making cupcakes

Welcome to the WeddingWire Community @Elizabeth W! Can anyone give her any tips?!

Bake and freeze the frosting seperately. Wrap the cupcake tightly in plastic wrap when they are mostly cool but still a little bit warm and freeze. This should be good for 2-3 months. Put frosting in an airtight container and freeze. Frosting will also freeze for at least 2-3 months. I have froze frosting for 6 months before without a problem and it still tasted great.

I agree with Samantha Renee^

You have friends or family who would probably help if you ask them?

That way you could do it a few days before the wedding..

Samantha, it's too early to start drinking, even for a Saturday.

@Elizabeth, they should keep in the freezer without frosting for about 2-3 months, although I probably wouldn't make them more than 2 weeks in advance. But do not leave making all those cupcakes for the day before. That's a whole lot of cupcakes to bake and decorate. I would make fresh frosting though.

Whoa, whoa, at least 2 cupcakes per guest? That sounds like WAY too many cupcakes. If you make 200 cupcakes in a 24-cupcake pan, that's 9 batches. This is doable, but you'll have to do batches because you usually can't just double or triple baking recipes. Obviously, you should have some help, and the person in charge should be someone who bakes. You can make and freeze the cupcakes 2 weeks ahead i you WRAP THEM VERY WELL. Wrap each piece of yumminess in plastic wrap. Place them in plastic containers (maybe do a dozen to a container), then wrap the container in plastic. I would be careful about freezing the frosting because in my experience, it doesn't always thaw well. I would make a simple buttercream with plenty of cream of tartar so it will harden. Don't use the store-bought canned stuff because it will never set and you'll have to be worried about nudging the cupcakes forever. Once you're ready to frost, thaw your cupcakes. I think the key to doing so many is to

Pick a simple design that you and your helpers can replicate. A great one is a swirl of frosting from a pastry bag fitted with a large tip, with an edible sugar ball on top. You can definitely do this, but have patience and have a friend who bakes!

Samantha, look me in the eye...

Ha ha ha, well I'm almost 5'10", so that idea is out :-) J/K anyway. So do we have some good news to share?!?!?

Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to clean everything up between batches. Bowls, beaters, pans. I was a BM once and I had to bake 9 cakes, because the bride wanted a particular home made cake. It. Was. Not. Fun. And I did it over 2 days before the wedding. You'll have plenty on your plate then.

Im baking the cupcakes myself because we can not afford to buy a cake. With cake comes the cost of dessert plates and extra forks.

That's a lot of cupcakes to bake. It's great if you have the time and want to do it. If not, check out SAMs Club or Costco if one is near you. There bakery is very affordable, and may save you some time before the big day to spend doing other things.

Are you saying i should wrap each cupcake or would making a single layer wrapped do? I will make the frosting a day or two in advance and simple yellow sprinkles when done.

I suggest doing a test batch now.. Make cupcakes this week and thaw and eat some in 2-3 months and see if you like how they taste. You have time before the wedding to test it out and make sure you've got the wrapping airtight

ETA : I wouldn't do 2 for every guests. For 150 guests I would probably do around 200. Someone people will have 2 (kids maybe 3!) but some people won't have one at all and it'll even out.

If your going to do this wrap each single cupcake and then put them in a freezable container and wrap that.

But seriously do you have a Sam's Club if you do then go and get a membership ($40 for the year) and go talk to their bakery, they are amazing cakes and prices really well I bought 1/2 of cake and 24 cupcakes for $30 for the shower I hosted. It served 64-76 servings. Which is a steal for $30 bucks It saved me so much time and it was money well spent. Do you really want to spend hours in the kitchen doing all this yourself? It just seems like a huge hassle to me, And what happens if you burn a batch or a batch doesn't turn out well? If not check out your store's bakery.

I'm doing regular size & mini cupcakes, only for max 40 guests tho. I do agree with all said above, with that many guests, you might as well go to costco or a cheap baker & get it all there. I understand the desire to make it original or homemade adds more "love" to it, but that's alot of baking for one or 2 people. I'm only doing enough for my small group, any more than that & I'll need help.

We are doing cupcakes but having a baker make them the morning of. I was under the impression that cupcakes don't hold their freshness as well as cake? I know they are made of the same thing but I can tell the difference between fresh and frozen. I dunno... don't wanna be a downer, but it's just a different perspective on it.

I have baked and froze cupcakes before and I would say, make them 2-3 weeks early, then freeze in sealed Tupperware (I bought large ones that fit ~12 cupcakes each.) I have never tried freezing the icing separately before, and I usually make the icing and frost the cupcakes right away, but last time I did cupcakes I froze some after they were frosted, the frosting froze and thawed perfectly. I actually thought they were even more moist than fresh baked cupcakes.

I want to add that you shouldn't do all the baking/decorating the day before unless you:

A) think you will have a lot of free time the day of/before the wedding

B) have lots of fridge place to store iced cupcakes

C) have lots of help

D) have lots of patience.

I made/delivered 150 cupcakes for my FSIL's wedding last summer (all the day before the wedding.) There were 3 of us working (FMIL did much of the baking, while I made the icing and iced the cupcakes, F aunt IL was taste testing) and it still took us all day.

I will look into sams club and see if i know anyone with a membership. We cant afford the cakes and membership.

Elizabeth, if you are wanting to add a special touch, I wonder if you can order them in frosted and then decorate them yourself? Just a thought. Also, sometimes SAMs will give you a day or 2-day membership to try it put. I know you can go in and look around, without being charged, so maybe talk to the bakery and see what they have to say? Just some things to consider. I'm sure whatever you decide, it will be wonderful and you still have plenty of time to experiment with the different options.

Kari