Are cupcakes more expensive than cakes?

lynnfernan · October 2010

I noticed that there's a $3.00/cupcake price at most bakeries.

Are cupcake wedding cakes more expensive than a traditional cake?

cmp1986 · October 2010

All depends on what area you buy them from (ie. big cities might charge more to make) and how much detail goes into making the cupcakes. So depending on those factors, they can be on the pricey side. For my cousin's wedding, she made her own cupcakes to save money. HTH!!!!

melissamc2 · October 2010

Location, variety, bakery, and detail all play a major role in determining price in both cakes and cupcakes.

From our personal experience, a cake that served roughly 175 averaged out to a little under $9 per slice. Our engagement party had a tired cupcake "cake," than ran about $3 per cupcake. However, our cupcakes came from a delicious but very local oriented bakery that does nothing other than cupcakes, while our wedding cake came from a fairly high profile baker in a nearby city. Had we gone with her cupcakes, I believe they go for about $6 per cupcake for weddings.

Either option can be very pricey OR very economical. It just takes a bit of research in your area. Good luck!

rknox88 · October 2010

It really depends on your region, the size of the cupcake, and the details that go into decorating it.

In my region, a jumbo sized cupcake with a little bit of decor is comparable to a slice of wedding cake. However, mini's and regular sized cupcakes are usually cheaper.

Cupcakes are becoming more trendy so their price is going up it seems.

Johnson8905 · October 2010

I am getting out cheaper with cupcakes for the wedding vs. an actual wedding cake. Cupcakes run about $2/each here in my area in NC, but I found a baker (very talented) who agreed to do them $1/cupcake. (I grew up with her cousin, so that could have helped with the price, but her website still says $2/each, which is great IMO) that is with decoration and our monogram in the middle of the cupcakes. So for 120 cupcakes and a small 2 tier cake that FI and I will cut, (that still feeds 23 people) I'm spending $180.

The cake price I got was about $280-300.

So here, I am saving money. Plus, cupcakes are easier and you have no cutting fee. They're convenient.

frogurt814 · October 2010

It really does vary by location/bakery/etc.

At the bakery H and I chose, it would have been more expensive to order 200 cupcakes than it was to order a cake that would serve 200 people.

RayValerie · October 2010

This question makes me laugh...we went the cupcake route and now my FI and I almost detest cupcakes.
We did several cupcake tasting sessions with family and friends. We spent anywhere from $3.00 to $4.00 a cupcake in the Baltimore, Md area.
In the end we found that the overall appearance was not what we wanted and truly there were not many cupcakes that we tasted that we felt compelled to buying.
They had WAY to much frosting and seemed messier than cake.
In the end we are doing a chococate cake, chocolate mouse filling, and a chocolate genache icing....yummy!!!!
Good luck...do your homework! Paid off for us.

mmady84 · October 2010

Cupcakes are much cheaper. I charge 2.50 per cupcake and cakes start at 4.50 per person.

colourz · October 2010

I was quoted $1.75 per cupcake or $175 for 100 by my baker. I thought that was quite reasonable. I don't know why it's cheaper for me. I'm in Ontario, Canada.

janicejab · October 2010

Like PPs have said, it depends. We're doing cupcakes so we can have more variety of flavors. We're doing a small cake for cutting and to save for our anniversary though. It's going to cost us about the same as a cake would. One thing to keep in mind is that if you do a cake, your reception venue may charge you a cake serving fee (I've seen it up to $3/person). If you have cupcakes, they may not charge you that fee.

flirtatiousgrk · November 2010

it depends on waht your cake looks like and how big, flavors etc. but 3.00 a cupcake is a lot.
my wedding cake was 3.75 "a slice"
so if your goignt o get cupcakes you might as well just get a cake!
or find cheaper cupcakes. i mean thing about it.... they are only cupcakes.

Are cupcakes more expensive than cakes?

Re: Are cupcakes more expensive than cakes?

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