I have someone requesting cupcake samples for an upcoming summer wedding. She wants 24 mixed variety (she didn't specify what she wants).....How should I go about the flavors? Obviously I'm not going to make 24 different flavors. I'm pretty new to flavorings since most of my customers so far have asked for pretty basic flavors (van, choc, red velvet, marble). How many different flavors should I offer?? How about the icing flavors as well? She also wants a couple designed w/ the monogram of the couples last name (I thought of doing an impression on a fondant deco. How many different designs should I offer? Just trying to make it cost effective as well as attractive. Thanks.

Is this free or are you charging her for the samples?

Freebie = 3 basic flavors and no decorating. This is just for her to get an idea of your baking, after all.

I was planning on charging her. She wants 24 cupcakes...its not like a traditional cake testing. I was also planning on making a couple w/ decorations on them for her to get an idea of design too.

Typically, each flavor would be a minimum of 24 cupcakes in a normal order.
Since this is a wedding cake sample for a bride then I would do one flavor for every 24 cupcakes.
Unless you're a store or if you regularly produce cake and keep sample cuppies in the freezer. But fresh baked? Uno is the Maxo.

If I was in a real good mood I might split a batch and do two different flavors but I haven't been in a real good cake mood in eons.

If I keep writing I'm gonna talk myself out of the one flavor.

I'll tell you what I'd do...from now until the tasting, when you make a batch of batter, make one (or more) cupcake from that flavor. Next flavor you mix up for an order, make one (or more) cupcake from that. You can wrap them individually and freeze them until you need them.

Pretty soon, you'll have quite a variety.

Then charge her your regular $ for cupcakes.

My doughnut shop charges extra for a mixed dozen--just saying. It is more work, more ingredients, more time.

I can see that point, but I'd charge my regular price since it really isn't more work for me (using extra batter from other batches). Either way it gets priced, I would still do the make-a-couple-extra-and-freeze method.

since I only do this part time I don't produce a large number of anything right now. I don't have a store, its basically word of mouth at this point (friends of friends) so my problem is that I would like to offer her some choices but don't want to be rediculous as to the number of choices (usually I tend to go overboard) compared to what she would get from a bakery per say. I have never frozen anything...I'm always afraid of compromising the flavor....how long do they freeze for? Any suggestions on popular wedding flavors?

On a few occasions, I have had brides not show up for a scheuled tasting. If you are going to all of the time, effort and expense to accommodate her requestss, you may want to consider receiving at leat one-half payment in advance. Just a thought. I don't charge for tastings, but I limit it to three different flavors.

On a few occasions, I have had brides not show up for a scheuled tasting. If you are going to all of the time, effort and expense to accommodate her requestss, you may want to consider receiving at leat one-half payment in advance. Just a thought. I don't charge for tastings, but I limit it to three different flavors.

I usually do 3-4 flavours for tasting for brides, and do buttercream icing. I think it would be difficult for a bride to judge your cake decorating on a cupcake! If you want to do the cuppies with the monogram on it - give it a whirl!

The combinations I use really depend on the taste of the couple - if they have more classic tastes (i.e. vanilla and chocolate) the combos that I use are:
- white almond sour cream with almond buttercream
- vanilla rum with vanilla buttercream
- cocoa with nutella buttercream
- red velvet with cream cheese buttercream

If the couple likes fruity stuff, the I usually do:
- key lime with vanilla buttercream
- banana with cream cheese buttercream
- strawberry with either cream cheese or raspberry buttercream
- carrot cake with cream cheese buttercream

If the couple is open to more exotic flavours, then I mix and match classic flavours with my "premium" flavours - like guinness cupcakes with bailey's irish cream buttercream, or vanilla with caramel buttercream etc.

Hope that helps and gives you some ideas!

And the further issue with freezing in a home freezer--be sure to protect them from the door being opened & closed a lot. You can insulate them to avoid that problem unless you have a dedicated freezer.

I would recommend doing almond, vanilla bean, and lemon for a bridal tasting. You can make one batch of white cake and split it into 3 bowls and then add your flavors. Then i would make a cream cheese and a standard buttercream to do some of each on each flavor. That would give your 4 cupcakes of each combo. Just a thought but since she is requesting a specific number of cupcakes and specific decorating it kinda sounds like she is using this as a way to get free cupcakes for a small engagement party? Even though she may still be serious about having you do her wedding cake. Personally I send brides my flavor list and have them choose 1 flavor combo they like and they get 6 free cupcakes. HTH

I don't think she's expecting the order to be free, it wasn't like she wanted to set up a consultation or anything......so I'm treating it just like a regular order. do you think that's the right way to go?

maybe u should clarify if this is a tasting or an order. even in an order i have a dozen min one flavor, because i too am one person without a bakery. but i do freeze extra batter when i have it just for things like tastings. also as far as the decor, i would get her colors for the wedding, or at least what they are considering, and incorperate that into designs for maybe 6-8 of them. the rest i would just decorate like u normally would. decorating different cupcakes for a tasting takes tons of time and concentration, and as u said, u r just one woman. good luck!!

how big is the wedding? That would be a factor to influence just how much work I want to go to for this chic. A couple of hundred? Forget it, she gets the standard 3 flavors that *I* pick. 1000 people? Ok, she's got my attention and I'll probably go an extra mile for her.

But she wants 24 cupcakes in 24 different flavors?????? Who does she think you are ... Baskin Robbins? In her head, she's thinking a bakery can just walk their display case and pull one cupcake of each flavor for her to taste. Unless you're a bakery with over 20 different cupcakes in stock, I'd be reining this chic in a little.

Remember that some brides get into the whole "experience" of wedding planning and she may think this is how it's "supposed" to be (based on her tv viewing habits, of course! )

And another thing......! Is she really going to sit there with you and eat/sample 24 cupcakes? who in the world can sit and eat 24 cupcakes in one sitting???? (Bearing in mind that I dont' believe in "drive thru" sampling appts!)

Geesh, this has got PITA Diva Drama Queen written all over it!

Oh .... I also didn't "design" sample cakes because if they want to see samples of my work, that's what photos are for. The only sampling design work I did was for a 6" cookie for a Renaissance (sp?) wedding that was fondant covered, with candy jewels and glitter dust-stuff on them. (It was also a potential $1800 cookie order.)

Yes, she knows she's paying for them. I guess what I really need to know is how many flavors should I offer her. Is the going ratio 1 per 12? I know I can tend to be a little giving, but I certainly wasn't planning on doing 24 different flavors...NO WAY, that's just crazy. Like Indydebi said, It's not like I can scroll thru a bakery case.