Easy Ways to Transport Cupcakes

If you're bringing cupcakes to a gathering or bake sale, how do you get them there unscathed? Here are four ways to safely transport cupcakes from point A to point B.

Original baking pan in a roasting pan

Set the cleaned cupcake pan in a roasting pan (disposable or otherwise) that's deep enough to completely enclose the tops of the frosted cakes. After your cupcakes have cooled, return them to their cups in the tin and frost them. Cover the roasting pan with foil and you're ready to go.

Shallow, resealable container

If your cakes are minimally frosted, arrange them in a large, shallow plastic container so they are just touching. Be sure to keep the container horizontal as you travel. (See some of our favorite baking tools, baking liners, baking supply organizers, and cupcake decorating products.)

Non-skid shelving liner

To prevent extensively decorated cupcakes from moving around, layer non-skid shelving liner (or even a Silpat mat) in your resealable container or shallow disposable boxes (such as sheet cake boxes) that are deep enough to hold the frosted cakes. Arrange the cupcakes so they're close but not touching; the liner will keep them in place.

Cupcake caddy or inserts

If you're a cupcake devotee and have some space in the house, it might be worth investing in a cupcake carrier. Many of them are stackable, allowing you to customize them based on how many cupcakes you need to transport. Alternatively, if you're looking for something disposable, you can purchase cupcake inserts for cardboard bakery boxes that will ensure your goods don't slide around or butt up against each other en route.

Cupcake recipes

Get inspiration from Grace Parisi's chocolate cupcakes that take less than an hour, Paige Grandjean's sweet and tangy strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, or Peggy Cullen's double dark chocolate cupcakes with a peanut butter filling. Bryan Vietmeier recommends freezing his carrot cupcakes before frosting, and Bill Yosses doubles the butter in lemon curd for these vanilla cupcakes with raspberries.