheet Cake?
From our order data, Chocolate and Vanilla dominate sheet cake orders, largely because they're the safest crowd-pleasers for a mixed group where individual flavour preferences are unknown. Two-flavour split sheets — Chocolate on one half, Vanilla on the other — are a popular way to cover more ground without ordering two separate cakes. Three-way splits are also possible on a full sheet, though we'd recommend keeping designs simple across the join lines.
Popular Sheet Cake Flavours.
- Chocolate — our most-ordered sheet cake flavour, safe for any crowd.
- Vanilla — classic, light, works alongside Chocolate in a split sheet.
- Red Velvet — visually distinctive, popular for milestone office celebrations.
- Butterscotch — warm and nostalgic, a strong all-ages choice.
- Rasmalai — South Asian-inspired, popular for large cultural gatherings.
- Mango — fresh and light, popular through the warmer months.
- Cookies & Cream — reliably crowd-pleasing for school and kids' events.
Decoration on a sheet cake is typically simpler than a tiered design — a clean buttercream finish, a printed edible image, or a piped message across the surface. See the full Our Cakes page for photos of every flavour before you decide on a final combination.
How Do I Order a Sheet Cake in Sydney?
From our experience taking large orders across both stores, the process is the same as any other cake, just with a longer lead time for bigger sizes. It takes under five minutes on WhatsApp to get a quote, and we confirm everything in writing before you collect.
- Decide on your size: Estimate your guest count and choose quarter, half, or full sheet accordingly.
- Message us on WhatsApp: Send your order to +61 425 697 725 with your chosen size, flavour or flavour split, any message or design brief, and preferred pick-up date.
- Give at least 48 hours notice: Quarter and half sheets need 48 hours. A full sheet for 80-100 guests needs 4-5 days notice to plan properly.
- Confirm and collect: We'll confirm your order by WhatsApp, including collection timing that suits a large cake's transport needs. Collect from Harris Park or Riverstone.
From our order history, full sheet cake orders are booked further ahead than any other single product we make, typically 6-10 days out. Corporate customers in particular tend to lock in a date as soon as an event is confirmed internally, well before the guest list or final headcount is finalised.
Message us on WhatsApp with your guest count, flavour, and pick-up date. 48 hours is enough for most sizes — 4-5 days for a full sheet. We'll confirm in writing before you collect.
Are Sheet Cakes Suitable for Dietary and Allergen Needs?
Egg-free baking aligns with several dietary frameworks common at the large group events sheet cakes typically serve. According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), eggs are one of the eight priority food allergens in Australia. A large office or school event is exactly the setting where at least one guest is likely to be managing an egg allergy.
At Num Num's Bakery, eggs are not used in any product, any preparation area, or any equipment on-site — the entire kitchen is egg-free, not just the recipes. Our cakes still contain dairy — milk powder and butter — and may involve nuts, so we're not an allergen-free bakery. If your group has broader dietary needs beyond eggs, message us before ordering and we'll walk through exactly what's in your chosen flavour. For severe or anaphylactic egg allergy, state your requirements clearly when ordering and follow your own medical advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sheet cake?
A sheet cake is a single large, flat, rectangular cake baked in one pan rather than stacked in tiers. It's the most efficient format for feeding a large group, since it maximises servings per dollar and avoids the structural complexity of a tiered design.
How many people does a sheet cake serve?
A quarter sheet typically serves 20-25 guests, a half sheet serves 40-50, and a full sheet serves 80-100, using standard 5cm by 5cm party-size slices. Exact servings depend on slice size and whether the cake is cut for a formal sit-down or casual self-serve setting.
Is a sheet cake easier to make eggless than a tiered cake?
Yes, generally. A sheet cake bakes as one flat layer with no vertical stacking weight to support, which removes the structural risk that comes with an eggless sponge holding up multiple tiers. That makes it one of the more forgiving formats for large-batch eggless baking.
Can a sheet cake have two flavours?
Yes. Large sheet cakes can be split into two flavour halves, which is popular for mixed groups like offices or school events where guest preferences vary widely. All 15 Num Num's flavours are available in sheet cake format, 100% eggless.
Where can I order a sheet cake in Sydney?
Num Num's Bakery has two pick-up locations: Harris Park (96/96 Wigram Street, NSW 2150) and Riverstone (Shop 8, Riverstone Shopping Centre, NSW 2765). Order via WhatsApp at +61 425 697 725 with at least 48 hours notice for large sheet cakes.
15 flavours, 100% eggless, sized for 20 to 100 guests. Pick up from Harris Park or Riverstone. WhatsApp us at least 48 hours before your event.