Custom Kraft Cupcake Boxes for One to Six Cakes

Who orders kraft cupcake boxes?

Anyone selling cupcakes that need to travel further than the counter. Home bakers, café owners, market traders and celebration cake makers all hit the same problem: a cupcake tips over in a plain box and the swirl ends up on the lid.

Brown kraft suits bakes well. It looks warm and homemade next to buttercream, and a one-colour logo on the lid is enough to make the box look like yours. We also make them for wedding favours, where a single cake in a small box sits at each place setting. Party orders are another regular: a set of single boxes, each with a child's name sticker, handed out at the end of a birthday.

How does the insert hold each cupcake?

The insert is a flat card that sits inside the base with round holes cut through it. Each cupcake case drops into a hole and stands upright, so cakes cannot slide into each other.

The holes are cut to the base of your case, not the top of the cake. Here is how the four typical sizes lay out, inside measurements in millimetres:

Muffin cases are wider than standard cupcake cases, and mini cases are much smaller. Send us the base measurement of the case you use most and we cut the holes to suit.

How tall should a cupcake box be?

Height is where most cupcake boxes go wrong. Measure from the bottom of the case to the very top of your tallest swirl, then add any topper, flower or candle you put on top.

Around 100 mm inside suits most piped cupcakes. A tall rose swirl or a sugar decoration may need more. Leave about ten millimetres of air above the highest point, because the insert lifts the case slightly off the base.

Our guide on taking inside measurements for a kraft box explains why we work from the inside rather than the outside.

Which lid style suits your cupcakes?

Our two photos show the two styles we make most. The six-cake box has a lid hinged along the back that folds down and tucks into the front. It opens wide, so all six cakes are on show when the customer lifts it.

The single boxes close with shaped flaps that fold in from the top and lock together. The scalloped edges look pretty when the box is open and give a little gift feel without any print at all. They take a few seconds longer to close, so they suit made-to-order cakes more than a queue of walk-in customers.

Should a cupcake box have a window?

A window lets people see the bake without opening the box, which matters at a market stall or in a café chiller. It also stops customers lifting lids to check flavours. On a busy Saturday stall that saves a lot of squashed swirls and sticky fingerprints.

Clear film over the window keeps dust off and holds its shape. An open window looks lighter but lets air in. Either way, keep the window a little smaller than the lid so a frame of brown board is left around it.

Which kraft board is used for cupcake boxes?

We use brown kraft folding board. It folds into a neat square box, takes a crisp tuck and is light enough that a box of six is easy to carry with one hand.

White-lined kraft is available on request if you want a bright inside around pale icing. Most bakers stand each cake in its own paper case, and the case sits in the insert, so the cake itself rests on the case rather than the board. Kraft also hides the odd smear of icing on the outside far better than white card, which helps when boxes are packed in a hurry.

How should you print a cupcake box?

Keep the lid simple. A single-colour logo in black or white sits well on kraft and leaves the window to show the cakes. Two colours or full colour suit a bakery with a strong brand colour. If you sell seasonal flavours, a plain printed lid plus a handwritten flavour sticker lets one box design cover the whole year.

Printing inside the lid is a nice touch for birthdays and weddings: a short message the customer reads as they open the box. You can see how your logo looks on our box photos before asking for a price, using Design Your Box with your bakery logo.

How do you order kraft cupcake boxes?

1. Choose one, two, four or six cakes per box.
2. Measure your case base and the height of your tallest bake.
3. Pick a hinged lid or folding flaps, and decide on a window.
4. Choose plain kraft or your print, and send your logo.
5. Check the free proof of the box and the insert.
6. Approve it and production starts; it takes 4–6 business days.

Cupcake boxes start from £0.25 per box on a written quote, with inserts priced on the same quote. The flat boxes then reach you free, tracked, in 2–3 business days.

What mistakes should bakers avoid?

• A lid that touches the top of the frosting
• Insert holes cut for the top of the cake, not the base of the case
• Ordering a six-box when most customers buy two or four
• A window so wide the lid sags in the middle
• Folding boxes far ahead of a busy day with nowhere dry to keep them

Most of these are caught on the proof. Hold a real cupcake next to the drawing before you approve it. If the numbers look tight, ask the designer to add a few millimetres; it costs nothing at proof stage.

How do you carry and deliver cupcakes in kraft boxes?

Carry the box flat with a hand underneath, not by the lid. If you deliver several orders at once, line a crate with a non-slip mat and stand the boxes side by side so they brace each other. In a car, put boxes on a flat floor or in the boot rather than a sloping seat, and keep them out of direct sun.

For larger bakes, such as a whole cake or a tall tart, a single cupcake box will not do. Slices, tarts and small cakes travel better in deeper kraft bakery boxes with windows, which have room above a tall bake.