This is everything you need to know about how to cater a wedding! Especially if you’re making cupcakes, I have a few special tips and tricks for you cupcake lovers out there! It all comes down to planning and thinking ahead and a few special tools to really save you time and stress.
I get a ton of emails from people making large batches of cupcakes for parties and weddings. They all have the same sort of questions and I thought it was enough buzz to warrant a post.
This is how I cater weddings, but everyone is different and it will vary from person to person. Find what works best for YOU.
You first need to figure out WHAT you are going to bake. I like to have a conversation with the bride, figure out how many and then talk through flavors and colors. As far as flavors go, don’t have too many choices. It makes it hard on you as the baker and it makes it hard on the guests at the wedding trying to decide. Three or four flavors is plenty.
It’s always nice to tie in the wedding colors, but it isn’t a must. It actually can sometimes be a disaster. Brides usually don’t know what looks good or bad, YOU are the expert. An easy way to tie in the color is with the cupcake liners. I prefer to stick to either 1 color of liner for all the cupcakes, or 1 color and white liners. It starts to look “messy” if you have different liners for everything. But again, it’s the bride’s choice, so make her happy. For colored liners, make sure to use a greaseproof kind to keep the color after baking.
After all the prep work has been done during the initial planning stage, (which can be done months in advance) I like to break the occasion into a 3-day extravaganza.
DAY 1: Prep and Grocery Shopping
1. Make sure you will have the proper equipment to store all your goods in. Have enough tupperware to store your cupcakes and frosting and whatever else you may need.
2. Plan out every recipe and make a grocery list of what you will need. Don’t forget things like powdered sugar, butter and sprinkles (sometimes I ignore these because I always have them on hand.. which I do, but sometimes not enough for 400 cupcakes).
3. Plan out WHERE you are going to grocery shop. I usually make my list according the the store. So I have a Costco list, and Winco list, and a Michaels list.
4. Make sure you have fridge space to keep everything cold over night.
5. Get in your car and go!
6. Bring it home, double check you have everything you need and enjoy the rest of your day. Prepare for battle in the kitchen tomorrow.
My beautiful industrial tupperware. I get it from restaurant supply stores.
Some of the workers at Costco know me by name… probably not a good thing
I always buy too much buttermilk, but that’s alright because I use it every other day anyway.
Day 2: Baking
1. I like to start early in the morning because you can be done in the early afternoon and still have the rest of you day to play.
2. Double every batch. I had to ditch my cute mixing bowl for a bigger, ugly one. But it does the trick. (For this wedding I had to make 400 cupcakes. which means roughly 18 batches, then divided by 2 because I double each batch and that’s only 9! I only have to mix up batter 9 times! It feel much less overwhelming when you say 9 batches instead of 400 cupcakes.)
3. Use a 24 cupcake pan if you have one, if you have TWO that’s even better because then when you pull one batch out you can pop in the next 24!
4. Use a cupcake scoop, it’s a huge time saver and keeps all the cupcakes the same size.
5. Let cool and store in a cool place overnight in tupperwares.
6. If you need to ganache or fill any cupcakes, I always do it on the day of my baking. Ganache helps to seal in moisture and you just want to get everything you can done the day before the wedding.
My glamorous baking outfit. And tie up your hair! No one likes a hair in their cupcake.
Put on some music so you don’t go insane. Yes, Andy Grammer and Newsies are some of my favorite tunes in the kitchen.
Costco Eggs… a total bargain and I used all 60 🙂
Big, ugly bowl but it works great!
Handy, dandy cupcake scoop. I use different sizes for different cakes depending on how they rise. You can get them at restaurant supply stores or online. Search for “food scoops” and most companies have the same color coordination. I like the yellow and royal blue scoops the best.
My Thunder 24 pan. Love it. Seriously love it.
A made a dozen gluten free for the bride and her sisters
Sweet cream cheese filling…
Day 3: Frosting, Packing, Delivery and Decorating
1. Make your frostings. I do double batches again, then put them in large containers for travel.
2. Make extra frosting. The worst thing is getting there and running out of frosting, so make an extra batch of each flavor just in case.
3. If you are topping your cupcakes with fresh fruit, I always do this the day of. It can be a tad risky because what if Costco is out of raspberries… but I usually call ahead to make sure they are in stock. I like my berried to be as fresh as possible.
4. Pack up the car. Pack it so that everything is sturdy and won’t tumble over. I pack my backseats and my trunk.
5. Pack a container of your piping tips, piping bags, sprinkles, fresh fruit, spatulas (one for each flavor), paper towels, extra powdered sugar (for hot outdoor weddings your frosting may need to be thicker to withstand the heat), and milk (in case you need to thin out your frosting).
6. Put the AC on full blast and hit the road. Plan to be at the wedding 2 hours before the event starts to give yourself plenty of time to get everything done.
7. Find a room that’s cool and has enough table space to get your work done. I like to find a room away from people. Because people love to watch you decorate cupcakes right? But then they ask a ton of questions and slow you down. You’re not there to socialize, you are there to work. Get done early and then you can charm everything and teach them how to pipe a cupcake or two.
8. Find out where the cupcakes will be and how they are wanting to serve them. Do they want them all out at once or do they have servers bringing trays in to refresh the display?
9. Pipe your cupcakes one flavor at a time and place them on serving trays or maybe right on to the table display.
10. Keep your area clean and professional.
11. Pack up all your containers (I always do the cleaning at home.)
12. I like to leave before the festivities begin, just so that I’m not in the way or seen as mooching or pushing my business. But be sure to leave behind cards with your information just in case people ask who did the cupcakes.
13. Drive home, pop in a movie, eat something other than a cupcake and go to bed…the dishes and unloading can wait ’til morning.
The day of: Wear something comfortable and I like to brand myself while I’m at it (sorry for the mirror reflection, I promise it’s not backwards in real life). I tied up my hair… don’t worry. Usually I would wear the shirt with color colored cropped pants but….
It was a hot day with no AC in my house. I thought the bride would be happier getting cupcakes from me in running shorts than me with my face looking like a red velvet cupcake.
Mix up that frosting!
Chocolate coconut cupcakes are great for weddings and they are always great for me and you because you can frosting them before you get there. They aren’t delicate because you roll them in coconut, no there’s no worries about them making it there safely. Just roll and go!
Double check…
Don’t forget what you need to assemble and decorate the cupcakes with
Pack up. I also like to take a few minutes to air out my hot car so that the ganache doesn’t melt off the cupcakes on the drive.
Pipe away! My hand always cramps up after 200 cupcakes, so that’s usually when I’ll go and grab something to drink.
Ta dah! You’re done and you survived!
Now, a lot of people have questions about freezing cupcakes. Yes you can do it, but it leaves the tops of the cupcakes really sticky and you need a top of freezer space to do it. So that’s why I always like to do the baking the day before the event. Why break it up over a few weeks when I could just have it take over 1 day? You will be shocked how quickly you can bake the cupcakes, especially using my cake mix recipes.
Well, I hope I answered all the questions about that.
What an awesome post with sooo much great and useful information! After you bake the cupcakes, I know you said to store in a cool area – do you mean an actual fridge or just any place where the AC is running? 🙂
Not the fridge (who has room for 400 cupcakes in their fridge anyway?–not me!). Just the basement if it’s a bot day in your house or your kitchen is probably fine as long as it’s not 90 degrees in there.
When you store cupcakes, do you store with the cover on or leave them open to the air?
This is a great post, Lizzy!! So helpful – great to know how you do it 🙂
So excited you told us what pan you have! I am going to buy one ASAP! I did not know they made pans that have 24 tins! :))) This is such an awesome post! Thanks for the advice!
I just put a link to the pan I get off to the right of the page. I don’t know why I didn’t think to do that before…
Amazing…such great information. Thanks for sharing!
Are those mini cupcakes
Nope! Standard sized!
Thanks for sharing! Do you have a link to the cupcake scoops? I have the Wilton cupcake scoops and I feel the regular size one overfills my cupcakes. I also use the snapware cupcake carriers from the container store they were expensive but they are great for transporting cupcakes that are all decorated with frosting and embellishments.
Thanks so much Lizzy for always sharing wonderful tips. Love the scooper– what size do you use for mini cupcakes?
Click on the same link up above on the right side of my page, and I use the purple or black scoop for minis!
Wow what fantastic information,thank you soooo much x x x
I would like your advice please Lizzy. I have moved to Cyprus with my family 10 years ago,being a small island in the mediterranean sea it gets very hot here.Our summer is about 9 months of the year with high humidity and high temperatures.So I have a huge problem with my buttercream frosting it just melts,what can I do to keep my frosting from melting so easily.
It’s a hard problem because what makes a frosting so good is the ratio of butter to sugar. But when high heat comes along, you have to add more sugar to keep it stiff…which also then makes it really sweet and less creamy. I would maybe play around with a stabilized whipped cream. Google it, people use bloomed unflavored gelatin to make it which might be enough to withhold the heat. I hope that helps!
Thank you for the post. These were great ideas!
This is so helpful! I’ve been asked to bake for a few events now and slowly learning the ropes. This provided great information I will have to use for an upcoming graduation party!
Love the site and recipes! My family loves your chocolate pistachio cupcake recipe, everyone asks me to bake it for their birthday!
Oh good! I’m actually about to head into the kitchen right now to make something with that same combo for my Spring book. Wish me luck!
This was a great post, thanks so much for sharing!! That is a lot of cupcakes!
Great post Lizzy! So fun to see a day in the life of a professional cupcake baker 🙂
Great post!
I jus recently did my first wedding display and it was kind of tricky. Th bride only wanted chocolate and vanilla thankfully. I prepped the same what u did. But i frosted the cuppies that morning of the wedding at home, put them in clam shell containers (13 dz. smh) and then used gloves to get them out. Which was hard sumtimes. Only reason i like the clam shells is because im scared the cupcakes will touch and mess up. And i dont want to frost there. My question is would it be ok to put them in the same containers u packed yours in? What size do u use? Also if i dont have a 24 baking tin can i put 2 12 count tins side by side in the oven at the same time. Ive been too scared to try.
The reason I don’t like clam shells is because they always don’t seem to be tall enough for me. I like to make my cupcakes bit and tall and topped with something fabulous like fresh fruit or chocolate shavings. But bakeries use regular bakery boxes, the cardboard ones. And those work well. My containers are about 20X12X 3 1/2 inches. When I take cupcakes to small parties, I’ll sometimes frost them and put them in the containers and it always works fine. It just depends HOW you frost them. Mine are usually tall and not too close to the rim of the cupcake. So that works. As for cupcake pans… yes, if your oven fits 2 12-count pans, then do it! But a lot of ovens just barely won’t fit them. But the 24-count pan is smaller than 2 12-count pans because there’s less of a border. Hope that helps!
Could you send a link for where you get the storage/transport containers you use please?
TIA
C
I just get them from any restaurant supply store! I have been to several since I’ve moved around and they always carry the same kind, which is handy!
Hi Shantel! I, personally, always use two 12 tins side by side, as I don’t have a 24 tin. I never have any problems – baking times seem to be pretty standard with the recipes I’ve used, with MAYBE 1-2 add’l minutes, but I always bake for the minimum time the recipe recommends and go from there.
thank you thank you thank you, this is SO helpful! i’m baking for my friend’s wedding in august and i’ve been stressing a bit about it…but i will definitely read this a few times before tackling the project. really appreciate this post!
xoamy
Thank you ladies for the reply. Ill def invest in some plastic containers because that will be most helpful. Instead od dirting up all thise clams because i only leave the bride a few in case she has extra. Now i see why u dont use clams, ur icing is sure high and pretty tho!!! Mine are not that high.
Just check out your local restaurant supply store and see what they have!
Thank you! You are kind to show your trade secrets!!!!
I love this post Lizzy! You’re so talented.
Thanks for the information! I thought this post was really neat to read. I’ve always wondered how people did cupcakes for weddings. I think its amazing! And you do a great job!
I’m doing my first wedding in a couple of months. Your information is great, thanks. I use 24 cup tins
and can do 2 pans at once in my convection oven. Makes things go really fast and both tins come out
beautifully. I hadn’t thought of decorating the cupcakes at the actual hall, won’t have to worry how about
messing up the frosting in transport.
Yeah. that’s my biggest worry is that I’ll hit the brakes and ruin all my decorated cupcakes. So it’s easier just to decorate on site.
Lizzy that’s such a super idea… I always decorate before I leave and drive so slow in case I bump the cakes and they topple out… I will definetly try the decorate on site next time… thank you.
Thank you so much this was so helpful to know I am new, but I am getting good advice from your blog one question do you frost your cupcake in your container before you transport? When I frost and then put them in the carry out container I usually mess up my frosting from handling them.
Thanks for your advise.
I frost AT the event. It’s just easier for me to not worry when I drive
Great post, as usual!!!
For transport, I like to use sheets of that textured, rubber shelf liner under my supplies. It really does a great job of preventing things from sliding around, especially boxes of cupcakes!!!
Ohhh, I LOVE it!
This is some really great insight Lizzy. Thanks for sharing. I’m catering a wedding cake in a month and these tips were very helpful 🙂
Hi Lizzy!
How do you prevent your sprinkles from bleeding onto the frosting?
Thanks!
That depends on the type of sprinkles you use. Non-Pareils bleed. They bleed in cake they bleed onto frosting. The Jimmy style sprinkles don’t.
AH! Good to know
I never knew that scoops come in nine different sizes. You said royal blue and yellow, but Amazon only lists the sizes — #20, #8, #12, etc. Is there a place I can see the quantity of these? I use my three different size Pampered Chef scoops now, but am always looking out for something to make my life easier!
I think they have all of them. Here is the Blue
Thank you SO MUCH for doing this post! I have catered one wedding before but this will be very helpful for improving my catering for the wedding I have in October. One question though, I stored the cupcakes in plastic tubs as well and the next day they tasted a little like plastic. 😛 How do you avoid this?
Hmm… mine were bought at a restaurant supply store, so they are meant for food. They are a heavy. hard plastic. I think the thinner plastic tends to be lower quality so it may transfer a little weird taste.
Awesome!! Thanks so much!
I want to go ahead and buy the scoops. I’d I were to buy just two, would you recommend the yellow and purple? Or blue and black? Or vice versa? Need one for standard and one for mini. Thanks in advance.
If you live at high altitude, buy the yellow scoop for regular. If you live somewhere closer to the sea level, blue works great. As for the cookies… I like the black scoop size best.
I love all of your baking tips! One of my biggest peeves is baking cupcakes the night before , and even if I put them in a plastic container they have that weird mushy film over the top the next morning . Do the containers need to be specifically air tight ? Or is there another trick I’m missing ? Thanks Lizzy, you’re my baking guru!
if they aren’t air tight, they will dry out a bit. That “film” is maybe just the moisture in the cake. So you have to decide if you want moist cupcakes with the “film” or dryer cupcakes with dry tops. My cupcakes the next day have a layer of moisture on the top, but I don’t mind and none of my customers have ever noticed. Because once they sit out for a bit at the event, that layer of moisture dries out.
Do you let the cupcakes cool on a cooling rack before you put them in the continer?
Yup!
this was an awesome post! i always wondered how anyone could do that. and i love your shirt!
I love your recipes and all the tips you give! I bake with your recipes all the time and get loads of compliments. I’ve recently started selling my cupcakes and cakes but I always have a problem with pricing. I’m only in high school so most of my customers are students, family friends, or people from my mother’s work. Many think that $1 is a reasonable price for a cupcake, but local bakeries charge as much as $3.50 per cupcake. What do you personally recommend for pricing? How much would you price a wedding like the one you catered to?
First, figure out YOUR cost. Every cupcake is different, which makes is difficult. Then figure out how much time you’re spending to make them. Then charge. I don’t have the heart to charge very much, because I love giving discounts and I just don’t want to make people pay more than they can.
Lizzy,
I just ordered your recommended scoops (blue and black) and cupcake pan. I have a question, though. It looks like the pan is ‘dark’ non-stick. I currently have old ‘dark’ non-stick pans that I always have to turn my oven temp down for because they get the cupcakes too done on the outside. I ended up buying two 12 count ‘shiny’ tins to replace my old ones and they bake up much nicer, with no temperature adjustment. I plan on using my new 24 count and my two 12 counts in rotation to get the job done faster. My question, do you adjust the oven temp for this pan? Or does it bake without burning the outsides?
Love your site! Love your recipes!!
Thanks for all your help!
I have never had a problem with my Thunder pan. But I do know what you’re talking about. Some light pans still burn, so not all pans are safe.
Thank you for for this awesome post! I am going to share this with my high school daughter who is starting to make cupcakes for events. Your tips will save her much trial and error, and your scoop and food-quality carrier suggestions are much appreciated!
What a great article, thank you for sharing. Was wondering if you would share the chocolate coconut recipe., they look delicious. I looked around your site but didn’t see it anywhere. Thanks so much.
Donna
Here you go! It’s filed under the cupcake recipes, and it’s not on the main page but a few pages back. http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2012/03/chocolate-coconut-cupcakes-2.html
Wonderful, as always. Thank you. I saw the post yesterday, but didn’t have time to read it. Now I am glad I did. Working on a wedding order for 300 cup cakes and a small cake for the couple. So needless to say, this information will be a life saver! Thank you again and have a great day!
Oh good luck! It’s always a little crazy. Make sure to have a friend help you out. This was the first big even I didn’t have a friend or my mother there as my assistant.
First of, I would like you to know, you ROCK for all you share! I have the large Pampered Chef scoop that I have used for about 7-8 years & it’s perfect for cupcakes :-). My burning question for you is… When using the grease proof liners do you have a trick to keep the cake from separating from the liner? I find that most frustrating! It will usually happen in about 1/4 of my cakes. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!!
It may be the brand you use for your liners. Because depending on what products are used for the inside lining of the liner. Foil liners will almost always peel away. I order mine in bulk from TheBakersKitchen.net and I’ve never had a problem with the dark brown, red, blue or other basic grease proof ones. Buy a small pack and then order a lot if they work .
Thank you sooo much for this post, Lizzie! I have been getting several wedding orders lately and this post gave some extremely helpful pointers! Your recipes are absolutely wonderful and I love your enthusiasm for baking. Thanks for sharing your recipes, tips, & tricks with us. 🙂
Dear Cupcake Hero,
This post title got me curious right off the bat!!!!! I pretty much do weddings the same way and I am mostly self-taught so I was very happy to know that other pros like you have a similar method. I have been using the Sterilite containers because they are cheap, but not airtight however, so I think I will look for your type at Cash and Carry. BTW…that is a serious amount of frosting you use!!!
I laughed when I read the part about finding a quiet room to be by yourself to get your work done because people ask so many questions…SO TRUE!!
I get my same containers at other places other than Cash & Carry, there is a place here in SLC with the same containers. But there are TWO kinds of lids, some are air tight and others not. I have to try on the lids in the store to make sure I get the right ones.
The links to your favorite pan and scoops won’t link to anything. Is it just me? Thank you for all the WONDERFUL ideas! You are amazing!
It seems to be working on my end… here they are
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PZ9I1G/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=yocuofca-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001PZ9I1G&adid=0VJ86WS87V52YWE1HCPY&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourcupofcake.com%2F
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001MSEXM/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=yocuofca-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B0001MSEXM&adid=02PBTX8DDQ3MJ7Y2287V&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourcupofcake.com%2F
When you use food coloring to enhance the color of your frosting, what kind to you use? They have such vibrant colors.
Well the ones you see have NO dye in them. Amazing right? I use Trader Joe’s freeze dried berries like these http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HEIWVQ/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=yocuofca-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B007HEIWVQ&adid=1VGF0JNNM2QA2K87XA70&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Frcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com%2Fe%2Fcm%3Flt1%3D_blank%26bc1%3D000000%26IS2%3D1%26bg1%3DFFFFFF%26fc1%3D000000%26lc1%3D0000FF%26t%3Dyocuofca-20%26o%3D1%26p%3D8%26l%3Das4%26m%3Damazon%26f%3Difr%26ref%3Dss_til%26asins%3DB007HEIWVQ
Thank you for all the great tips. I have a couple of questions. First, what is your recipe for the box gluten free cake. I made one using one of your yellow cake recipes and it was still gritty. Second, when you double your recipes do you double everything.
The Gluten Free Cake mixes are their own battle. Use the amount of eggs and oil called for and replace the water with buttermilk and add in 1/2 Cup sour cream. And yes I double everything when I double a regular batch.
Thanks so much for this post!! I have to make a couple of hundred for my brothers wedding and was panicking how I was going to manage but thanks for all the great tips. Really useful.
FoodNerd x
I’m not sure, but didn’t see the sweet cream recipe. Can you tell me where I can find it. Thnx!!
It’s just a cream cheese filling. About 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 butter, beat well then add 1 tsp vanilla and powdered sugar until to your desired consistency.
You are AWESOME for posting this!!!! I just ordered my second 24 cup muffin pan and a new gas stove with a double oven! I am so excited to do my first wedding!!!! This post will be a lifesaver, I have no doubt! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
When you frost your cupcakes on site and put them on serving trays…are they servings trays provided by the client or you? I touched you were using cookie pans to put cupcakes on. Is that just for holding the cupcakes as you frost them?
Thanks!
It totally depends on your client. I usually tell them ahead of time I won’t provide trays. So for this wedding they had 20 cookie sheets on hand and just used those. You can buy plastic trays for fairly cheap at supply stores, but I just like to be able to take all my things and leave. So I try not to “rent” out extra things like that. It gets too complicated.
You are soooo sweet!! Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I know one day you may only be able to answer a few because you will be so busy doing all of these parties and events!!! God Bless You.
I’m extremely impessed that you can frost 400 cupcakes in 2 hours. My arm gives out long before that. Do you use box mixes with add ins for all your cupcakes? And if I may ask, what do you charge per dozen for wedding cupcakes? I think I don’t charge enough.
I like using box mixes because it’s faster and I just think they are the most delicious. When I charge for a cupcake, I first figure out my cost to make them, how much time it will take, what bakeries in the area charge and then go from there. I never charge enough either, I just don’t have it in me to charge what I should for my time.
Hi!! Just bought a cupcake scooper that you mentioned above on Amazon. Can’t wait to try it. I’m so excited you wrote about this, as I’ve been asked to make cupcakes for a wedding next summer. 🙂
Hi Lizzy! Quick question: How many cupcakes does your container hold? I have an event this weekend and I am trying to figure out how to transport them without the clam shell containers. This post gave me cupcake life!! Thanks in advance!
They hold 28 cupcakes! That’s with a lot of practice getting them in there 🙂
Hi Lizzy!!! Do you always only bake 24 at a time in your oven? You said you double the batch, so if your making enough for 48, are you baking 24 while the rest of the batter sits, or are you baking all 48? I have a single oven, and typically only bake 24 at a time. I’m afraid to try to rotate my pans half way through and have the cake fall. But if there’s a way to bake more at a time, it’s be great!
I bake 24 at a time but MIX double batches. I have a really…bad oven. So it can’t take 48 at a time. But when I’m using my mother’s oven in OR I will bake 48 at a time, I use convection when I do that.
What recipes did you use in this post? I want to make the ones with pink frostings 🙂
I did a strawberry vanilla cupcake and used a berry recipe with freeze dried strawberries. Check out my raspberry lemonade cupcakes and swap the raspberry for strawberry and use a vanilla cake recipe!
You are so great to reveal your secrets! Some of your tips will make things much easier for me! I’ve had my cupcake business for almost 2 years now and I still don’t have my own logo. I was wondering if you designed it by yourself or had someone do it for you?
I designed it myself and then had my friend make it come to life!
I LOVE this. I am about to start up a baking business and although I have been a baker for ten years, I have never catered my own events. Thank you so much for this invaluable information!
thanks for sharing your ideas… where did you get the rectangle plastic container??/ that’s perfect size
I got it from a wholesale place called Cash & Carry! Though I know lots of different food supply stores have these same containers!
you are an expert on this, so I have to ask…. what is the size of your cupcake storage box… looks like it’s 26*18*6.
I am transport cup cakes to a friend’s party. the other issue I have with the recipes you have, any suggestions on what kind of icing to use in keep the cup cake for 24 without refrigeration. I want everything fresh but unfortunately I can’t do the icing few hours before the the party. any suggestions>>>
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/clear-carlisle-1062107-storplus-food-storage-box-26-x-18-x-6/clear-carlisle-1062107-storplus-food-storage-box-26-x-18-x-6.jpg?16538
does the cupcake storage unit needs to be tight??
Yes! Because if they aren’t they can dry out from the air 🙁
You can frost 24 hours before the party! That’s totally fine, the frosting won’t spoil in a day! As for the containers, I’m on the road right now so I can’t check. But I doubt they’re 6 inches tall. More like 4…
I am interested in your key lime cupcake. I am wondering if I can make it in a cake pan instead of cupcakes. Should I make any adjustments? Thanks for any tips! Your cupcakes are beautiful!
Baking it in a cake pan should be fine! You’ll probably need to bake it for 5 or so minutes longer though!
Do you have any suggestions for cream cheese frosting? I have to drive 2 1/2 hours to the venue and am wondering if thats a bad idea and i should do a regular buttercream even though they are red velvet. They may have to sit out an hour or so before the wedding as well and I’m worried about food safety. Any advice?
Oh you’ll be fine!! Bakeries have their cream cheese frostings sit out all day just to sell them at the end of the day!
Thank you!!
Hi Lizzy!
Thank you for this post. I’m catering a wedding next weekend and I found this super helpful. The bride has the venue rented for the entire weekend so I’m wondering how early is too early to get to the reception location, frost the cupcakes and set them up? I’m doing red velvet with cream cheese frosting. I’m setting the cupcakes up and I don’t know how long they will be okay sitting out. Also, my cream cheese frosting sometimes doesn’t hold up well (it gets kind of runny and slumps). I use your recipe so should I just add more sugar?
Yes, just add extra powdered sugar! Make sure you don’t use fat free cream cheese or anything like that. I would just go a few hours before the reception and set up! Don’t worry about the frosting going “bad” bakeries keep their cakes and cupcakes out all day long!
Hi Lizzy,
I am a friend of your Aunt Jan Hansen in Thatcher Arizona. She gave me your book about a year ago as a gift, man have I had fun with it! My daughter was married on January 4, 2014 and she asked me for cupcakes at the reception. I was so grateful for your blog, especially all of your great advice on catering a wedding! We love your recipes, your book, and your blog! Thank you so much for sharing all of your amazing cup cake wisdom! I wanted to share some of the photos, you are a great teacher! Thanks so much! Is there a way to send you some pictures? I can’t find an e-mail address for you anywhere.
Aw, you are too sweet! [email protected] is the email address I use! So happy to hear that I could help on that exciting day 🙂
I am looking for advice for a friend. She is doing a wedding that is expecting 300 people. She wants to know how you determine the number of cupcakes needed for a wedding? One per person? more? less? How do you make that decision?
Some people don’t eat any cupcakes, but depending on how good they are some people eat more than 1. You also have to decide, would you rather have a bunch of cupcakes left over or would you rather run out? I usually end up making 1 for every person attending, because at the end of the night it’s what works best. Also, take into account if there are any other desserts and what season it is. January weddings (where people are on their “diets”) guests don’t go crazy over the desserts.
What a wealth of information in this post! Thank you for sharing. Purchased your book yesterday with the Kindle version THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US THE DIGITAL VERSION whew!!!! Go Lizzy!!! Okay so I am looking at the scoops as well; guess I’ll have to purchase all those mentioned in this post since the description is quite different than my run in the mill ice cream scoop. Looked through the book until 1am this morning I’M IN LOVE…continue to be blessed and highly favored, looking forward to your new book come March 2014. Kind Regards~
Hey girlie! I skimmed through some comments, but you are so stinkin popular so I figured I shoot my question directly to you! I’ve looked at a few restaurant suppliers online, but can’t seem to find the tupperware. Can I ask what site you are using?
Is it okay to freeze them? Would you do the filling before or after thawing? And how long to thaw them?
You CAN freeze them, but they’re just never as good after. I would fill it after they thaw, they will take about 8 hours to thaw, but that can vary a ton depending on the temperature of your kitchen!
I made your red velvet cupcake recipe yesterday and it turned out really dry. I only baked them for 18 minutes, so I’m sure I didn’t overbake them. What am I doing wrong? I have to make 300 cupcakes for this weekend and I’m getting nervous since I cannot find a really moist good recipe. You came highly recommended, but I have to say I am disappointed in the results.
Did you use the cake mix version with a PILLSBURY cake mix? That’s my favorite brand, Duncan Hines turn out sort of dry for me.
So you’ve covered the change in the cake when you freeze the cupcakes, but what about the wrappers? I’m DIYing it for my own wedding and am terrified that when I defrost the cupcakes the beautiful (and outrageously priced) purple damask liners I bought will bleed or fade or something. Will they?
I have not had any problems with that before!
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! I froze cupcakes for a wedding next weekend and used plain white,inexpensive cupcake liners. I have started making and freezing frosting. I purchased plastic cupcake holders at my local grocery store and have been told I can stack 3 cartons (24 each) on top of each other and tape them together. Will the cupcake liners come off the cupcakes if there is no air while defrosting? I plan on putting them into lace sleeves, but would like them to look nice when removed to eat! They need to be transported to a location 3 1/2 hours away. Thanks for your help.
You mention a sweet cream filling in the cupcakes above. Is there a recipe on your site for that, I tried searching but didn’t find one. Love your ideas and your talent!
You can just use a cream cheese frosting OR you can check out my “So What I’m Single” Cupcakes and use that mascarpone filling!
Never Mind! I reread comments and found it. Thanks!
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme.
Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
Plz respond as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to know where u got this from.
thanks
I hired someone to design it, but it’s based off of a pre-made theme!
THANK YOU X 101!!!! You have no Idea how much this has inspired me to get back to my passion. Not gonna give you a long sob story, but I allowed Life to pull me from my passion, baking cupcakes that make people close their eyes and say MMMmmmm LOL I am re-inspired and motivated yet again this week ( signs and wonders leading me back to baking have been hitting me for the past two weeks) and I thank you for that!
I was asked to make cupcakes for a wedding reception. The wedding venue is five hours away and the altitude is much higher than where I am baking them at. Have you ever had an issue with transporting cupcakes that were made in different elevations?
Thank yoh for all this great info. I am considering baking cupcakes for my daughter’s wedding as long as the guest lisg doesn’t get too long. You have shared some fabulous information. I plan to practice some, sending the practice cupcakes to work with my hubby. I will be ordering those 24 well cupcake pans! And the scoops!
I’m kind of afraid of the day I have to make 400 cupcakes (eep!). The most I’ve ever had to make was 50, and that was INSANE to take to work (not to mention that they were filled with ice cream!)
The industrial tupperware is BRILLIANT! I was trying to figure out some mode of transportation for my cupcakes. 🙂
BY the way, I give you the credit for giving me the confidence to start my own (albeit small) cupcake ‘business’, I’ve been tweaking my recipes, but I was really inspired by your site! (Your decorating is so pretty!)
I just did my first batch of “dairy free” rainbow cupcakes last week, and that was certainly a challenge!
I just wanted to say THANK YOU for being such an inspiration!
Next time I’m in Provo, I’ll have to send my hellos! (My dad lives there!)
Cheers from California. 😀 😀 😀
I am making 400 cupcakes. How much frosting would I need, using a 2d tip. I was contemplating getting several tubs of store canned frosting or my local Sam’s sells the 30 lb tub for $34, but I don’t know how much I would need. How many cupcakes could I get out of 30 lbs of buttercreme icing?
Where do purchase your boxes (for smaller orders) and cupcake liners from?
Hi, do you have a link to the supply stores for the containers .
Thanks so much
Great post!! So helpful! Question though: how come you frost AT the wedding venue? And not at home and transport them in the containers? And do you check to make sure there is space to do so? I have a couple weddings coming up so this is great! Thanks!!
Very good post! We will be linking to this great post on our site.
Keep up the good writing.
Can you frost them the night before if you know you’ll have a time crunch the day of?
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Thank you for all your great ideas. I am doing 250 cupcakes and a small cake next October. This is my 4 th wedding extravaganza. Good tips.
This was so informative. I have a couple questions. You bake your cupcakes and fill them the day before but frost them the following day? The cupcakes do not dry out? Also where can I purchase the containers for cupcakes and frosting and their sizes. Thank you
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Planning and arranging a wedding for your current location can be a tedious task.. but with the right planning, you can get everything working
This is a great article Lizzy…So helpful – great to know how you do it
This is so wonderful. I am getting married by the end of the year and i find the information useful even though we are basically outsourcing the whole catering
It is a nice read. 10 years later i still find it useful for my upcoming 12zodiacsigns themed wedding coming up by December