How many cupcakes to make the shape of the number 40

Chrisca50

It's my son's 40th birthday next month and I'm making him a birthday cake with cupcakes in the shape of the number 40.  Has anyone done something similar and can tell me how big a cake board I would need and how many cupcakes I should make to make the shape of the number 40 please? Thanks in advance  

joedenise

Surely that's going to depend on how big the overall cake you want to make is?  I think the best way to work it out is to draw the figures on a sheet of paper and stand the cupcake papers over the figures and count up how many you would need to make and how big a board you will need.

Not much help but the only way I can think of doing it!

Chrisca50

@joedenise Yes, I just thought that someone else on here might have already done it and could give me an idea.  I'll buy some normal size cupcake cases and then see how big a cake board I'll need as I've only got muffin size ones at the moment and I'd probably need a massive board if I use those!!!  Thanks anyway

joedenise

I definitely think it needs to be normal sized cupcakes, it would be absolutely enormous with muffins although you wouldn't need to make as many if you used muffins!

Brie

I would base it on how many people will be at the celebration (I assume there's a party, I'll await my invite!!!) and then design it based on that number and maybe 25% extra.  40 should be easy to do. 

Rough template below would need 24 cakes/muffins.  

*   *   ****
*   *   *   *
****   *   *
    *   *   *
    *   ****

Rough template below would need 30 cakes/muffins.  Might be nice to have 40 but that might be too much cake!!!

*    *     ******
*    *     *    *
*****    *    *
     *     *    *
     *    *    *
     *    *****

gwynlas

12-14 cupcakes in a circular arrangement,8 cupcakes (5 cupcakes in a straight line for the vertical part, and 3 cupcakes for the horizontal part) according to one site I found with number of cupcakes per letter.
https://bakeitwithlove.com/how-to-make-a-number-cupcake-cake/

Rosa_Damascena

Brie said:

I would base it on how many people will be at the celebration (I assume there's a party, I'll await my invite!!!) and then design it based on that number and maybe 25% extra.  40 should be easy to do. 

Rough template below would need 24 cakes/muffins.  

*   *   ****
*   *   *   *
****   *   *
    *   *   *
    *   ****

Rough template below would need 30 cakes/muffins.  Might be nice to have 40 but that might be too much cake!!!

*    *     ******
*    *     *    *
*****    *    *
     *     *    *
     *    *    *
     *    *****

No such thing!

jackieblack

IME mini cupcakes work better than bigger ones for this 

Rosa_Damascena

jackieblack said:

IME mini cupcakes work better than bigger ones for this 

I have to agree, its a no-brainer.
1) greater flexibility in design
2) more forgiving pattern allowing for additional chef's scraps should they become hypoglycaemic during the production process

ArbitraryRandom

This is the fewest I can come up with (if you wanted to use your larger cases and depending on how many people you were expecting)

Rosa_Damascena

ArbitraryRandom said:

This is the fewest I can come up with (if you wanted to use your larger cases and depending on how many people you were expecting)

The starting point is the number being catered for. The next question is whether the OP is looking to deliver something with a wow factor or prioritise economy. Whilst geometrically correct,16 cupcakes do not scream out party to me.