I remember seeing something about htis, but I can't find it anywhere. I was thinking of offering this to customers at parties. I thought of giving them a few options of cupcakes and then a few different icings and assorted toppings. What do you think?
Any ideas? How do I go about charging?
I want it to be self serve so i was thinking LOTS of icing.
any creative ideas?
thanks

Oh wow that is a really neat idea!!! Would you have the icing in bags or just have them spread on the icing??? I can't wait to see some of the ideas on this site.

That's a great idea! I would include some more exotic flavors that people wouldn't normally try. I would also put the icing in bags so they can make their cupcakes pretty. Maybe also make up a few already decorated "examples". For decorations you could make gumpaste flowers. If you make the decorations than you can charge the same price as your already decorated cupcakes. When you set up the table do it two sided so the line will move faster, since people will probably take their time. I love this, the ideas are flowing now. Thanks for getting my brain moving today!

That's a great idea! I would include some more exotic flavors that people wouldn't normally try. I would also put the icing in bags so they can make their cupcakes pretty. Maybe also make up a few already decorated "examples". For decorations you could make gumpaste flowers. If you make the decorations than you can charge the same price as your already decorated cupcakes. When you set up the table do it two sided so the line will move faster, since people will probably take their time. I love this, the ideas are flowing now. Thanks for getting my brain moving today!

You could have three or four different flavors of naked cupcakes and then three or four different flavored buttercreams. That way people can pick the flavors and have the icing applied right in front of them. You never go to a bar where your Mojito is already mixed and waiting for you.

I love that idea.

Darci

What a great idea!! I agree with Sarah, you should charge the same as an already decorated cupcake. Just give them all the pieces that you would use, and leave the decorating up to them!

How fun wold that be?!

Oh, what a cool idea, I am going to HAVE to try it!

this has got to be one of the best ideas i've heard! i've got to try it

I've worked as a banquet server, and bartender, and I have to tell you, I love your idea, but think you should serve them. You could be the "cake"tender or something. People are messy, and really don't seem to care about hygiene when left to serve themselves. I'm only speaking from experience, and I think it would be cool to have you ice it right in front of them

Kind of like that ice cream place Old stone creamery ?( something like that ) where you pick the ice cream and the add ins and watch them make it ! But just maybe have 1 set price and they can add what( or not ) they want on it !

I think it's a great idea too. The only thing I thought about immediatley was what happens when you hand an icing bag to an inexperienced decorator......they usually squeeze the bag & the icing comes out the top! This would probably make quite a mess on both the table & the customers hands. I once did a hot dog cake for a little girls birthday party & the "bun" of the hot dog was unfrosted cake. It looked great like that, but I figured the kids would want to put frosting on it once they were served. I ended up going to Wal-Mart & getting those little red & yellow bottles people use for ketchup & mustard at picnics. I put some colored frosting in them & it worked great (especially with the hot dog theme). If you could find something similar to those bottles, only that you could put a decorating tip on, that might work perfect. Good luck with this idea....it's a good one!

Lighting is dim. Joe walks to the bar, sits on a stool. Sentimental music plays on the background.

Bartender: What can I get you?
Joe: Give me... a vanilla cupcake with chocolate ganache filling and raspberry buttercream frosting.

Bartender starts preparing the cupcake. Joe holds up his hand.

Joe: Wait. Make it... a double.

****

A cupcake bar is such a great idea!

I agree with foxymomma re: the mess and grossness of some people. Reminds me of when we did cookie decorating in kindergarden. And a piping bag in the hands of inexperienced people....I see it shooting out the other end! And frosting on the floor, what a greasy mess.

and cupcakeshoppe~what a great bar that would be!! Ha, ha. especially with all the 'margarita' cuppies and other recipes that are listed on the cuppie posts!!

I think it's a great idea but needs fine tuning on this one!!

I've done a 'mashed potato' bar at a cross country party where you provide tons of mashed potatoes and they add all their own toppings to it (carbs for the runners) and I was soooo careful about how everything was handled!!

I did something similar for my grandchildren a few months back. I made chocolate wrapped cupcakes (white chocolate and milk chocolate), then provided whipped cream, chopped nuts, sprinkles, edible glitter, spray-on food coloring, etc. They had a ball decorating their cupcakes! They piled them with toppings then ate them with a fork - on a plate - to avoid making a mess. You could flavor the whipped cream. I found it easier than messing around with frosting.

These are my son's step-children and I don't see them often because they live on the other side of the state. We had a great time bonding, and they now think I'm the coolest grandmother ever!

I have done this kinda of thing with my neices. They decorated the small stand-up teddy bears (one for each child). I made different color icing bags with tips and put twist ties (off bread bags)on each icing bag to keep the icing from coming out. Works great.

And then to add to that last post about 'and then she walks into mine'....
with frosting on her face!!!

I love this idea. my kids have plenty of friends, will have to pull a party before school starts again. great idea thanks for sharing.

Make mine a double too!!!

What I've done for kiddie birthday parties is bake a bunch of 4in cakes and then I put some white frosting and spatulas out on the tables. I put colored frosting in decorator bags but I put a rubber band on the end, after I twist it a few time, I fold then end of the bag over and pull the rubber band around that... if that makes sense. KID PROOF! Works Great!

I have a picture somewhere....

Oh great idea. I think it would be a hit with kids of all ages. My grandchildren love to decorate and I've even caught my husband with my bag a time or two. He says he's just helping them but they say PawPaw give us the bag back.

I could see where you could probably use many of the Wilton singles pans to corrolate (sp?) with your party. The shapes would lend themselves to different holidays, and it is the same amount of batter.

Another alternative to frosting 'bags' could be ice cream scoops. On the cupcake throwdown with Bobby Flay, the competitor did this to frost her cupcakes and it worked like a charm!

okay, found a picture... or not, apparently I can't upload a jpg... what is going on?

There are quite a few cupcake-bakeries offering this. I know that Love Cafe in Washington, DC offers a bar, and Jilly's Cupcake Bar in St. Louis does as well.

check out this website: www.thecupcakebaraustin.com to get some ideas on how to make it work.

Good idea but I agree with some of the other posters, hygiene is going to be your biggest issue. It could get pretty gross with the finger licking and general spillage.

this is funny, I started this thread, no one responded so i gave up on it, then i jsut logged on and i saw it on the home page.
Anyway,
it was for a friend, so she made the cupcakes and i made chocolate, strawberry and champagne. then she provided TONS of different sprinkles.
this is what i learned:
If i make the icing, i make the cupcakes
for an additional fee i will cake-tend
I was thinking of offering this to brides.
i can have flowers made ahead of time and we can have sprinkles match the decor. it was fun but what a mess. All the kids where squeezing wrong and all the icing was coming out of the top. My other thought was not to use bags if they are going to do it by themselves, but rather a decorating thing like wilton or pamperedchef sell, it has a lid and you pull a trigger.

When I was younger my mom did this for me. She set up a table with a bunch of tinted frostings, and all different toppings. Then baked a bunch of cupcakes. Enough that everyone could decorate and eat one at the party, and take one home. Everything was disposable, the containers, the tablecloth, the tools, so when we were done destroying it (like every kids party would do) she just wrapped it up and tossed it away. It was by far the most memorable birthday party I had as a kid!