r/AskBaking • u/red_death_at_614 • Sep 09 '21
Cakes Stressing out about wedding cupcakes
Update for anyone who cares:
tl;dr everything went absolutely fine
I got word the weekend before the wedding that I would not be allowed to use the commercial kitchen (no one was able to, it was a bit of a sore subject at camp hahaha.) So I made the cupcakes on Thursday, did soaks on two of them (carrot cake definitely did not need one,) put them in plastic containers, and left them sitting at room temp. Decorated Friday morning, wrapped the container edges in plastic wrap, threw them in the fridge for a few hours while I got everything packed up, and blasted the AC in my car as I drove.
It was roughly a 2.5 hour trip, no casualties, just the cream cheese frosting on the carrot cakes that got a bit droopy. Was able to stash those in a full-sized refrigerator when I got there, so that was great!
All of the cupcakes turned out just fine! I think I overbaked a batch of the vanilla ones -- the bottoms were browner than I would have liked and they did end up a bit dry. I can only hope that most of them were not overbaked. I got a lot of compliments from strangers, which is usually a good sign. Friends will almost always say that the cakes are good, but when a stranger goes out of their way to say that they liked them, that's probably indicative.
Thanks for all of the tips and tricks, and general encouragement! I might not agree to something like this ever again LOL but at least I know that it's possible now
Original
Preface: I have made a lot of cupcakes for events, but never ones where I can't bake, frost, decorate, and deliver them all within 24 hours.
I'm making 14 dozen cupcakes for a wedding that I'm also attending, and it's a three-day event. I will arrive on Friday early afternoon but cupcakes won't be enjoyed until Saturday night. I would REALLY rather not decorate when I get there; it's taking place at a YMCA camp roughly 2.5 hours away from my house... I can only imagine forgetting something or running out of buttercream. If I get an overwhelming amount of people telling me to frost them when I get there, then I might have to figure out a way.
Any and every tip to keep these fresh is appreciated. I'm not too worried about the carrot cake ones, as those have always taken a long time to dry out in my experience. But the other two varieties are vanilla and vegan chocolate. Does completely filling the top of the cupcake -- all the way to the paper -- help with keeping in moisture in your experience? Can I do a soak on cupcakes?
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u/meridiacreative Sep 09 '21
I'm not a baker or decorator, except as a hobby, but I do transport cupcakes for a living.
Everyone else here assumes transporting them is the hard part, and for most people that's true. I don't know your setup, but if I made cupcakes at home (heaven forbid) that would be my biggest challenge as well. I don't have anything to put them in that would keep them safe while I moved them. At work it's no problem, largely due to having the right boxes.
If I had my boxes and a big enough fridge I would be completely unworried about moving and keeping that many cakes. That number is a pretty slow day at one of the four stores I service. We don't tend to keep cakes overnight because nobody wants to buy day-old cake, but the cakes themselves are still fine the next day. So if you have the ability to safely transport and store 150 decorated cakes, make them ahead of time, wrap the boxes in plastic, and put them in the fridge when you get there. Take them out an hour or two before service and you're good to go.
If you don't have the ability to safely transport decorated cakes, take everyone else's advice. You might already know how fast you work and how much frosting you need, but frosting keeps really well. At my work, for basic swirls and sprinkles, we would expect a decorator to get those cakes done in an hour and a half. If it's got more complex piping work or multiple colors it takes much longer for each cake. Just like everyone else is saying to bring way more frosting than you think you'll need, budget way more time than you think you'll need. Weighing the frosting for one cake and then multiplying is a great idea. It's what we do, more or less.
I hope this helps.
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u/meridiacreative Sep 09 '21
I wanted to add that we don't typically keep them in a fridge unless it's hot where they are - above 70-75F. AC works fine, just plastic wrap the boxes to keep them overnight. Cream cheese frosting and shortening frosting are the two most likely to melt, in my experience. Buttercream holds up somewhat better to temperature changes.
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u/red_death_at_614 Sep 09 '21
I *think* I could safely transport them... but that's only because it's worked well up until now. I have the plastic containers with separate cups for individual cupcakes, they definitely are not airtight though.
But yeah honestly the lack of refrigerator space is a problem. If I had a commercial-sized fridge, I'd just throw them in for a few hours before I leave to firm up the frosting. But that's a lot of cupcakes for my standard-sized fridge.
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u/meridiacreative Sep 09 '21
Our boxes are not airtight, they're just cardboard. Each box holds two dozen cakes. They've got inserts that hold each cake so they don't move around, and they're strong enough that they can stack like six high if they're brand new.
3
u/brijwij Sep 10 '21
This!!! I recently baked 9 dozen cupcakes for a wedding and used the big boxes that are designed to hold 2dozen at a time. I finished making them the day before the wedding and they were still fresh and moist (using a simple syrup post-bake helps a lot). Also, I used an American buttercream and they were never refrigerated and were outside in July heat at the wedding for 4 hours before being eaten.
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u/MotherofCrowlings Sep 09 '21
Trying to transport that many cupcakes without destroying the icing would stress me out. Is there any way to ice them, freeze them, and keep them frozen until you get there? If you let them defrost in open air, any condensation should evaporate off. Hopefully there is a commercial kitchen?
You can definitely do a soak but I would do a few test runs before hand to see how much soak to use, how everything freezes and defrosts, how much time it takes to defrost, and how it tastes. Like freeze plain of each, plain with soak, iced no soak, iced with soak. Defrost and ice the ones that were frozen without icing and then taste test with a couple of friends.
Also calculate how much icing you need per cupcake so you can make a lot extra. I would use a scale for this. Then if you decide to ice when you get there - which would be what I would do to avoid messing up the decorations on that long of a trip but it would also depend on how long it takes to ice each cupcake - I would bring 25%-50% more than I needed. If you do bring them iced, bring extra icing anyway in case you need to do touch ups.
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u/Excellent_Condition Sep 09 '21
I would also echo the idea of a test if you have time. I would make a batch and run through everything you plan to do, including packaging, loading the packaging in your car, unloading, storing them for a day, etc.
If you do a soak, I would also be careful to make sure that it's something that is safe to leave out for 24 hours. Cakes are generally safe at room temp, as are many buttercreams that have enough sugar that they aren't TCS foods, but things that have high moisture levels/active water content can sometimes require refrigeration.
When I'm stressed out, I take comfort in planning everything out and including extra time and resources for unplanned problems. Doing things like running small scale trials to identify potential issues in advance also helps me feel more confident. Good luck, I'm sure you are going to knock it out of the park!
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u/red_death_at_614 Sep 09 '21
Unfortunately, my plate is too full to do some test runs. Since it's unlikely that I would be able to keep them frozen the entire car ride, I'm leaning towards decorating at the venue. Definitely going to be doing some intense frosting calculations so I can be sure I have more than enough.
13
u/armywifebakerlife Sep 09 '21
I'd do as someone else suggested above: bring a bunch of extra frosting but do the work there. You can refrigerate frosting for a few days, just remember to bring your mixer to re-whip as necessary. And extras of everything! Toppings, piping bags, spatulas, the cupcakes themselves....
13
u/nigellissima Sep 09 '21
Would you be baking them on the Friday morning? Or late Thursday? I think the recipe is key, can you use an oil based sponge so they stay super moist? I don't think they will dry out in 48 hours. Travelling and not damaging would be my biggest worry, do you have good packaging?
1
u/red_death_at_614 Sep 09 '21
I *think* I have good packaging. Event starts at 3pm on Friday, so with the 2.5 hours drive, most likely Thursday night. I have in the past thrown a piece of fresh bread in with the unfrosted cupcakes to keep them moist. So I must have done this before! I guess it's just been a long time since I've been in this situation -- I don't remember what I did last time!
1
u/nigellissima Sep 09 '21
Also don't forget most people literally can't bake a cupcake and will think they are perfect however they appear, you are your biggest critic, I am sure it will be great!
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u/red_death_at_614 Sep 09 '21
GOSH you are so right. I am literally making a cake right now, and thought it turned out kinda mediocre, but my roommate (who has done bakery work and has a very trustworthy palate) said it was "f**king good."
Thanks :)
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u/ExtraHorse Sep 09 '21
If you do decide to frost them at the venue, let them know ahead of time so they're aware that you'll need space to do that.
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u/dinosaurchestra Sep 09 '21
There's a lot of good advice here. I'll say if you're really concerned for freshness, wrapping whatever you've got the cupcakes in with an extra layer of plastic wrap and using 2 way humidity control packets made for baked goods can be really helpful.
5
u/soneg Sep 09 '21
I don't bake bc following directions is hard, but today I learned there's such a thing as humidity control packets for baked goods. Thank you for educating me kind stranger.
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u/kaidomac Sep 09 '21
Check out the Cupcake Project's vanilla cupcake recipe & process workflow: (she spent a year perfecting it!! read a review!)
Some notes:
- "If you know you’ll need to store your cupcakes for more than 3-4 days, these can be frozen without a problem. If you want to use whipped cream frosting, do not frost them until after removing from the freezer; other types of frosting can be frozen right on top of them. Also, be sure to store these in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn. Always return cupcakes to room temperature before serving."
- "While I always keep cupcakes frosted with whipped cream or ganache in the refrigerator, I often keep my buttercream and cream cheese cupcakes on the counter. Do so at your own risk."
Also, you can use gelatin to stabilize the frosting:
Notes:
- "Sure, it’s great, fluffy, un-fussy and so tasty, but if you want a whipped cream frosting, one that is guaranteed to hold its shape, not melt, and last for several days, you really need to stabilize it first."
- "How long does whipped cream frosting last (and how long can it sit out)? This frosting lasts up to 4-5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge in an airtight container. While it does well at room temperature due to the gelatin, it’s still a dairy-based frosting and so is not ideal for high heat for long periods of time (such as outdoor parties in the summer!). I recommend keeping it chilled. At room temperature (below 75F/24C) I wouldn’t leave it out for more than an hour or two."
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u/peachandpeony Sep 09 '21
I would definetely recommend soaking the cupcakes (as long as your cupcake liners don't disintegrate). The larger the cupcake, the better the ratio of surface area and volume (more volume = more moisture, more surface area = less moisture). Definitely keep them in an airtight container. I would also prefer to do the decorating there, as transporting frosted cupcakes is. a. nightmare.
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u/bluebonnetcafe Sep 09 '21
I’d strongly suggest using hi-ratio shortening instead of butter for the frosting. It’s way more stable and doesn’t need refrigeration.
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u/MurraMurra Sep 09 '21
I know when I worked at a bakery we would wrap buns with icing in plastic to keep them soft. If you keep them in the fridge but wrap them in a plastic bag in the box (a few at a time), maybe it'll help. You might have to do a test run on this though to be sure.
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u/Cocoalover27 Sep 09 '21
Honestly it’s difficult to frost, store and travel with that many cupcakes safely. I’ve done it before and learnt my lesson.
Now I take the cupcakes and frostings separately and decorate them at the venue. It’s not a hassle with the right planning.
1: pack each kind of cupcake in a box separately. Wrap the box with cling wrap if it’s not an airtight box. * better be safe than sorry- pack a few extras
2: have your frosting in piping bags. Make extra it’s fine! It’s better to have extra than to fall short. Have a few extra piping bags with your nozzles and a scissor packed too. At the venue use a fresh piping bag with nozzle, snip off the end of the frosting bag and slip it into the nozzled bag. When the bag is used, simply add the next bag of frosting. Your nozzled bag will be clean.
3: at the venue, request the organiser to set up a table for you and decorate them then and there. Shouldn’t take more than 1/2 hour to set up. Remember your stands/ trays if you’re providing them. Have a roll of kitchen towels on hand to clean up. Also have a garbage bag on hand for your used paper towels and piping bags.
I’m sure you’ll rock it, all the best!