The lovely Laura posed this query:
I’d like to do cupcakes for my wedding in September — I didn’t realize it was so trendy, I just wanted a variety of flavors and the convenience — and I’m appalled by how much people want to charge for them! I’m seriously considering breaking out the mixer and just making them myself. Of course, everybody thinks I’m nuts. But if cupcakes will last for a while in the freezer, it’s entirely possible I could make a couple of batches every weekend and then just have an icing party the night before. What do you think?
Creating your own wedding cupcakes is easy because they’re simple to bake (single serving sizes and no worrying about tiers), plus the frosting doesn’t have to look as polished as it typically does on a big wedding cake. In fact, the most charming cupcakes are usually those that look like they came out of a real kitchen, not some high-tech baker’s mecca.
Speaking of frosting, cupcakes freeze best when they’re frosting-free because frosting is the most perishable part of any confection. (Hint: You can freeze frosting, too — buttercreams and fudge freeze well, while custards and egg white frostings do not.) Cook’s Illustrated has this to say about the best way to preserve taste and texture in a frozen cupcake:
“In terms of taste, there was little to differentiate [between cupcakes stored in a plastic zipper-lock bag with most of the air removed, in plastic wrap, in foil, and in plastic wrap and foil]. For longer periods of storage, where the likelihood of freezer burn increases, we recommend double-wrapping cupcakes in plastic wrap and foil (in groups or individually) before placing them in the freezer.”
They note that when you do thaw them, unwrap them first to prevent the buildup of condensation that can turn a cupcake gummy and gross.
As to how long you can freeze your cupcakes, it depends on the kind of cake. Cakes with a butter base (like yellow cake) can be frozen up to six months, but I’d recommend keeping them frozen for no more than two months. Angel food cakes can be frozen for up to two months, but should probably be eaten before then. Natural essences will freeze better than artificial ones, and the flavor may grow stronger over time.
I should note that I have a lot of personal experience with this because when I bake, I BAKE. My freezer is currently full of frozen cakes and sweet breads that are wrapped in nothing more than a layer of foil, and I have never once had a cake suffer ill effects from being kept on ice for weeks or months.
But I will say this — fresher is usually better. Within the two month window, decide how much time you’ll need to make a great cupcake without stressing yourself out, and bake them as close to the wedding as possible to ensure great taste and texture.
I would add that you should keep both the fridge and freezer super clean. You don’t want weird smells creeping into your yummy baked goods.
And when you leave them out to defrost, keep them away from cats and dogs. 🙂
Good point, Stephanie! One of my cats would devour one or more cupcakes left where she could reach them. Luckily, she’s too fat to jump up onto the counter, and the other cats have never shown an interest in sweets.
Cupcakes are probably the perfect DIY catering project! Do them in batches over the course of several weeks; farm out a few batches to another talented home baker; have a frosting party the day before the wedding; have fun watching everyone enjoy the perfect festive dessert!
I recently did several cakes for a large party, and I guarantee you that freezing will work just fine as long as you choose your recipes with that in mind.
Oh, and if I may make a suggestion, the Neo-Classic buttercream recipe in The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum is simple, versatile (she has a huge list of suggested flavorings sure to make your guest’s mouths water), and amazingly delicious. It freezes well, too. There are days when I’m tempted to make it even when I don’t have a cake to frost and just save it up until I’ve got a party to bake for…or even just sit there with a spoon and eat it all.
You might want to consider going to a grocery store and checking their prices. Depending on what else you are DIY’ing you might not want be frosting cupcakes the night before the wedding. Or if you have lots of baker friends, I would consider bringing them in on the fun.
In my experience, recipes that incorporate oil last much longer (even *not* in the freezer!). My grandpa has a recipe for chocolate beet (!) cake that we’re using for wedding cupcakes, and they’re equally moist on the third day before they’ve even hit the freezer. As far as decorating, there are lots of cute edible and non-edible toppers that can brighten up a simple icing/frosting and cover up little mistakes.
Linda: That’s true — there’s no shame in handing off some or all of the work if you happen to have a friend who loves to bake!
(bride.): I agree! I have a vegan cake recipe I make (mostly because I don’t feel like dealing with eggs) that uses oil to keep things moist, and I can leave it sitting out or uncovered in the fridge, and the texture remains soft and yummy.
All of you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! for the input. I may end up doing a half and half DIY/bought on this one. I have a bad habit of starting projects with lots of organization and planning, getting distracted by something else, then coming back the night before it’s due to finish up. I really don’t want to stay up all night before the wedding, frosting stuff – or show up all covered in cake batter and delirious!
Y’all have given me some great info (and an excuse to buy a new cookbook!) Thanks again!
Oh Laura, there’s always an excuse to buy a new cookbook if you just look in your heart!
Best of luck with the cupcakes. Be sure to let us know how it works out for you.
When I did cupcakes for a friend’s wedding, it became a problem of logistics…how do you get 200 cupcakes to the reception site? I used some plastic sundae cups and lids on the decorated ones, but actually, that was too much handling, and, messing around. I found the easiest way was to buy storage containers that would fit in my freezer (freshly defrosted and cleaned) to store frozen cupcakes in layers with cake cardboards separating layers. I took the cupcakes to the reception site, bagged my frosting with tips, and took extra containers filled with frosting. With a couple of friends, we plated the cupcakes, frosted and added decorations (royal icing flowers I made before). That was easy!
I’ve already printed Never teh Bride’s lovely email response to my question and put it in the Great Big Wedding Binder – now I’m going to do the same with the comment thread. Thanks again!
This isn’t terribly inexpensive, but a lovely way to decorate your cupcakes is to use the laser-cut cupcake wrappers now available. http://www.paperorchidstationery.com/modules/cart/navigate.php/nav_id/775
They come in many patterns and colors–I used the “Baby” ones for my baby shower this past weekend and got a million compliments. (Yes, I love to bake so I made the desserts for my own shower.) I even found the little duckies to put on top. They really make the cupcakes look special and are easy to use. I got mine on eBay for a lot cheaper than retail. You can also get cardboard cupcake towers on eBay for a reasonable price. And another word of advice–if you can swing it, have more than one flavor of cupcake. Everyone likes different kinds. At my wedding last year, we had vanilla, chocolate, and carrotcake cupcakes. (Professionally baked, though.) I thought the chocolate would be most popular but the carrotcake ones went first.
You can buy boxes at crafts stores (I get mine from Jo-Ann’s) that will hold large quantities of cupcakes. You’ll still want to be careful with them during transportation, but it should do the trick. I might suggest cutting a piece of cardboard and placing that in the bottom first to help make them a tad more sturdy.
Like cake, buttercream icing stores wonderfully well. Just thaw and defrost before re-whipping before use. Like others have suggested, (pre-bought) sugar flowers are a super easy way to make incredibly lovely cupcakes, and that way you don’t have to worry about any sort of fancy frosting techniques. Another option is to cut pieces of fondant out with cookie cutters to top the cupcakes on top of the buttercream for a polished finish.
Hey!. I think you could also make more of it through a bigger exposure about \”Manolo for the Brides\”. Perhaps you can have some chocolate fudge cupcakes.