me and my mom are hosting coffee hour at our churchon the 18th .  different families host each sunday .  we are doing a table full of cupcakes, a fruit bowl or some other kind of fruit like bunches of grapes.

anyways usually i make the cupcakes the day before events bake frost and store in the boxes but  i have a crazy work schedule ( retail) and i have this weird 2pm-8pm  shift on saturday which leaves me no time to  make bake and frost 5 dozen cupcakes.

could i make the cupcakes  no frosting on friday store in the cupcake boxes i use 36 count window boxes and then frost on saturday morning or saturday evening when i get out of work? my issue is one time i made cupcakes a head of time i had them sealed in the box and then when i got home to make my frostings the tops of the cupcakes had this wet feel to them like they got moisture. any idea why?

my other thought was to make the batters in the morning bake them off and then store the cupcakes in the boxes until i came home and made the frostings but again i am worried the tops will get that funky moisture thing going on 

i am doing cherry vanilla cupcakes 12 with a cherry vanilla buttercream and a cherry on top 

brownie sundae  overload cupcakes 24  with a chocolate buttercream caramel sauce a mini brownie on top and some rainbow sprinkles 

pumpkin and apple spice cupcakes 12 of each both using a salted caramel cream cheese  buttercream i am using candy corn shaped pumpkins on top  for pumpkin spice and maybe some apple caramel candy corn for the apple cupcakes 

also i usually leave my cupcakes in the fridge to set but i am worried toppings will fall off and do i really need to put them in the  fridge i know the cream cheese ones will have to go in the fridge 

any suggestions the chocolate and cherry vanilla will be using scratch batter but i have not found a good batter for the apple and pumpkin spice so i am using spice cake mix anyway i can doctor it so it won't come out dry 

pumpkin will have a can of pumpkin in it and apples will have baking apples chopped up and cooked to get soft before i add to the batter 

i use georgetown cupcakes buttercream and there cream cheese recipe i only use plugra butter for my buttercream. i was using williams sonoma's chocolate buttercream recipe but it didn't have a real deep chocolate flavor and i am looking for something with a nice chocolate flavor somewhat fudgy but not to fudgy i need to pipe a swirl with it on top of my cupcake 

I have made cupcakes the day before and decorated the following day. I've not experienced the film you describe. Are they still warm when you box them? That could be where your moisture is coming from. 

I have gotten the sticky shiny surface.  I think it's condensation from the changing temps from freezer or fridge to warm air.  I really don't think it makes that much a difference once the frosting is on.  What you can do is make your cupcakes, ice, box, wrap with plastic and then freeze. The morning of your even take them out of the freezer and let them thaw still wrapped.  The condensation will be on the outside of the box, not on your cupcakes.  Open the boxes and take them out when they are room temp.

I do what Pastrybaglady does.   Works perfect.

wish i could freeze no space in my frezzer  the plan is i will wake up early am start making my batters i have 4 batters to make bake them off let them cool place them in my cupcake boxes i have two 36 count and then when i get out of work i will whipp up my buttercreams i am using two salted caramel so i think i can double batch that a cherry vanilla and a chocolate 

also anyone who makes apple cupcakes do you cook off your apples first to soften them or do you dice them up very small and then just bake them within the batter ?