How To Cut A Sheet Cake Like A Pro — Just Use The Grid Method

For some of us, the question of how to cut a cake barely registers — you just pick up a knife and carve yourself a piece as big as your appetite demands, right? As sympathetic as we are to this viewpoint, it is worth taking a moment to consider what many argue is the most efficient and professional way of cutting a sheet cake — namely, via the grid method.

Much as the name implies, the grid method for cutting sheet cake (such as our recipe for pink lemonade sheet cake) requires measuring your cake and dividing it into squares of equal size, lightly scoring the cake's surface while measuring to ensure you can cut with total precision. Alternatively, you can use your cake's frosting to create a symmetrical, quilt-like grid to guide your cutting. Either way, this guarantees that all guests get the same amount. The grid method has the added benefit of allowing a cleaner cut that produces more cohesive slices, and makes sure as little of your cake as possible is reduced to crumbs (even if leftover cake crumbs can be used for a lot more than cake pops).

On the subreddit r/AskCulinary, one user offers some further tips on the grid method, advising that you should use a ruler when measuring your sheet pan dessert. "Don't feel weird about it either, pastry chefs use rulers all the time." For a truly perfect cut, the user suggests using a warmed knife to slice your cake, a technique we also endorse. Some also recommend refrigerating your cake uncovered for 30 minutes prior to cutting, then letting the individual slices come to room temperature before serving.

While the grid method might seem intuitively obvious for a typically square or rectangular dessert like sheet cake, you might be surprised to find you can use the technique to cut large round cakes like a pro. Some professionals argue that, if you are cutting any cake larger than 6 to 8 inches in diameter, the grid method is the way to go. This is because the bigger the cake, the more difficult it can be to accurately pinpoint the center, meaning that cutting it into traditional, triangular wedges can produce messy and uneven results.

To use the grid method on a round cake, cut it from top to bottom into at least three large slices — the bigger the cake, the more slices you'll want to cut. (You're essentially turning each large slice into a mini sheet cake.) Then lay each slice flat and apply your grid technique to these segments. While this will not yield the exact uniformity you will get with square cakes, grid method advocates point out that this will allow sweet-toothed frosting fans to enjoy a more heavily frosted end piece, while those who favor cake more can get one from the middle. And remember — just because the grid method delivers perfectly cut and equally sized slices is no reason not to go back for a second piece.