How many cupcakes per person?

First things first, I would NEVER, NEVER, EVER decorate anyone's cupcakes, unless it was a family member I grew up with, for a family gathering. Or all in the same bakery, like one person does all the baking, while there is another for decorating. If these are clients, this could very well end in tears, or getting sued. How do you even know where they came from? Walmart? What if they are dry and they say you didn't store them right? I just wouldn't do it....

Is this the only thing they are serving for dessert?

I'd say 1.5 to be safe. 1 if there are other desserts. 2 is going to be way too many.

Yes I agree

I bother to respond because I've been doing this a long time too, and I know better than to decorate someone else's product. I think that is a much more important issue than how many, but since you ask, at least a dozen a piece

Generally weddings usually have tons of food so 1 per person is probably sufficient, but I recommend 1.5 if they want to make sure they have enough for people who want seconds and don't have other dessert options.

I also wouldn't worry about decorating someone else's cupcakes as long as the customer knows not to tell everyone that you baked the cupcakes and the contract is clear that you are offering decorating services only and disclaiming responsibility for the cupcakes themselves. Of course the price to decorate their cupcakes would be the same as the price to bake your own and decorate them.

great advice, Jason!!!

I would definitely do as Jason said if this isn't family or close friends. I have done this once before for my pastor's daughter. Her mom baked her favorite cupcake recipe and gave them to me the weekend before. As soon as I got home with them, I froze them and decorated them a week later, they turned out great. 

 

There was one slight hitch up with them, this was August in Houston (HUMID) they had gotten taken in and out of a refrigerator I think 3 times before I got them, so the paper wrappers the were baked in  were peeling off some. So I called her up and got some foil wrappers put a dab of icing in the bottom and pushed 'em in, worked great! The pic is in my albums. When we determined how many we would need we went for about 5 extra for every 30-40 RSVP-ed guests.

 

yes and no on the working with another's baking

 

(in and out the frig three times before she even got them--yikes!)

 

because we do have to jump through umpteen flaming hoops to be legal

 

it only stands to reason to guard yourself and guard your product

 

i mean collaborating is great but you cannot control things and your name is irrevocably attached

 

god forbid if something happened, the chances are certainly minute

 

but your name would def be in the mix

 

professionally i would not do it--i know none of the retail places i worked for would do it

 

for friends maybe

 

for family sure

and one per person is fine i think

 

it's expensive

 

it should be sufficiently decadent to stop most from getting another

 

my son, the former chef, taught me to leave them wanting more

 

not that they are still hungry or neglected but that it's so good

 

edited to 'splain better

Edited by -K8memphis - 1/17/13 at 11:21am

This can be subjective depending on who you are selling to. In some cultures it would be a huge embarrassment for the host to even come close to running out of any dish.

 

 

sorry--i meant one per head so each person gets one

 

running out does suck

 

but in my world that is determined by how many the bride wants to pay for

 

not my decision

 

and also in fine dining, you don't usually send back to the kitchen for more

 

i'm kinda linking a fine dining concept to cakes--maybe not exactly a straight line there

 

but my particular servings are so decadent that you might want another but you're actually pretty full/satisfied from the first one

 

it's a chef mind game kinda thought

 

not an oliver 'can i have some more, sir'  thought 

 

nothing written in stone--plenty of different ways to cut it