Cost of Baking 150 Cupcakes!!!

SolarCharge

Hi guys,

I have been set a major challenge.... Bake 150 cupcakes. With the creamy icing.

It's for a party we're throwing.

Soooo.... I'm just wondering.

1. How much would the ingredients cost (roughly) for 150 cupcakes? Including the icing?

2. How long would such a task take?! Preparation, baking.

I'm sure there are lots of people with cupcake baking experience out there. Please help me!!

SolarCharge

Also most cupcakes have those little decorative things on top... Where can you buy them?!

olaola

The cost... your sanity.

I'd say if you can get a decent mixer, a Kenwood or the like. It will make your life a lot easier. And the cake tins too. You'll only be able to cook about 36 at a time in the oven. So you're looking at about 5 rounds of trays into the oven.

My advice, go to Lidl/Aldi and get all your stuff there.

You're going to need:

About 2kg each of flour, sugar & butter/marg.
About 32 eggs (6 packs)

And then the icing and the cases.

Just looking at Superquinn (prob cheaper in Aldi/Lidl)
2kg flour: €2
2kg sugar: €3
2kg butter: €7
36 eggs: €10

And then depeding on the icing, you'll need about the same amount of butter, a few bags of icing sugar and colouring. I'd say you'll do it for under €50

Some nice cases: http://www.kitchencomplements.ie/kc/Main/Product.asp?iProductID=775

SolarCharge

Hmmmm.... So maybe around 45euro or something.

And you think 5 rounds of 32 would be the best?

Any idea how long the preparation of 150 cupcakes would be?! Thanks for the help.

olaola

I don't think you'll get more into your oven tbh. And I would be hesitant in using a 'top oven' as you'll prob have some cup-cake-attrition issues with the ones on the sides getting burnt!

If you can get 3 shelves in, that would be best. I wouldn't sit them on the floor of the oven. I'd say you're looking at about 45 mins/1 hour per round of 36. Depending on the size of your mixer, you might not make enough mix for more than 50. Then the icing etc.
I'd say, you're looking at about 5 hours work. You don't seem to have done this before, so I'm erring on the side of caution!

Sigma Force

It's a pity your average cup cake holder only holds a dozen, I find baking trays small too when most half decent ovens can hold nearly twice the size of tray or bun tray.

Tesco brand flour or as said Lidl/Aldi would work.
But if you want them to taste good don't skimp too much on the chocolate or cocoa if using.

Butter can make them salty and unsalted butter is expensive I think Tesco do a version but it's not that cheap either.

Tesco have a load of new baking things like the toppings.

Not sure but you might be able to buy some things in bulk from the chocolategarden.ie If using chocolate chips might be worth it.

Aldi and Lidl have regular dark bars of choc that might work as well.

If you know any friendly folk at a farmers market you might be able to get eggs for cheaper, would still go with free range they aren't expensive aldi are doing them now.

One of the supermarkets near us does the huge big bags of oldums flour. Massive bags, it's a costcutter.

SolarCharge

Brilliant, I'll definitely look into it. Thanks a lot.

Acoshla

Hi SolarCharge,

My mom bakes 144 cupcakes every Sunday morning in a standard oven with a standard mixer (to stock family freezers, she's not professional), it just takes a bit of organisation, I would say if it's a one off don't go looking at very expensive mixers.

My recipes normally take about 25 mins in the oven but again that all depends on recipes, and what decorative is it you mean? If you're doing buttercream icing make it a few days before to save time and hassle, you'll have to do it in a few batches, not too many, again depending on the recipe, 150 cupcakes would be done in about 4 batches of the one I do.

Edit: Oh yeah I would say about 50 euro, I'm doing 120 atm and they're costing just under that including fancy cases and stuff.

SolarCharge

Thanks a million, that's brilliant info. I can't believe your mom does that amount every week!! So I'm going to budget 50 euro. How many hours work would be involved? Including making the icing, making the mixture, decorating (cases, sprinkles or whatever) etc. for roughly 150 cupcakes?

rgiller

Marks and Spencer for decoration type things - not too expensive and a good variety

rubadub

I got 18 tesco value eggs the other day, think they were only something like €2.29, all tesco value stuff is remarkably cheap, and stuff like non-free range eggs or sugar should not make much difference, possibly flour too but I am not certain.

Acoshla

The only thing is if you're making plain cupcakes (not chocolate or a particular flavour) the quality of the main ingredients (butter, eggs, etc) can affect the finished taste, I always use the value eggs if there's banana, chocolate, lemon or something else to taste, if they are just plain cupcakes I use the Tesco Free Range, only 2c in the difference per egg or something but I personally find it's worth it.

smallgarden

id try to find an all in one mixture and use soft tub margarine e.g. stork.this will save you hassle of creaming sugar and marg first
a batch of 36 buns should take you maximum half an hour to make,approx half hour to bake.people can make them in ten mins,others could take them an hour.ppl really vary in speed they can bake
if icing it can be fiddly and take ages.maybe you could do some dipped in jam then dipped in coconut,might be quicker than icing them all