cupcakes!

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Hi guys!

I'm doing some research and I was hoping you could be a good source since all of you are fun loving and fantastic people

I've been talking with some people about selling cupcakes and want to make them easy and delicious. I also want them to be attainable to many people. We are thinking about having a mobile cupcake business and are thinking about having four different types of cake: red velvet, yellow, chocolate, and one specialty flavor of the week. We want to have three different frostings: vanilla butter cream, chocolate butter cream, cream cheese (and possibly one specialty flavor to go with the specialty of the week).

We would possibly be having standard cupcakes and mini ones (which I call babycakes ).

Do you think you'd want to buy a cupcake if you saw a mobile truck selling cupcakes ?

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

You are talking to a fat girl here, so cupcakes that come to ME can't be a bad thing.....

Where are you thinking of basing your truck? Like, just driving up and down residential streets or are you thinking maybe more upscale? I think location would be your key. Near a college campus, nicer stores, or Jenny Craig locations might work!

This seems like a really unique idea. Good luck to you!!

 

[NStramler]

Not me. You might want to look at the Health Department codes about a business like this. I know that California has many rules and regs. In many school districts now you can not even take home made goodies for parties.

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

You are talking to a fat girl here, so cupcakes that come to ME can't be a bad thing.....

Where are you thinking of basing your truck? Like, just driving up and down residential streets or are you thinking maybe more upscale? I think location would be your key. Near a college campus, nicer stores, or Jenny Craig locations might work!

This seems like a really unique idea. Good luck to you!!

I was definitely thinking of starting out by a local university

Cupcakes are my life and we're just trying things out! Thanks for the feedback. What is your favorite cupcake?

Not me. You might want to look at the Health Department codes about a business like this. I know that California has many rules and regs. In many school districts now you can not even take home made goodies for parties.

Do you not like cupcakes? I understand the Health Codes and will be completely prepared for them, that is not an issue.

 

[fairykin]

What a great idea, GirL! Selling at a university. That is reaLLy SmArT!

Maybe print up a bunch of flyers/cards.
with perhaps a discount on them.
Then take them to the sororites.

CupCaKeS are Kisses from Sweet BaBeY JeSuS!

 

[lntsmom]

Sign me up for some amaretto flavored cupcakes with almond frosting...maybe some slivered almond on the top as garnish!

I'm not a buttercream type of person (I do cake decorating...just the smell of powdered sugar makes me shudder!) so usually I'd go with devil's food with ganache, but given the choice of that or amaretto, I'd go for the amaretto every time!

Just an idea...you might consider online marketing if you can figure out how to target where most of the students come from. I know parents would pay if you could figure out a way to deliver say, half a dozen cupcakes, to their students in the dorms on birthdays and special occasions.

 

[LavenderPeach]

I love the babycakes idea! How cute!

How about some sort of pumpkin cupcake for halloween/Thanksgiving time? I have this awesome pumpkin cake recipe but I've never tried it as cupcakes. Adding the pureed pumpkin makes the cake really moist and yummy.

Also, have you thought about selling at farmer's markets or market nights? Our local market night has a couple of stands that sell breads and other baked goods.

 

[pixiewings71]

So you're going to be like the ice cream truck, but instead you'll be the cupcake truck? lol I love it!!!! You are so creative!!! Seriously, I think you'll rock!

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

What a great idea, GirL! Selling at a university. That is reaLLy SmArT!

Maybe print up a bunch of flyers/cards.
with perhaps a discount on them.
Then take them to the sororites.

CupCaKeS are Kisses from Sweet BaBeY JeSuS!

I was thinking about having the opportunity of having our services for sororities! Lord knows most girls LOVE cupcakes Thanks for the advice!

Sign me up for some amaretto flavored cupcakes with almond frosting...maybe some slivered almond on the top as garnish!

I'm not a buttercream type of person (I do cake decorating...just the smell of powdered sugar makes me shudder!) so usually I'd go with devil's food with ganache, but given the choice of that or amaretto, I'd go for the amaretto every time!

Just an idea...you might consider online marketing if you can figure out how to target where most of the students come from. I know parents would pay if you could figure out a way to deliver say, half a dozen cupcakes, to their students in the dorms on birthdays and special occasions.

Amaretto ? MMM. Sounds good to me! I love almond frosting as well!

That is a good idea for finding where most of the students come from. I know there was a business featured on the food network about some girls who started a cookie business in a dorm and sold them to students around campus and they made so much that they got profiled!

I love the babycakes idea! How cute!

How about some sort of pumpkin cupcake for halloween/Thanksgiving time? I have this awesome pumpkin cake recipe but I've never tried it as cupcakes. Adding the pureed pumpkin makes the cake really moist and yummy.

Also, have you thought about selling at farmer's markets or market nights? Our local market night has a couple of stands that sell breads and other baked goods.

MMM. Pumpkin! I was thinking of doing that for the autumn holidays with cream cheese frosting!

Local markets ? Thats a great idea!! I'm seriously jotting all these good ideas down!

So you're going to be like the ice cream truck, but instead you'll be the cupcake truck? lol I love it!!!! You are so creative!!! Seriously, I think you'll rock!

YESS. Exactly! Thanks Kerri! You rock too

 

[bumbershoot]

I would recommend going for the "not hideously bad for you" marketing bit, by using REAL food.

So all natural vanilla without (bet you can guess what I'm goign to say) corn syrup or HFCS, real chocolate, real sugar. Nothing with weird chemicals, etc. And have your ingredient lists beautifully typed up and easy for people to access.

There's a cupcake place here in town that SAID they are all natural. We loved them. Then one day they had some caramel frosting. Well, I know caramel. So I asked them if they made it, what the ingredients are...and the counterperson brought out some 99 cent tub-of-"caramel flavored"-goo. First ingredient? High Fructose Corn Syrup.

We bought NOTHING that day, and haven't been back. They lost my trust.

So if you go the "all real" way, be trustworthy.

You would not believe how good the cupcakes were at this place, by the way. Real food is awesome.

 

[fairykin]

I Love Caramel.

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite, I don't think I've ever met a cupcake I haven't loved.... But I am TOTALLY enthralled with the idea of your doing seasonal/holiday themes and flavors. I am a HUGE sucker for anything themed. Gee, I wonder if that is why I love Disneyland....???

 

[blabbermouth]

Ahem, if you haven't guessed, I'm a cupcakeaholic. I'm not sure how I feel about the roving cupcake van... how do I know where to find your delcious cupcakes when I really want one? I really like the above person's idea of selling them at weekly markets etc. Cheaper than renting a store for sure, but somewhat more permanent. But a delivery component would be great too! I'm kinda far away, but if you need a taste-tester I'll pick some up on my way by in June, heehee!

 

[pixiewings71]

Brainstorming names.....

Jas's Sweet Babycakes
Jas's Babycakes
Jas's Sweet Spot
Babycakes Galore

LOL I just wanted to say that pumpkin cupcakes, cakes, muffins, bread are always a hit!!! Especially with a cream cheese frosting. YUM, those Amaretto things w/Almond icing that lntsmom suggested...OMG, YUM!!!!!! I also wanted to echo Molly and say "use all natural ingredients" and try to develop some that are gluten free!!!! Because my BFF love love loves cupcakes but she has Celiac's so no gluten for her. Her wedding cake was soooooooooooooooooo $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ because she has to have a gluten free layer......

 

[pixiewings71]

oh AND, if you need someone to help you with flavor ideas let me know. I'd love to help!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

Sounds like a great idea! There is a local baker that supplies strictly for an independent, family-owned coffee shop. Sweets and coffee always go hand in hand! And I agree with making natural cupcakes with only real ingredients, no shortening or corn syrup. Fake ingredients are for chain grocery stores and WalMart. Not insulting, but you know the mass-produced taste - fine for the office but hardly a decadent treat.

Cream-filled cupcakes would be cool! Also, a coffee-based deep chocolate cake with a mocha-flavored buttercream frosting...mmmm!

 

[Stacerita]

CupCaKeS are Kisses from Sweet BaBeY JeSuS!

Im not sure I would buy them from a van though. If the van had a logo on it, the cupcakes were wrapped and sealed. If they are just sitting in a van that looks like its a regular van, that might ick me out. If its clean and professional looking, then I would probably buy.

 

[Sherry E]

Mmmmm....lemon cupcakes! That would be good. Peppermint cupcakes at holiday time.... Yum. Places like Sprinkles (over here in Beverly Hills) are HUGELY popular, and the lines are crazy. They even deliver to your home, but the prices are lofty. Crumbs is also another (East Coast-based) cupcake company that has begun to ship nationwide. So there is a big demand for that type of thing. I live in an area of town where there are a lot of office buildings all lumped together up and down this main street, and lots of entertainment companies are here, with young, hip people and bored, tired business people. Some of them are totally into eating healthy and skipping things (like cupcakes) unless they are totally made of the purest ingredients, and the other half are junk food junkies - the thicker and richer the frosting, the better. I can tell you that at many of these buildings, there are often either trucks/carts outside on the sidewalk selling snacks to people on their lunch breaks OR there are lone women setting up shop (after business hours) in the lobbies with just a couple of simple baskets of baked goods like cookies, muffins and pieces of cakes and selling them. People buy it! They love that stuff. So it wouldn't take much to find a market for cupcakes. You just have to - as previously stated - package them and present them in such a way where it looks legitimate. Nothing fancy or overly official. I mean, really, this lady I have seen in the lobbies of some of the buildings here just sits there with her baskets and all her products are wrapped in cellophane or Saran wrap or whatever, and it doesn't look all that 'official,' but people still buy them anyway.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Yeah, I was going to add something else along the lines of the last couple of posts. Please, please, please get a nicely designed logo and a nice way of displaying it on the truck and on whatever else you need it on. I'm a graphic designer (well, a non-practicing one at the moment) so maybe I'm more sensitive to these things but I know I totally judge a book by it's cover (or should I say judge a cupcake van by it's decor?). I think if you get a nice, simple, classy logo and a nice clean van and a cute way of packaging them that you will do well! I was trying to remember if you were a graphic designer too? I thought there was someone on here that said awhile back that they were a graphic desinger but I couldn't remember who. (sorry, bad memory i guess).

I also agree with playing up the "real ingredients" if you do that. I'll eat "fake" food too but if I saw food being sold that was advertised as being made with real ingredients I know it would get my attention because it just sounds like it would taste good.

Oh and Hi Sherry! Just wanted to say hello since we haven't crossed paths in awhile.

 

[Sherry E]

Oh and Hi Sherry! Just wanted to say hello since we haven't crossed paths in awhile.

Hi, LavenderPeach!!! I know, I guess I either haven't been on as much this week or when I have been on recently, you didn't join in the thread. I have been in a few threads with Budgie lately, however - like the Earthquake topic was a fun one!!