Custom Cupcake Boxes

How a cupcake box holds each cake

Most cupcake boxes are a folding carton with a loose card insert that gives each cake its own seat.

The outer box is often a lock-corner tray with a hinged lid, or a tuck-end carton with a window in the top. It folds up from flat at the counter, which keeps storage space down in a busy kitchen.

The insert is a flat sheet die cut with round holes, raised a little off the base by folded legs. The paper case drops into a hole and is gripped near its base, so the cake cannot slide and the swirl never meets the wall.

• Carton plus a die-cut insert
• Holes grip the paper case
• Common counts: 1, 2, 4, 6 and 12

Which board, and why the coating matters

Smooth paperboard is the usual choice, and food-safe board with a grease-resistant coating is worth asking for.

SBS and folding boxboard print cleanly and fold sharply, which suits a pack sold on looks. Buttercream and butter-rich sponge leave oil marks on uncoated board, so a coating on the inside of the box and on the insert keeps it looking fresh.

Board weight matters more as the count goes up. A box for twelve spans a wide base that can sag when it is lifted from one end, so a heavier board or a firmer base panel helps the larger sizes.

Sizing for the frosting

Inside height is set by the top of the swirl or topper, not the top of the cake.

Measure from the base of the case to the highest point of the decoration, then add clearance so the lid never touches it. Fondant figures, wafer toppers and tall piping all raise that number, so size for the tallest design on the menu.

The insert hole is sized to the base of the case, and mini, standard and jumbo cases differ enough that one insert will not fit all three. Leave space between holes so neighbouring swirls do not touch. Send us your case size and the height of your tallest design, and we set the holes and the lid height around them.

• Height: case base to top of decoration, plus clearance
• Hole sized to the case, not the cake top
• Mini, standard and jumbo need different inserts

Cupcake box or cake box?

A cake box gives open space. A cupcake box gives each cake a fixed place.

A plain bakery box can carry cupcakes, but they slide into each other on the first corner and the frosting smears. The insert is what makes a cupcake box worth having.

A cake box is the better pick for one large item or a mixed order of slices and pastries. Where the order is a set number of matching cupcakes, the fixed seat protects the work that went into the decoration.

Windows, print and condensation

A window sells the frosting, and it is also the first place condensation shows.

A clear film panel in the lid or front lets the customer see the decoration without opening the box. Cakes boxed while still warm, or moved from a fridge into a warm room, fog the film and soften the board, so let them settle first.

We keep the inside of the lid plain or coated, since tall piping can brush it. The outside takes full-colour print well, while kraft with one strong colour suits a craft bakery look.

Cupcake box or open bakery box?

A cupcake box is the right pick for a set count of matching cakes carried by hand. An open bakery box is the right pick for mixed orders and odd sizes.

A fixed insert suits only one case size. Mixed orders, extra-tall novelty cakes and large tiered displays sit better in an open bakery box or a box built for that one piece. We make both, so a counter can keep cupcake boxes for set orders and bakery boxes for everything else.

Both are made to be carried by hand over a short trip, not sent in the post. Parcel handling tips and drops boxes, and no insert stops piped frosting from hitting the lid when a box lands on its side. Posting cupcakes needs an outer shipper and a very firm insert, and even then fine decoration is a risk.