210 Cupcakes...where Do I Start?

Decorating By chocaholikk Updated 24 Jun 2014 , 6:40pm by chocaholikk

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chocaholikk Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 4:20pm
post #1 of 54

AHi guys. My sister has just had a baby girl and we have a tradition of distributing sweets on the birth of a child. This time we thought we would do cupcakes instead. We need over 200 cupcakes and I don't know where to start as I have never made so many before!

The cupcakes will look so thing like this [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3246078/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

Can anyone advise me on how I can make them all and keep them fresh? Do I make 12 at a time (I only ever use middle rack in oven) or should I use top and bottom too?

Any help appreciated

Thank you

53 replies
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cai0311 Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 4:57pm
post #2 of 54

ATry a test run to see how the cupcakes bake on the top and bottom rack of the oven. The results of the test run will allow to figure how long baking will take (1 rack vs 3 racks).

I would make the faces the beginning of the week you need them. 200 of those is going to take quite a LONG time. Maybe you could do a couple dozen with that design and the rest with a swirl.

As for storage, you will need to keep them in a non sealed container. A sealed container will make the fondant shiney and whimpy. I would recommend buying full sheet cake size boxes, place a full sheet size cake card board in the box and place the cupcakes on that.

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Lauralycakes Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 5:05pm
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Depending on how much room you have in your oven and if you have multiple muffins pans I would use all the racks you have. Just remember to rotate your pans around so that they can be baked and the heat can be distributed evenly (often oven's have a "hot spot"). In order to keep them fresh, as soon as they've cooled place them in either airtight containers or use plastic wrap. 

 

Hope this helps!

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chocaholikk Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 5:21pm
post #4 of 54

AThanks cai0311 and Lauralycakes

She wants them all to be the same. I was thinking of making the faces earlier too. I've got fairly tall airtight containers, is it ok to sort of stack the undecorated cooled cupcakes on top of each other or is that too risky? I have a fan oven so I'm a bit worried about using all the racks but I'll give it a go. Thanks so much xx

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cai0311 Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 8:27pm
post #5 of 54

AI think if the cupcakes are stacked on top of each other the top of the cupcake with stick to the wrapper of the cupcake on top of it.

When you say a fan oven, do you mean a convection oven? Is it a convenction oven or a true convection oven? I have a true convection oven at my house. That has been the best investment for the baking process. I bake on all 3 racks all the time. Each bakes even and accurate. I can bake 72 cupcakes at a time. If your oven is the same, that will help you a lot!

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cai0311 Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 8:29pm
post #6 of 54

AI would make 1 face while you time yourself. Then multiply that by 200 and you will know how long it will take you. That will help ensure you won't start the process only to find out you don't have enough time to finish them all. This is going to take you hours upon hours to do.

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Snowflakebunny23 Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 8:49pm
post #7 of 54

AI have stored cupcakes on too of eachother but I do them top-to-top. They stick a bit but seeing as they are going to be covered in buttercream anyway, it's not a big deal :-) it looksike the cupcakes are slightly domed so I'd suggest going to your supermarket and asking for a few apple trays. You can flip them over and use them as moulds for the faces and have the whole lot finished before you bake :-) they're also a lot easier to move about! Good luck :-) x

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chocaholikk Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 10:57pm
post #8 of 54

AThank u everybody for your replies. Points taken. Will upload pics soon xxx

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pastychef Posted 4 Jun 2014 , 11:47pm
post #9 of 54

AIn the bakery I worked in we stacked frozen cupcakes -(we froze layers and cupcakes as soon as they cooled from baking)- in plastic containers, separating them with a layer of parchment and plastic wrap to prevent sticking. We also stored them in the freezer. Because they were frozen before stacking, there was no issues with shape, no smashing, etc. When we needed them they were thawed (doesn't take long at all) and decorated when brought back to near room temperature.

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Laurelj Posted 5 Jun 2014 , 4:05am
post #10 of 54

AMy daughter and I just did an order similar in size to this. We went to Target and purchased under bed storage boxes about $8 each, which each held I believe almost 4 dozen cupcakes each. They were great also for transporting. AND also we frosted and decorated cupcakes while they were in the storage box, eliminating the need to over handle the product. We also purchased stand alone cupcake bakers by paper eskimo which eliminated the need to bake in a muffin tin. I was able to bake on two cookie sheets and bake 4 dozen cupcakes at a time in a convection oven using only two racks. I baked over the course of two days about 10 dozen each day. My daughter the decorator started all fondant embellishments early in the week, I baked on Thursday and Friday, we then decorated all on friday night for a Saturday event. Good luck with your venture

Laurel Johnson Littlebitebakeshop.com

http://papereskimo.com/collections/baking-cups

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winniemog Posted 5 Jun 2014 , 4:06am
post #11 of 54

AI think the baking time is the least of your worries for these cupcakes. I recently baked and iced with a simple buttercream swirl 300 cupcakes in 7 hours in a domestic oven, using two shelves at a time. Each tray takes about 18 minutes for me. The decorations for those cupcakes must be applied directly to the cupcake itself, not pre-made. The fondant circle covers the top of the cupcake dome, so it can't be pre-made or it won't be the correct shape. You could make an assembly line, where you cut a few dozen pieces at a time and keep them under plastic while you assemble them, but I would want a lot of helpers. They will be VERY time consuming. Planet Cake charges around $10 each for cupcakes like these! I wouldn't stack the cupcakes or they will stick together.. I would make sure your sister understands precisely how much work this design will be! I'm guessing it would be very different if she were paying you for your decorating time!

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 5 Jun 2014 , 6:26am
post #12 of 54

AI've had more than a few projects (albeit having nothing to do with cakes) that seemed just as daunting.

Just remember: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Break the process down into nice, digestible pieces, and it won't seem quite so terrifying.

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shannonann Posted 5 Jun 2014 , 8:24am
post #13 of 54

AYou could make the baby faces ahead of time and let them dry and harden. Then place the dried faces on top of a dollop of icing. This would make the assembly go much faster and allow you to do the most time consuming part ahead of time.

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chocaholikk Posted 6 Jun 2014 , 10:21pm
post #14 of 54

A[quote name="Laurelj" url="/t/776789/210-cupcakes-where-do-i-start#post_7522629"]My daughter and I just did an order similar in size to this. We went to Target and purchased under bed storage boxes about $8 each, which each held I believe almost 4 dozen cupcakes each. They were great also for transporting. AND also we frosted and decorated cupcakes while they were in the storage box, eliminating the need to over handle the product. We also purchased stand alone cupcake bakers by paper eskimo which eliminated the need to bake in a muffin tin. I was able to bake on two cookie sheets and bake 4 dozen cupcakes at a time in a convection oven using only two racks. I baked over the course of two days about 10 dozen each day. My daughter the decorator started all fondant embellishments early in the week, I baked on Thursday and Friday, we then decorated all on friday night for a Saturday event. Good luck with your venture

Laurel Johnson Littlebitebakeshop.com

http://papereskimo.com/collections/baking-cups[/quote]

Wow never thought 90 the under storage boxes! As for the cupcake wrappers, I wish we had shops in the UK like the ones u have in USA I'D be obsessed with buying - Costs too much in UK (not that it stops me!!) Thanks so much for your help

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chocaholikk Posted 6 Jun 2014 , 10:24pm
post #15 of 54

A

Original message sent by winniemog

I think the baking time is the least of your worries for these cupcakes. I recently baked and iced with a simple buttercream swirl 300 cupcakes in 7 hours in a domestic oven, using two shelves at a time. Each tray takes about 18 minutes for me. The decorations for those cupcakes must be applied directly to the cupcake itself, not pre-made. The fondant circle covers the top of the cupcake dome, so it can't be pre-made or it won't be the correct shape. You could make an assembly line, where you cut a few dozen pieces at a time and keep them under plastic while you assemble them, but I would want a lot of helpers. They will be VERY time consuming. Planet Cake charges around $10 each for cupcakes like these! I wouldn't stack the cupcakes or they will stick together.. I would make sure your sister understands precisely how much work this design will be! I'm guessing it would be very different if she were paying you for your decorating time!

Wow! That's scared me!! But anything for my sister even if it takes a week! She's amazing and I'm sure she would do the same for me. Thanks for your help, I have purchased cake topper foam domes so I can make them and put them on there to dry so they don't dry flat. Do you think that would work better??

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chocaholikk Posted 6 Jun 2014 , 10:24pm
post #16 of 54

A

Original message sent by hbquikcomjamesl

I've had more than a few projects (albeit having nothing to do with cakes) that seemed just as daunting.

Just remember: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Break the process down into nice, digestible pieces, and it won't seem quite so terrifying.

thank you so much for your inspiring words! God Bless xx

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winniemog Posted 6 Jun 2014 , 10:41pm
post #17 of 54

AI haven't heard of foam domes, I imagine that they would be ok to form the toppers on but I still get slight variation in shape of cupcake tops when they bake, so they might not fit perfectly. You might have to fill some a little more or have some toppers sitting a little higher if the dome of the topper and the cupcake didn't match.

I also used the under bed boxes to transport some of our cupcakes for the school picnic cupcake stall. I just laid non-slip matting on the base of the box and the cupcakes when packed in tightly were remarkably stable.

Good luck, I don't want to put you off, I just wanted you to realise the size of the project you are taking on. If you grab some helpers to assemble, then do. It will be absolutely worth it.

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chocaholikk Posted 7 Jun 2014 , 1:59pm
post #18 of 54

AThank you so much! I've learnt so u ch from the lovely people on his site!

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dirtycakes Posted 7 Jun 2014 , 11:09pm
post #19 of 54

Quote:

Originally Posted by shannonann 

You could make the baby faces ahead of time and let them dry and harden. Then place the dried faces on top of a dollop of icing. This would make the assembly go much faster and allow you to do the most time consuming part ahead of time.

 

I have to agree.

 

If it was me, I would make the toppers before hand. Have them ready to go, so when you bake your cupcakes and frost them all you need to do is place the toppers on the frosted cupcake and call it a day. Yes, the toppers in the picture are shaped to the dome of the cupcake, but that's a lot of stress to add for you. 

 

Good luck either way! :)

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chocaholikk Posted 8 Jun 2014 , 10:21pm
post #20 of 54

AThank you so much everyone for your response. I have started to make the faced. Only managed to do 50 yet but hopefully by tomorrow i should have more done...hope you like them

[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3247861/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

Recipient wise, I always make my cupcakes as 12 or 24 so do I just multiply my recipe? Thanks again!

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chocaholikk Posted 8 Jun 2014 , 11:58pm
post #21 of 54

ARecipe* lol stupid autocorrect

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winniemog Posted 9 Jun 2014 , 1:19am
post #22 of 54

AAbsolutely, it just depends on the size of your mixer and oven. I usually make double batches - about 50 cupcakes at a time. You don't want the batter sitting around too long or it won't rise properly. And keep the unbaked mix in a cooler place (not near the hot oven) as this will retard the baking powder's activation.

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 9 Jun 2014 , 3:23am
post #23 of 54

ARe: letting batter rest too long, I get nervous if I'm even 5 minutes too early for the oven. Although my mom's birthday cake turned out just fine, even though it had to wait a good deal more than 5 minutes for my kitchen cake to clear the oven.

At any rate, you've made a large dent in the order. And I suspect that by the time you finish, you'll be seeing that face in your dreams.

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chocaholikk Posted 9 Jun 2014 , 3:43am
post #24 of 54

A

Original message sent by hbquikcomjamesl

Re: letting batter rest too long, I get nervous if I'm even 5 minutes too early for the oven. Although my mom's birthday cake turned out just fine, even though it had to wait a good deal more than 5 minutes for my kitchen cake to clear the oven.

At any rate, you've made a large dent in the order. And I suspect that by the time you finish, you'll be seeing that face in your dreams.

it's haunting me already!! Lol

Thanks for your help xx

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chocaholikk Posted 9 Jun 2014 , 3:43am
post #25 of 54

AThank you I shall keep that in mind xx

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chocaholikk Posted 9 Jun 2014 , 3:44am
post #26 of 54

A

Original message sent by hbquikcomjamesl

Re: letting batter rest too long, I get nervous if I'm even 5 minutes too early for the oven. Although my mom's birthday cake turned out just fine, even though it had to wait a good deal more than 5 minutes for my kitchen cake to clear the oven.

At any rate, you've made a large dent in the order. And I suspect that by the time you finish, you'll be seeing that face in your dreams.

Thank you I shall keep that in mind xx

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winniemog Posted 9 Jun 2014 , 7:48am
post #27 of 54

AI have found that my cupcake batter will hold for 20-30 minutes no problems between batches baking in the oven. I was just warning you against mixing up ALL the mix first thing in the morning and then baking all day....

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chocaholikk Posted 9 Jun 2014 , 9:41am
post #28 of 54

AThanks hun x

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hbquikcomjamesl Posted 16 Jun 2014 , 11:22pm
post #30 of 54

For some reason, I suddenly find myself thinking about the "Square Candies that Look Round" gag, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (I forget: did that one make it into either movie?)

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