Hi Cali4Dawn:

I often visit your webshots page and like a lot of friends in this forum, I've benefited from your excellent tutorials for which everyone who visits this page should feel very grateful. On the other hand I know for a fact that you're an expert working with cupcakes. I am just starting as I have only made them once. Here is my problem: I have been asked to do 200 or so cupcakes for the 23rd of this month decorated with Xmas motives. I work full time and arrive home around 5pm at night and go to bed around 11pm. If this would have been your order how would you've managed to bake and decorate them individually for that date? It might sound silly but honestly, I don't know where to start. My little grandson is so proud of his "mama's " cakes and I would not like to deceive him.

Your advise is desperately waited and greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!!
Awela/Granny

Start baking!!!!! Yesterday!!!!

You can bake and freeze them as long as you take the time to freeze them properly. You must keep moisture from getting to them. You will get 4,000 different pieces of advice on how to freeze them. And I'm sure they all work. Here's how I do it:

Place them in a cake box (or any box, for that matter- even a brown paper bag works). You can layer them with a layer of wax-paper in between the layers. After closing the cake-box, I place the box inside of a trash bog and tie off. I place inside the freezer. When you remove from the freezer. Leave them in the box until thoroughly thawed.

If you don't have enough room in your freezer for 200 cupcakes, you can bake them at least 3 days in advance with no problems. Store them in a cake box or other box in a cool room.

You can ice them three 3 days in advance also. I've pushed it at 5 before. They still taste very fresh.

So, if they are due on December 23 and you need 200+, and you can't start baking now and freezing, here is my plan based on your work schedule (it'll be tough, but you can do it!!- Grannies never fail!!):

at 24 cupcakes per batch (I get 27- but we'll stick to the generalizations for ease of your math), 9 batches will be 216 cakes.

You will make all of your icing on Saturday or Sunday. On Sunday you will bake at least 3 batches of cakes. On Monday you will bake 3 more batches and ice and decorate the batch from the day before. You will do the same on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If you have room in your freezer for even a few cupcakes, bake them and store now. Make it as easy on yourself as possible.

How are you going to decorate them? Keep it easy! Don't do anything super fancy. Just make it "look" fancy.

I could not go to sleep, so I checked the forum awaiting for your answer. Thanks sooo much for that excellent advise!!! GOD BLESS!!

Awela/Granny

P.S. I'll let you know how they came out.

I messed up one point:

I said: "Leave them in the box until thoroughly thawed. "

It should be:

Leave them in the box AND BAG until thoroughly thawed.