As I get more involved with the PTA at my son's school, I find myself baking for every bake sale - and there are a lot of them. (Is this just an elementary school thing? Because I don't remember bake sales being so common in middle and high school.)
The trickiest part about contributing to a bake sale is the packaging process. It's easiest for the sellers and buyers if everything is packaged individually - which is why I've stopped making cupcakes for bake sales. It's virtually impossible to individually package a frosted cupcake without ruining the frosting, at least if you're doing it frugally. (Although if anyone has any great, inexpensive methods, please share!)
I've taken to using cupcake liners and fold-over sandwich baggies. I bought about 10 packages of clearanced cupcake liners after Easter 2011, so I've got plenty. And fold-over sandwich baggies are the cheapest of the disposable plastic baggies. If I've got a cardboard tray (like the bottom of a case of water), I'll use that to transport the goodies. But if not, I use a shirt box like the one pictured above. I've just got to get in the habit of asking for one every time I buy something at a retail store that gives them out!
I tend to make bigger individual servings than I would normally cut - the little cakes you see above are about twice the size of what I would give to one of my children. But since they go for about $1 each, it's a great return on investment and an easy way to help raise funds for our school. And schools need all the help they can get these days!
Do you have any bake sale tips?
6 comments:
Putting cupcakes into a plastic cup (without a cupcake liner is easier) is a great way to individually package them. Then attach a spoon or fork so they can just eat the cupcake out of the cup.
That is brilliant! Thank you for that idea - I'm definitely using it next year!
When I know I am taking cupcakes from one place to another, I take a cue from Jorge Garcia. He posted this on his blog back when he was filming lost:
http://dispatchesfromtheisland.blogspot.com/2010/04/you-learn-something-new-everyday.html
So now, I just cut the cupcakes in half, and put the frosting in the middle. The cup idea is a good one too!
Adding sprinkles or sparkles or a piece of candy (like a chocolate kiss) will jazz up a cookie, bar cookie, cupcake etc. and make it more likely to sell. I find home-made cinnamon rolls or mini yeast rolls are also great sellers!
Thanks, Nancy - great tips!
That never occurred to me, but it's so clever. Thanks, Lori!
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