Cupcake Crisis: The Sequel
March 16, 2012 7:01 AM Subscribe
Help me hack a DIY transport system for approximately 200 mini-cupcakes.
I've seen this, but I'm at a bit of a different scale - I'm doing some volunteer baking for a theater company's benefit two days from now, and only need to transport the things as a group, once. And they are mini cupcakes -- but 200 mini cupcakes is still a lot. And I don't bake-and-transport enough to justify buying a $30-40 cake carrier from the local department stores (I'd probably need more than one to boot, and $80 for something I'm going to rarely use is a HELL-no).
Fortunately none of them will be frosted - one batch will have a glaze, and one will have a fairly sturdy melted-chocolate coating, but I'll pack the frosting separately and frost when I get there. So I can do some careful layering, and can do a bit of "repair" when I show up where I"m going (but not much - conditions are spartan, and I'm also doing something else for the benefit). Also, I'm not going far - I'll be taking a taxi or something.
I realize a plain cardboard box would probably work, but I'm concerned about keeping things airtight, and also worried about stability. I'll also need to keep things on the cool side -- the chocolate-coated ones need to stay a little chill, so the chocolate doesn't melt; I've got freeze packs out the wazoo, fortunately, I'm just afraid a cardboard box isn't insulated well enough. Any tips?
I've seen this, but I'm at a bit of a different scale - I'm doing some volunteer baking for a theater company's benefit two days from now, and only need to transport the things as a group, once. And they are mini cupcakes -- but 200 mini cupcakes is still a lot. And I don't bake-and-transport enough to justify buying a $30-40 cake carrier from the local department stores (I'd probably need more than one to boot, and $80 for something I'm going to rarely use is a HELL-no).
Fortunately none of them will be frosted - one batch will have a glaze, and one will have a fairly sturdy melted-chocolate coating, but I'll pack the frosting separately and frost when I get there. So I can do some careful layering, and can do a bit of "repair" when I show up where I"m going (but not much - conditions are spartan, and I'm also doing something else for the benefit). Also, I'm not going far - I'll be taking a taxi or something.
I realize a plain cardboard box would probably work, but I'm concerned about keeping things airtight, and also worried about stability. I'll also need to keep things on the cool side -- the chocolate-coated ones need to stay a little chill, so the chocolate doesn't melt; I've got freeze packs out the wazoo, fortunately, I'm just afraid a cardboard box isn't insulated well enough. Any tips?
Best answer: I recently bought mini cupcakes to give out at a presentation, and the bakery I got them from had a special insert into an ordinary sheet-cake pasteboard box. It was an extra sheet with a bunch of holes in it, and the edges folded down hold the sheet about midway up the cupcake sides. It worked well, although it took me a few torn-off cupcake tops to realize that you need a special de-boxing technique to get them out (tear open the outer box, unfold the edges of the hole sheet and wiggle it to lower it, then nab the cupcakes).
Anyway, I believe that disposable / paper baked-goods packages are available from amateur-baker supply stores -- my wife likes to bake, and she has a whole stash of random-size boxes and stuff she got from such a place.
Alternatively, you could probably find a wire cooling tray with appropriately-sized mesh and feet that will hold the mesh up enough to keep the cupcakes from rolling around. Put the whole thing in a sheet-cake box and you're good to go.
posted by spacewrench at 7:17 AM on March 16, 2012
Anyway, I believe that disposable / paper baked-goods packages are available from amateur-baker supply stores -- my wife likes to bake, and she has a whole stash of random-size boxes and stuff she got from such a place.
Alternatively, you could probably find a wire cooling tray with appropriately-sized mesh and feet that will hold the mesh up enough to keep the cupcakes from rolling around. Put the whole thing in a sheet-cake box and you're good to go.
posted by spacewrench at 7:17 AM on March 16, 2012
Best answer: Get your paws on a large, cheap airtight tub, and some cardboard. Something like this or perhaps a bit smaller depending on your needs. You can get them pretty cheaply. As far as cardboard goes, I've used cereal boxes and other reused clean food box card to good effect, but plain white card or clean manila folders or whatever. It just needs to be a tad stiff.
Pack a layer of cupcakes. Then use the cardboard to make a "bridge" over the top. Like a lower case n - arch it over the first layer. If your container is very wide, you may need to put two ns in a row. Then just stack another row on the little bridge. If you pack them in tightly enough they aren't going to move around that much. It's a bit hard to visualise so I drew you a picture.
posted by Jilder at 7:23 AM on March 16, 2012
Pack a layer of cupcakes. Then use the cardboard to make a "bridge" over the top. Like a lower case n - arch it over the first layer. If your container is very wide, you may need to put two ns in a row. Then just stack another row on the little bridge. If you pack them in tightly enough they aren't going to move around that much. It's a bit hard to visualise so I drew you a picture.
posted by Jilder at 7:23 AM on March 16, 2012
Response by poster: Just noting that Showbiz_liz is getting points for sheer innovation. (I don't have that many empty egg cartons, but damn, that's a good idea.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:24 AM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:24 AM on March 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
If you don't get free recycled egg cartons/flats, you can buy 3x more than you need for under $20 or closer to $13.
posted by plinth at 8:15 AM on March 16, 2012
posted by plinth at 8:15 AM on March 16, 2012
Response by poster: Mail-ordering wouldn't work, as I'd need to have them by tomorrow.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:17 AM on March 16, 2012
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:17 AM on March 16, 2012
Looks like egg cartons have been tested and approved--wonder if you can get neighbors or fellow theatre workers to chip some in? I wish I lived near you, as I have two 18 egg cartons on hand right now.
What about small styrofoam/paper/plastic cups, like the kind people use for coffee, and then just some rectangular boxes? Since your mini-cupcakes aren't iced, you could maybe layer two cupcakdes per cup, using the cups to keep the cupcakes contained. You *might* even be able to get away with flipping half the cups, alternating right-side up with upside-down cups to take up less room in your big box(es).
Bonus: I would think cups would be something the theatre might even have around somewhere.
posted by misha at 8:41 AM on March 16, 2012
What about small styrofoam/paper/plastic cups, like the kind people use for coffee, and then just some rectangular boxes? Since your mini-cupcakes aren't iced, you could maybe layer two cupcakdes per cup, using the cups to keep the cupcakes contained. You *might* even be able to get away with flipping half the cups, alternating right-side up with upside-down cups to take up less room in your big box(es).
Bonus: I would think cups would be something the theatre might even have around somewhere.
posted by misha at 8:41 AM on March 16, 2012
If you store Christmas ornaments back in the boxes you bought them ... You could unbox them and use for the cupcakes. I realize you probably don't have 200 boxed ornaments ...
Or, you could go to your local supermarket and ask if they have those cardboard divider things that fruit gets packed in boxes with (I could have used better sentence structure there, sorry).
posted by thinkpiece at 11:29 AM on March 16, 2012
Or, you could go to your local supermarket and ask if they have those cardboard divider things that fruit gets packed in boxes with (I could have used better sentence structure there, sorry).
posted by thinkpiece at 11:29 AM on March 16, 2012
There's lots of Easter swag for sale right now. You may be able to find holders for egg-sized material there with either actual holders to carry Easter eggs around or asking a store (nicely) to give/sell you the cardboard holders that hold candy filled plastic eggs or Cadbury eggs.
Alternative: buy that many eggs in the 18-to-30-egg bulk economy packages: 12 18-packs, 7 30-packs, it will cost like $30 but you will have eggs in the end. Then post followup "What do I do with 200+ eggs?"
posted by nicebookrack at 5:12 AM on March 17, 2012
Alternative: buy that many eggs in the 18-to-30-egg bulk economy packages: 12 18-packs, 7 30-packs, it will cost like $30 but you will have eggs in the end. Then post followup "What do I do with 200+ eggs?"
posted by nicebookrack at 5:12 AM on March 17, 2012
Response by poster: Hi all -- I actually amalgated a couple of "best answers" above based on a lucky discovery of "HUGE disposable tinfoil pans that also come with lids" at my local supermarket; all of the cupcakes fit into one of those in two layers (separated by a sheet of wax paper). (the fact that I actually burned one batch of cupcakes, making it only 140 that I had to carry, also helped.)
They all survived the trip, I did the frosting when I got there, and the cupcakes were all promptly devoured by a very happy audience. Thank you!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:31 AM on March 19, 2012 [2 favorites]
They all survived the trip, I did the frosting when I got there, and the cupcakes were all promptly devoured by a very happy audience. Thank you!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:31 AM on March 19, 2012 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:04 AM on March 16, 2012 [2 favorites]