Ahhhh! Someone has asked me to make Halloween cupcakes. I generally do cookies and cakes and the occasional floral cupcake. Are there any basics I need to know if I start selling cupcakes?

Do you guys cut the tops off or not? Also how do you generally package them? I know prices vary depending on your location but around here they run from $1.75-2.75.

Do people still want the little plastic picks on cupcakes or do they generally expect them to be decorated by hand? I am clueless!

i am not sure what you mean by basics, when i do cc's i do not cut off the top (i bake them so they don't dome), i just use the 1M tip, works fantastic.

as to packaging....are you supposed to be making individual packaged cc's? if so, this is a great way to do it:
http://www.papermart.com/templates/83-0-82.htm#GO_83082
they make a very cute presentation.

if you are just delivering a bunch of cc's a cake box is great to carry a large amount.

as to the deco, personally, i don't like picks, i think they are kinda tacky. i think it would be cute to do halloween colors (orange, green, purple) icing and maybe fondant cutouts of cats, moon, ghost, etc and put on top of the icing. or you could do a candy mold to put on top, something like that.

HTH!

My post sounds like the one listed by Kimberlina25...

I also do not have to cut of the tops of my cc's because I bake them to just come up to the edge.

I also use the 1M tip to decorate my cc's.

And, I second not like the picks. I personally think they are outdated and need to be discontinued. There are so many other quick things you can do for a decoration.

As for price...it really varies from person to person; usually depends on where you live and what the going rate is. Call around...check a few other bakers for their prices, then decide.

Good luck...post pictures!

Hi!

I do the baking at a local cafe and make cupcakes every week.

The cupcakes I make are made in jumbo muffin pans, and I don't cut the top off them.

(However, if you want a flatter top, just fill the tins/papers less. If I fill my papers 2/3 full, they have a nice, round top. But, if I only fill the paper 1/2 way, then I get a nice, flat cupcake.)

As far as pricing goes, I think it depends on your area. The jumbo cupcakes I make at the cafe sell for $5.

And, certainly if you're spending more time decorating a cupcake, like making special ones for Halloween or another holiday---versus just piping a swirl of frosting on top---you should charge more.

I also use a 1M tip to pipe bc onto the cupcakes.

Happy Baking!
Jeff