Wedding 911: How To Transport Cupcakes
The 911 Call from DIYer, Savannah:
My mom and I are making 140 cupcakes for my wedding. How in the h-e-double hockey sticks are we going to get them to the reception? We’ve looked at plastic cupcake carriers but those things are expensive and they don’t hold very many cupcakes. Help!
The Solution:
First: stay calm.
Second: transporting cupcakes is usually not as difficult as it seems and, luckily, there are few cheap ways to get your cupcakes from point A to point B in ready-to-eat condition.
As you mentioned, the plastic cupcake couriers are spendy (around $30) and the larger ones usually hold only two dozen cupcakes at a time. You’d need 6 of them to transport 140 cupcakes. That’s an extra $180! No, thanks.
Option 1.
Photo via Peter Pearson via Flickr
1. Get cake boxes cardboard cake sheet liners from your local party store (craft stores sometimes have them as well).
2. Insert cake sheet liner inside of cake boxes. Cake boxes are kind of flimsy; the liner gives it reinforcement.
3. On the bottom of each cupcake, pipe a dollop of melted chocolate.
4. Quickly press the cupcake onto the cake liner. When the chocolate cools, it’ll keep the cake in place until you pluck it out the box at the reception location.
Annie Eats has a great tutorial with pictures on how it’s done. Super easy and more affordable than carriers.
A 14 x 19 x 4 in. cake box will hold about 24 cupcakes and costs about $2.50. Cardboard liners: less than $1.00 each. Chocolate: use the cheapest you can find.
Alternatively, you can use a regular shipping box if you have around. Grape boxes, grocery store produce departments will often give them away, are awesome for this purpose and no liner necessary.
Option 2.
Cake Box + Die Cut Cupcake Inserts
and 
Some cake supply houses and tons of places online have these nifty die-cut inserts for cake boxes. You can get a pack of 10 (enough for 120 cupcakes) for about $6.00.
Option 3:
Cardboard Box, Cupcake Pan, and Heavy Duty Foil
This one is so easy!
1. Turn your cupcake pan upside down.
2. Press a few layers of heavy aluminum foil over over the cake tray. The foil will mimic the tray’s shape so all you have to do is flip the foil over, insert it into a box and place the cupcakes into the cavities.
3. When you get to the site, simply push the foil down so you can remove the cupcakes without touching the frosting.
Option 4:
Box and non-skid shelf liner.
This one is possibly my favorite but it’s a little expensive.
Line the bottom of a shallow box with non-skid shelf liner. You can pick it up at Target or home improvement places for about $11.00 for 20 square feet. Sometimes dollar-type stores have it, too… for a $1.00 a roll.
Good luck and remember that car trunks get REALLY hot so don’t leave cupcakes there for extended periods of time.
