cupcakes?

[puppaws83cbbe]

OK guys. As you know I want to make my own cake to save money and what not. Everyone thinks I wont have time and blah blah, and then I started thinking who would we get to cut all the cake and pass it out because were doing it all our selves and I dont want to be stuck there! lol.
Anyways so my FH while back had said he wanted a cupcake cake. You know where you have tons of cupcakes on a cake stand that looks like a cake. Ive been thinking that this might be a good idea and then just have a small cake to put on our table with the topper and for us to cut and then have the cupcakes for everyone else? And then still ahve the top of our small cake to save for the one year or something?
Any thoughts??

[camiclassof05cdec]

I think that a cupcake cake is a really nice idea - especially if you're doing this wedding all by yourselves, it's a great money saver in terms of that - like you said, no person cutting the cake for a fee or something. It's a really cute idea, and cupcakes are also easier to make than a huge wedding cake. You could also probably save some on the frosting that way....depending on what type of frosting that you're using. I'm assuming that you're using buttercream? Please excuse me if I'm wrong about that. But I think that it would be really nice, besides it's your wedding, if you want to have cupcakes go ahead!! ^_^ Not to mention no need for extra plates for cupcakes since people can just take a cupcake off of the stand and eat it - if you allow that to happen. I think that it's a perfect idea. Oh I do have a question for you though, you are the person with the Lady and the Tramp theme right? Excuse me if I'm wrong about that as well. Are you going to encorporate the cupcakes within your theme? I was just thinking that it would be adorable if the cupcakes - or the cake itself - had like a puppy dog face (if you have the time to do that)....or paws or something. It's just an idea that popped into my head since you said that you were doing cupcakes. Anyway, good luck. Hooray for cupcakes!

[sadixonbcac]

A good friend of mine did this at her wedding. It was a real hit with all the guests - especially the kids.

[PrincessLaura]

I was thinking about that too. Call me cheap, but I am doing a super-budget wedding!!! I was thinking about making cupcakes myself, or going to a grocery store, and having them make a sheet cake! WOO HOO I personally say go for it! There is a couple other things that you could use the extra money for instead of the cake (say honeymoon). I dont see why you should spend a lot of money on a cake anyways, people are just going to eat it!!!

[steelcutter2003eeda]

I like this idea too, I think I am going with that. I search cupcake trees and they have lots of places to buy neat stands, another benifit will be being able to have different flavors.

[puppaws83cbbe]

Thanks guys! my FH will be thrilled Ive decided to go with this idea. I am the lady and the tramp theme, and I was thinking the same thing. Like making little paw prints or something like that or like candy bones or something. Plus cupcake stands are like 100 times cheaper then cake stands! Anyways thanks for all your input really makes me feel good about my decision. Im thinking like you do with cakes having different layers, I could have each row of cupcakes be a different flavor. Im really excited about this now!!

[steelcutter2003eeda]

Thanks guys! my FH will be thrilled Ive decided to go with this idea. I am the lady and the tramp theme, and I was thinking the same thing. Like making little paw prints or something like that or like candy bones or something. Plus cupcake stands are like 100 times cheaper then cake stands! Anyways thanks for all your input really makes me feel good about my decision. Im thinking like you do with cakes having different layers, I could have each row of cupcakes be a different flavor. Im really excited about this now!!

Well a big thanks to you! I never even thought of that until you brought it up, and after I looked at how it looks on the stands, I thought wow what a great idea! I saw one that had a small cake on top, the anniversary cake.

[kkf_23acad]

I was at a wedding not that long ago that had cupcakes instead of a cake and it went over GREAT! A lot of people were saying how it was unique and a lot easier cause then you don't have to wait up in a long line for someone to cut you a piece of cake and serve it to you, especially the ones with kids. I think it's a wonderful idea. Wish we would have thought about that.

[ArinSquared]

I copied and pasted this from another forum. These are not my tips so don't ask me! :) But for those of you interested in making your own cake...here ya go:


* I suggest using cake mixes - much easier, you know they'll turn out, and almost all bakeries use them (I've worked in a couple - some bakeries even just order premade frozen cakes that they thaw & frost) If you need to know how many mixes to use, PM me with your pan sizes, etc, and I can let you know.

*Don't mix up more than one or two cake mixes at once.

* Grease the pans with shortening, then flour them - much easier to remove them! (And cool for about 10-15 minutes on a wire rack before removing - too short & they'll fall apart, too long & they get stuck and break apart)

* I usually make an extra batch of frosting above what I know I'll need - it's alot easier to make it right away, than to realize you don't have enough & need to make more - and then the colors will match. (Even plain white frosting can vary in color depending on how much vanilla, etc, that you use)

* For cakes greater than 10" in diameter, I usually put the Wilton Bake Even strips (foil/fabric strips that get soaked in cold water) on the pan. If you don't, the edges burn and the center isn't done.

*Make sure the cake is completely cool before frosting.

* For stacking tiers, I find the pillars that poke all the way through the cake the easiest. (No messing around with dowels, and extra plates). These can be cut with a hack saw.

* It's a lot easier to take off frosting than to add frosting (and keep it smooth). Glob on tons of frosting, and take it off with the spatula as you are smoothing. Do the sides first, then pull in from the edges towards the center on the top.

* If you are using fillings that are darker than the frosting, pipe a border around the edge of the cake with the frosting before putting the filling on the cake - the dark colors can bleed out into the frosting.

* Allow ample time for both baking & frosting. The cake won't need to be sealed for a day or two, so you can finish a day early if necessary.

*If you don't want to practice decorating on a real cake, I often practice on the pans or on plates to try new designs, tips, etc.

* Live flowers are SOOO much easier than frosting flowers, and they'll match the rest of your wedding, too. Just trim the stems off of the flowers & shove them into the frosting. You can make a topper in a dish, but it usuallly won't lay right on the cake & you'll see a gap.

* Jams/Preserves make great fillings. Another fav is lemon pie filling with strawberry slices - so refreshing! (You can also make liqueur flavored fillings by mixing the liqueur into your frosting - I've done it with both Kahlua & Baileys)

[wardfamaz]

I know you're talking cupcakes.....but here's another idea. My fiance and I are also doing everything ourselves...including paying for everything....one idea I had kills 2 birds with 1 stone. At a wedding of a friend of ours, instead of having an actual wedding cake, they had one small round cake on each table, had some flowers on top and decorated nicely around it. It acted as the centerpiece also. Just a thought.

[calico4sr]

you could do the small 2 teir cake to cut for pictures, and serve 1 or 2 simple iced full sized sheet cakes cut in the kitchen. this is very cheap and most of the guest wouldn't know the difference. that way you wouldnt have to ice all of those cupcakes and find a place to store them. i priced the small tier cake and sheet cake at my local walmart and it would have only cost about 175.00 for all the cake. this would have been a full sheetcake and a 3 teir plain iced cake it had the fluting around the top and bottom of the caks but nothing else. i was going to place fresh flowers on both for decorations.

but back to your question the cupcakes would be very cute and appropriate if that is what you want.

[sadixonbcac]

Hi there.

I was looking at cupcake stands and ***e across this directions for one. http://www.k-boutique.com/cupcake_stand.pdf
I think I like the wire ones better but you can make this as big or small as you like.

[steelcutter2003eeda]

Hi there.

I was looking at cupcake stands and ***e across this directions for one. http://www.k-boutique.com/cupcake_stand.pdf
I think I like the wire ones better but you can make this as big or small as you like.

Thats a neat idea, I think you could decorate the boxes to fit any theme. I saved it to my favorites....Thanks

[calico4sr]

http://www.trifleschocolate.com/largepicpages9/Katie2.JPG
http://www.dessertworks.net/pics/cupcake.jpg

[calico4sr]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce23b3127cce9433994426e400000025138AauWbVwzZOf
http://images.theknot.com/Galleries/WeddingCakes/CG036m.jpg
http://www.cakes4fun.co.uk/images/summer_rose_cupcake_big.jpg
http://www.weddingcakelady.com/Displays/new27.jpg
http://www.zachscakes.com/images/cakes/wedcustom_3.jpg
http://www.aboutthecake.com/d5040920.jpg
http://www.luigisbakery.com/images/Wedding%20Cakes/cupcake%20cake.JPG
http://www.gailwatsoncake.com/jpg/cupcakecake.jpg

[calico4sr]

http://www.trifleschocolate.com/largepicpages/cupcaketower.jpg

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/images/shopping/weddings/03/cake/cake6_300.jpg

http://www.cakes4fun.co.uk/images/gold_ivory_rose_big.jpg

http://www.cakes4fun.co.uk/images/paulapyramid_big.jpg

http://www.cakes4fun.co.uk/images/red_roses_big.jpg

[calico4sr]

http://www.julesbakery.com/images/wdcupcktr2.jpg

http://www.julesbakery.com/images/wdcctree.jpg

http://www.julesbakery.com/images/wddanish.jpg

http://www.julesbakery.com/images/wdcupckpink.jpg

[calico4sr]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b103/cheeseandrice_2005/misc/delicious.jpg
http://www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk/cakepopup/rosecupcakeweddingcake.jpg
http://www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk/cakepopup/squareminicakes.jpg
http://www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk/cakepopup/heartsandflowersminicakes.jpg

http://www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk/cakepopup/ivoryonwhiteminicakes.jpg

[calico4sr]

making your own "cupcake tree"

this place (http://www.cupcaketree.com/) sells premade cake towers for about $40. This is an inexpensive way to get a sturdy tower.

If you want to DIY... how about stacking painted flower pots on top of each other with plates/chargers/cardboard circles between each layer to hold the cupcakes? Cheap, easy, and you can use the flower pots at home after the wedding. (I love multi-tasking wedding gear!)

Did you want real flowers or fake? Edible?

Real daisies are inexpensive and would look so lovely on a cupcake. Beautiful!

Silk flowers would be good, too. No wilting. No pesticides to worry about.

Paper flowers (DIY, of course) would be fun to make and would be a neat addition.

Making flowers out of fondant or marzipan would work as well.

Hope that helps in some way!


(I was going to suggest staking hat boxes on top of each other. AC Moore, Joanns, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels have paper mache ones that you could cover with paper or fabric.)

[calico4sr]

Anyone baking their own?

I know bakers in my area are charging $2.50 for an average size cupcake. That seems ridiculous. Am I crazy for thinking we can do it ourselves?

[steelcutter2003eeda]

Nope, I don't think your crazy, I'm going with the cupcakes and plan to make them my self. But I'm also not having alot of people, so I don't have to make 150 of them.

[calico4sr]

makes sense, i just cant see paying $2.50 each thats insane!!!

[steelcutter2003eeda]

That would be crazy! I wonder what the price would be at wal-mart?

[calico4sr]

i know the little ones are 12 for 2.50, but not sure about being decorated the way you want them. these are the generic iced ones

[steelcutter2003eeda]

Ok, Nope I will do them myself.

[calico4sr]

thats what i was thinking. i was wondering if you could buy uniced cupcakes from walmart?

[calico4sr]

that way you dont have to spend days in the kitchen cooking them. all you have to do is ice them the way you want them

[steelcutter2003eeda]

That might be a good idea. I will have to ask them the next time I'm there.

[calico4sr]

they might be cheaper too. who knows. . .

[steelcutter2003eeda]

I live in a very high alltitude also and I havn't quite got the hang of cooking here yet, alot of things turn out dry, including my cakes. You have to make adjustments for cooking here and I havn't figured it all out yet, might be better off letting someone else bake them, atleast they will get eaten then LOL.

[calico4sr]

i agree. let me know if you can buy uniced cupcakes. if i go out today i will ask around as well.

[steelcutter2003eeda]

I sure will. I won't be going back there until the end of the week, but I will ask.

[calico4sr]

:)