7 Ways To Package Single Cupcakes

April 21, 2014
single cupcake gift

Have you ever been stuck in the quandary of wanting to give someone a cupcake or two as a gift, only to find yourself at a loss for how to package said cupcake(s)? Well. I gotchu! Here are seven different ways to package cupcakes for gift-giving.

1. Single Cupcake Boxes & Containers

single cupcake giftThis is the most obvious method, of course, though perhaps not the most practical because these are a little tough to find. I’d still recommend purchasing some just-for-cupcakes boxes or containers and keeping them on hand because they come in handy more often than you’d think!

You have two options here: boxes + inserts, or clear plastic cupcake containers. I’ve had success finding boxes at Michaels and Mr Take Out Bags, and clear containers at Amazon. You can also check out specialty cooking/baking supply shops like Orson Gygi in Salt Lake.

Note: When ordering containers onine, you might want to consider teaming up with someone to share, say, a bulk case of 200 containers. You’ll save tons of money that way!

2. Makeshift Cupcake Insert

single cupcake gift

This is a variation on 1. Perhaps you don’t have special cupcake holder inserts, but you do have a cupcake-sized box on hand. You can create a makeshift insert with card stock by cutting and folding it to fit, cutting an X in the middle for the cupcake to sit in.

3. Clear Cup + Clear Gift Wrap

single cupcake giftThere are these certain short, clear disposable cups you’ll see around stores that are just about the right size for a cupcake. Pop the cupcake in, add some clear gift wrap, tie it off, and you’re done. Mine are these fancy looking ones from BJs, I believe, but you can also find clear plastic cups on Amazon. (I think those would work.)

4. Take-Out Box

single cupcake giftYou can get these for cheap at Michaels. They have a size that is just about perfect for a cupcake, so with these you can probably get away without making an insert for the cupcake to sit in.

5. Cake-In-A-Jar

cake jar

I talked about this in this post about baking cake in jars. Check out the method there, then decorate your jars to your heart’s content.

6. (Parfait-Style) Cake-In-A-Jar

cake in a jar

This is especially great for when your cupcakes don’t come out quite as pretty as planned, as I talked about in this post about salvaging sub-par cake and cupcakes. Simply layer bits of crumbled cake with some frosting to create a parfait-like treat. Ha, I’d definitely decorate the jar a little and label it before giving it away because it looks kinda weird otherwise.

7. Box-From-A-Cup

single cupcake giftGuys. I saw this on Pinterest, and it totally works. (I would totally cite the source if I could, but I kept hitting dead ends with a bunch of Chinese characters.) Find a paper cup whose base is around the same size as that of a cupcake. Cut off the top rim, cut equal-sized strips all the way around, and then fold them all down to secure. See?

single cupcake gift

Whew. Ok, that’s all of them. Do you have any go-to methods for single cupcake packaging? I’d love to hear ’em! Shoot me a comment below.

Love, Maurine

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11 Comments

  • Reply Khadeeja Ashai April 22, 2014 at 12:37 am

    These are seriously the cutest ideas! Do you remember that time we gave those guys that jumped Sana's car the cupcakes? I bet they would've appreciated them like this as opposed to the paper plate we handed used haha

  • Reply Maurine Dashney April 22, 2014 at 1:51 am

    Ha ha yeah I do remember that! Weren't they the Neapolitan ones?

  • Reply Khadeeja Ashai April 23, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    Yeah those were the ones! In the shape of hearts too. I'm sure they appreciated that.

  • Reply Unknown July 15, 2017 at 5:57 pm

    These are the Coolest ideas! I will be trying them. thanks!

  • Reply QNL May 8, 2018 at 10:48 am

    Do you have any idea how big the paper cup should be to fit the cupcake in??

  • Reply maurinedashney May 16, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    I’m pretty sure they were 8 oz cups!

  • Reply Jolynn Sullivan June 20, 2019 at 12:04 pm

    I use the same shirt plastic cups that you mentioned but, I place the cupcakes on a plastic lid (like the ones on your cups from fast food restaurants). This serves as the base. Then, I secure the clear plastic cup on top of that to serve as the lid. I make small small circular labels to decorate the top of the cup. I purchase supplies from restaurant supply stores in bulk. TIP: Make sure the lids fit the cups.

    • Reply maurinedashney October 26, 2019 at 7:01 pm

      I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply maurinedashney July 4, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      That is such a smarter way to do it! Haha. Thank you for this tip!

  • Reply Jolynn Sullivan June 20, 2019 at 12:08 pm

    I have also used those small clear plastic cups like you mentioned but, have purchased the matching fitted “DOME” lids to put on the cups. *Like the ones on slushees or Starbucks drinks.. I have covered the hole on the top with a custom circular label attached to card stock and secured with tape from beneath the dome lid. Makes a very cute presentation.

    • Reply maurinedashney July 4, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      Oh my, what a cute idea! Thanks for sharing!

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