Since I have baked cupcakes for several weddings, I am often asked for advice on how to bake large quanitites of cupcakes from a home kitchen. While there are many ways to do it, here's my method:
- 4 days before the event, I shop. I plan for 1.5 cupcakes per guest.
- 3 days before the event, I bake half of the cupcakes and store them in bakery boxes with cupcake inserts. I do not frost them. I use two mixers to speed up the process (if you only have one, find a friend and borrow theirs).
- 2 days before the event, I bake the second half of the cupcakes and store them in bakery boxes. I do not frost them either.
- 1 day before the event, I frost and decorate all of the cupcakes.
- The day of the event, I VERY carefully transport the cupcakes to the event site. If the event is in the summer (or if you live somewhere where it is always hot), be sure to air condition the vehicle before loading the cupcakes so the frosting does not melt.
I just finished making 288 cupcakes (3 flavours, 2 of them filled) for a family wedding and found Stef's tips invaluable. However, with an active household of 3 young children, I didn't feel comfortable with leaving everything 4 days before the event. I received some great advice from a professional baker: If you are baking a chocolate cupcake, bake them ahead of time and freeze them unfrosted in an airtight container. They will retain their moisture and chocolate benefits from a feezing to deepen its flavour. Just defrost them at room temperature the night before you plan to frost them. This helped to lighten my load for the "crunch" days before the wedding.
ReplyDeleteHi... can I ask what size boxes you used for wedding 3.0? I think I counted 28 cupcakes and 10 boxes??? I have my first big job for 500 and I need to transport them about 5 miles. Thanks for your help. Is 4" height ever a problem?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this. I have my first large order as well and will be starting prep work this weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
I am making 250 cupcakes for a wedding this weekend. Before when I used the icing swirl on top, the very edge of the cupcake that wasn't covered in icing dried out and became very hard. I'm assuming it's because the set out in the open air too long, but I'm not sure how to keep 250 cupcakes in an air tight container. Do you have any suggestions on keeping the edges of the cupcakes from drying out while I am decorating them and then until the reception begins?
ReplyDeleteHi, I run my own online cupcake bakery, while also studying at school, I'm wondering if I'm thinking a little too ambitiously if I want to make somewhere around 300 cupcakes for an event if I don't have full days to bake and frost cupcakes. I also don't really have the means to store them unless I don't refrigerate them, would leaving them in boxes for a couple of days before I frost them affect their flavor/texture?
ReplyDeleteI think they'll be OK if they are boxed for a couple of days. I do that. But, it's the time issue that I would worry about. It takes a long time to bake and frost 300 cupcakes.
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