Cupcake Business - Page 2

I'm in the process of opening a small cupcakery (coffee, smoothies and lunch specials, too) but I'm really stumped on the best kind of oven to get. Are there any strong opinion of convection vs. standard? 

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Originally Posted by chefedb 

Yes swanson has been for years, I think we are all aware of that, Show me a non frozen seafood or beef or turkey pie thats beenaround for years  in a choice of sizes. Swanson simply dips the chicken in. Marie Callander makes one with chicken in it, but again frozen. Again I say cupcake fad is drawing to a close.

I agree. In my smallish town, (outskirts of Vancouver BC) a cupcake bakery has just closed down. They had a dandy line of yummy cupcakes, but obviously they just couldn't keep going. The good news is that the same owner is re-opening her business as.....wait for it.......a gluten-free bakery. The next big thing, I suppose.

How about a cake ball or cake pop business?  I plan on making them from home and selling them. Everyone I've had try them has loved them and feels I can market them with no problem. What are your thoughts on that?

I am actually launching a non-profit cupcake line out of our existing frozen yogurt store. Luckily, the frozen yogurt store pays for most of the large overhead expenses to help us out, but I was wondering if you had any recommendations on the best type of oven to purchase for the cupcake business!

Thank you!

Tiffany

You are going to be charging a good price not only that but people expect fresh cupcakes not out of the box or they would just make them. I would say that you should play around with making some cupcakes and come up with a couple signature cupcakes. Offer a good selection of flavors for the cake, frostings, fillings, and decorations. You always want your cupcakes to look great. Customers don't come to you for something they can do they won't come back you have to make it a one of a kind!

Convection is the way to go all the way!

Really? Care to explain why?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by cupcakesweety 

Convection is the way to go all the way

Convections are good for roasting bones and baked potatoes, other than that, you're always fighting to compensate for the oven's weak points.

Now, it is true in large production bakeries they do use convections, but this a for different animal.  You wheel a loaded trolley in the oven and close the door.  The trolley rotates in the oven and the fan reverses direction every few minutes.

The standard convection oven found in most kitchens has many weak points:

1) No top or bottom heat.  You can't bake, say a quiche with a crispy bottom and delicate pale top, nor can you colour off a lemon meringue pie.  To compensate, I've used everything from baking on trays lined with bbq bricks to running a torch over finished produuts.

2) The fan blows and blows and blows.  In one direction only.  This means you have to rotate product in the oven or else you'll get lop-sided, leaning tops on muffins, cupcakes, bread, etc..  When you open the door, the fan still blows untill the spring-activated switch turns the fan off.  This means you get a blast of forced hot air evry time you open the door.  Heats up the ktichen pretty fast--whether you want to, or not.

The first mistake any baker or cook makes is to put items on a paper lined tray into the a convection.  The fan picks up the paper and blows, The product runs to the center of the tray and joins it's brothers--in one big lump.  You compensate by putting wieghs on the paper, which takes up space, and time putting them on and taking them off.  Small items like profiteroles or fancy pastry garnishes have a hbit of flying off the tray if you only have a single speed fan.  So does bacon, and forget meringues....

Yup, the fan blows....

3) Doors, they have more issues than Jim Morrsion did.  They are full height , making loading to the entire cavity easy.  That also means every time you open the door, you loose all your heat, and it takes the oven longer to heat up and back to temperature.  The doors get the most abuse, and are the first to fail.  Show me a baker or cook who uses a convection oven, and I'll show you burn marks on their fore arms.

I've used these ovens for close to thirty years now, but always my employer's ovens.  My choice for my own business?  A deck oven.

Hello, I live in Ohio and we have alot of farmers market places and outside vending and things of that matter and they are fairly inexpensive as low as $25 a day so I bake at home and go rent a space to sell my cupcakes.  Most big bread,meat,and food venders started out at these markets and made enough money to eventually open a storefront, So start there and research your supplies.  Hope this helps..

You did not identify your location; however, I presume you are in a state that has a Cottage Industry Law that exempts you from the normal Food Code provisions, correct?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by missnia01 

Hello, I live in Ohio and we have alot of farmers market places and outside vending and things of that matter and they are fairly inexpensive as low as $25 a day so I bake at home and go rent a space to sell my cupcakes.  Most big bread,meat,and food venders started out at these markets and made enough money to eventually open a storefront, So start there and research your supplies.  Hope this helps..

Hi I really want to start a cupcake business from home(chicago). I do have some baking experience and lots of ideas for new and different kinds of cupcakes. I, like most people don't have alot of money to start. How does it work to start on line? Do you deliver them yourself or pay to have them shipped? How far should you send them and will they stay fresh? Also is it a good idea to go to craft fairs and such and set up a table? I know I have lots of questions but this is something I have dreamed of doing for a long time and since I got hurt at work and have been off 3 yrs now I need to do this.  Thanks for you help

Here's a starting point: http://homebasedbaking.com/knowledgebase/rules-regulations/illinois/

Unless you have a new gimmick or something new, I believe you got on the train to late. There are cupcake both established and startups all over the place. In other words to many, but good luck anyway. . Maybe try mini cupcakes on a stick.?

Convections are good only if you manually can turn fan off,(for baking) which on some models you can, otherwise I agree with Foodpump.

Congrats for your new business!