HOW TO START CUPCAKE BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

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Cupcake business is one of the hottest businesses to venture into Nigeria. This is because it is a snack that is loved by many especially the children. Cupcakes are those cakes that are produced inside cups. It has the same ingredients with the big cake and the preparation is same. The difference is on the size and the container used. It is also called queens cake. You may not necessarily need a shop at the start of this business; this is because it is a business you can start from home. Queen cakes are mostly produced for marriage ceremonies, birthday parties, naming ceremonies, coronation, thanks giving services, send off parties etc.
HOW TO START A CUPCAKE BUSINESS
Before you can start a cupcake business you will have to get training , buy equipment, identify your target market etc.
You should be able to gather money to buy the equipment for the cupcake business. Without these equipment you cannot start except you rent them. And why will you choose renting for a business you want to sustain. The money for the equipment is not much and you can even cut down cost by using pot and fire in place of oven.
EQUIPMENTS
Baking pan
Queens cups
Oven/aluminium pot
Gas, stove or electric
Egg whisker
Wire rack
Spoons
RECIPE FOR A DOZEN CUPCAKES
Flour 250g
Butter 250g
Sugar 150g
Egg 5
Salt 1 teaspoon
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
Flavour 1 teaspoon
Preservative 1 teaspoon
PROCEDURE
Pre-heat oven
Sift the flour into a big bowl, add baking powder and salt
Beat margarine and sugar together with a wooden spoon (spatula) or you use a cake mixer to mince them together until it becomes light and fluffy.
Pour in your beaten egg in the fluffy butter mixture and blend it very well.
Add flour and continue mixing
Fold in your flour to the mixture and thoroughly mix
Add milk and preservative and stir until the batter has a dropping consistency
Pour the mixture (batter) into the greased pans. If paper cups are used then there is no need to grease them.
Shake it lightly to distribute the cake mixture evenly. Place the cups on a large baking tray and place them in the centre of the oven
Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Touch the surface with your finger tip to see if it will spring back. Bring out the tins from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Remove it from the cups and package for sale.
HOW TO BAKE QUEENS CAKE WITH POT
PROCEDURE
Use a clean baking pan in other to get a larger surface; line up the clean cake pans with baking sheets or you crease the cup with little margarine and dust with flour so as to make the cakes come out easily after baking.
Place the cupcakes on top of the overturned baking pan and over. Do not open the pot while baking in other not to make the cake collapse. Once the cake is done the aroma will fill the air. The colour will turn brown when it is ready if you dip something like toothpick in it without stain after bringing out you bring it down.
Cupcake business like any other snack business is very lucrative. There is huge profit in it as you keep on producing with increase buying.
The business is sustainable as more people consumed queens cake as a result of population increase.
Cupcakes are produced to capture both the rich and the poor. The price is cheap enough for anybody to buy, it is mostly sold for #50 per one.
PACKAGING OF QUEENS CAKE
Chose packaging that is appealing. Most commercial cupcake suppliers use printed nylon to wrap it and then use ribbon to tie the mouth. But you can use something different it could be a small container like carton or transparent container. Know that your container will also determine the price to sell them so use packaging materials that are cheap to minimise expenses.
Some challenges to look out for
For the first time, do not make a large quantity to easily learn from the first batch which can be sold to family and friends for criticism (e.g. if it is too sweet). Make sure to learn from the criticism and adjust based on it.
Again, be ready to market your product to schools, offices and restaurants. With this, there would be recommendation and request to make bigger cakes so do not rest on your oars. Keep learning and keep getting better.
Be careful to find the balance between setting a profitable price for your cupcakes and an affordable price for your customers. For example, you might want to sell at N100 and your customers might want to buy at N50. On the other hand, some of your customers might consider N50 to be too ‘cheap’ or ‘local’ for their taste. Finding this balance in pricing is critical for your remaining in business.