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Monday, September 5, 2016

Confetti cupcakes, just for fun



Kids like rainbows of color. And frankly, so do I! Those "funfetti" cake mixes are always a hit for kids' birthday cakes and cupcakes. They're also fun, just because.

I had the occasion to bake a just because, fun treat item last week. But I was short on time, and wanted to bake from what I had on hand. What I did have was all of the ingredients for vanilla cupcakes, and some rainbow sprinkles.

My cost for the confetti cupcakes was about 73 cents, plus 12 cents for cupcake liners. That's about 7 cents per cupcake. Not bad for a fun treat, just because.

  • My scratch vanilla cupcake recipe, for 1 dozen (cost 61 cents)
  • plus, 2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles from Dollar Tree (about 12 cents worth)
  • plus, 12 cents for the cupcake liners, bought 100 for $1 at Dollar Tree

Here's the breakdown for one dozen cupcakes, halving a recipe for a 2-egg yellow cake (this recipe, here):

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (7 cents), flour bought at $12 for 50 lbs
3/4 cup sugar (10 cents), sugar bought at $19 for 50 lbs
1/4 teaspoon salt (1 cent)
1/2 tablespoon baking powder, or equivalent substitute in baking soda/vinegar (2 cents)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 cents)
1 egg (7 cents), eggs bought at 79 cents per dozen
1/2 cup milk (6 cents)
1/4 cup butter (24 cents) butter bought at $1.89 per lb

(Your costs may vary, according to prices in your area.)

I could have shaved costs on these cupcakes, by subbing oil for the butter, and using imitation vanilla in place of real vanilla extract, but I like the flavor of the butter and real vanilla. Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby.




12 comments:

  1. You're funny! But who doesn't love a party in a cupcake? I made cupcakes yesterday also. My husband was given a mini cake with some delicious frosting last week and the gal normally sells these mini cakes for $7.50. There's no way I will be buying that so off to the internet I went to find a chocolate "mini" cake with frosting. Add to that, I don't want a huge batch of anything anymore so I bought a chocolate "Jiffy" cake and the ingredients for the frosting. I made six "jumbo" cupcakes with coconut pecan frosting using sweetened condensed milk. It was delicious and just as good as the $7.50 mini cake at a fraction of the cost.

    Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alice,
      I love cupcakes. I just think there's something fun about them. What a coincidence that you also baked cupcakes yesterday!

      Oh my goodness, those cakes must be something special for $7.50! Good job making your own version for a fraction of the price! And I bet yours were absolutely yummy.

      Delete
  2. Lili, can you share the complete recipe, including technique steps, baking times/temp? thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Carol, it's this recipe:
      http://www.creativesavv.com/2015/12/baking-perfect-butter-cake-from-scratch.html
      For 1 dozen cupcakes, I halved that recipe. It's a basic 2-egg butter cake. I like this recipe for it's taste, but also it calls for all-purpose flour instead of cake flour.
      Enjoy!

      Delete
    2. Oh and to make them funfetti, at the end of making the batter,remove the beaters, and with a spoon, stir in about 2 tablespoons of colored sprinkles for a half recipe, or 1/4 cup for a full recipe. No need to buy that special funfetti mix (unless you get a screamin' deal on one).

      Delete
  3. This looks like what I was looking for. With your permission I think this would be so fun for the 12 year old's Gift basket. She loves cupcakes. Sounds like you had a fun day with family.
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Patti,
      I hope she likes them! What else is going into her gift basket, can I ask?

      Delete
    2. I will put homemade vanilla,vanilla sugar an assortment of spinkles,some recipe cards,Some hand crafted mixes, cupcake liners,wooden spoons and ...I have
      a standmixer preowned that I want to give her because theirs is old and only works sometimes.I think I will take the mixer in a grocery bag and it can just be extra. We have a a Kitchenaid that lives on the counter. I was thinking of putting it in a mixing bowl if I find one for a great price if not a basket will do.
      Patti

      Delete
    3. Patti, that sounds like such a fun gift! M daughters were about that age when I couldn't think of a gift for them. So I gave them a basket of baking mixes and they were so incredibly pleased. They still talk about that gift.

      Delete
  4. I know prices vary by area, but since you calculate everything, do happen to know what kind of savings you get buying flour and sugar in 50 lb lots over the normal 5 lb bags.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      You know, I don't know exactly what flour and sugar are selling for these days, in 5-lb bags. Before buying 50-lb sacks, I bought 10-lb bags, of each. I can tell you what Cash & Carry's price is on 10-lbs of Gold Medal flour -- $6.28, and C & H sugar in 10-lb bags is $8.59. Both of those prices are way higher than I'd pay, and I'd wait for a great sale, buy house brand, and stock-up. My guess is I'd pay about half of the Cash & Carry, name-brand price for house-brand, on sale at the grocery store. I can't be 100% certain, but I'm probably saving a few cents per pound, on each, by buying in 50-lb bags, over waiting for a sale on house brands at the supermarket. A few cents per pound doesn't sound like much, but it adds up to a lot over a year of baking from scratch.

      Delete

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