Slot Secret Cupcakes — Game Review
Do I Need My Own Recipes to Start a Bakery?
These types of questions are asked by beginning bakers and people dreaming of starting a bakery business all the time! Really.
The idea that all bakeries are serving original recipes is false.
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So, let me answer the question for you right now: NO!
Are you surprised? Relieved?
No, you do not need your own recipes to start a bakery.
Not only that, but there’s no need to make everything from scratch. You don’t even have to make ANYTHING from scratch!
You could EVEN sell baked goods that other people make and resell them. GASP!
It’s crazy, I know.
Honesty in your bakery business is the best policy.
What you do need to be is honest.
That doesn’t mean you have to tell your secrets right upfront. It means you can’t say that you DO if you don’t. You will never have to worry if you just be yourself and don’t lie.
Trust me on this and sleep easier.
It’s not a fraud. You are not some sort of terrible poser. No misrepresenting the truth….remember?
You can use other people’s recipes and sell the items that you make. If you are a baker, you will probably tweak the recipe time and time again until it ends up having your own flair anyway.
There is no rule that says you need your own recipes to start a bakery.
This is part of the tradition of sharing in the kitchen. We pass things down, we add our own touch, the next person adds theirs, and so on down the line. Thank goodness for this or we’d still be eating those weird pies they started out with called “coffyns.”
Using mixes and pre-made parts in your bakery
When you use mixes and pre-made pie crusts, etc. in your bakery business, it’s perfectly fine. Because you did the work to make it and present it to your clients.
You went and bought the mix, you stood on your feet, you made it beautiful. That is the expertise that was needed. Mixes are consistent and save time, not to mention cost savings.
However, if your client asks if you made it all from scratch, you have to say no.
At least, I’m telling you to say no. If you don’t your pants may catch on fire.
I can tell you the following statements with 100% certainty:
- Some of the most famous and trendy cake decorators you know use cake mix and are not ashamed of it one bit.
- There are reputable pie shops all over this county that use pre-made crusts.
- The house dessert from many a fine restaurant is pre-packaged or wholesale dessert.
- There are very well-known cupcake shops that do not even have an oven. Everything is baked at another big box business and brought in on a truck. The same goes for cake decorators.
Does any of this make it any less delicious?
Probably not. The only people who care are the ones who do and they choose to shop elsewhere. You can see this isn’t even really an issue since this might be the first time you’ve even heard of it.
It’s definitely not breaking news material.
What to tell people about your bakery items
You tell them all that you need to tell them to make yourself sound amazing. DON’T LIE!
If you bake everything from scratch, tell it to anyone who will listen!
If you bake with a box mix, you can do what a lot of bakers and decorators do and say you “bake fresh” or that it’s “never frozen.”
Tout that you make all of your fillings from scratch daily with special family recipes. Never volunteer what you don’t do, only tell what you do.
“What if they ask?”
If you’re embarrassed about what you are doing, then that might be a red flag that you need to change something.
Tell them that you do it the way you do because you want to keep their cost low.
Maybe you need to tell them you have tried 100s of recipes and the way that you do it is the way all of your customers love the most.
You can tell them the amazing reason why you do it your way and why it works for you and why they will love it.
Anyone in the food industry will tell you that you do what makes sense for your business, your clients, and your bottom line.
“What if someone doesn’t like the answer?”
If someone gets upset, it’s OK. They can go out and search for someone else who meets their requirements. Don’t take it personally.
There are A LOT of places where I don’t choose to eat, how about you?
I promise McDonald’s doesn’t go cry and feel worthless if you choose to eat at Burger King. They just keep doing what they are doing to try and be the best they can. Maybe they’ll persuade you next time.
Onward and upward, focus on serving the customers that love you and mastering your craft.
I wrote this for all the nervous, aspiring small bakery business owners
I have had SO MANY conversations with other amazing beginning cake decorators and aspiring bakers during my time running this “bakery empire” who told me that would LOVE to start a bakery, but they don’t have any of their own recipes.
They were worried that “real bakers” baked everything from scratch. They thought there was a vault in every successful bakery with a top-secret file of recipes.
It’s just not true. The types of recipes that make bakeries successful are the types that customers buy again and again and then tell their friends to go buy some too. That should be your focus.
You do not have to wait for decades until you finally come up with that award-winning, secret formula to start a bakery.
In my own bakery
At Sweet Bytes, I make almost everything, other than graham crackers and vanilla wafers, from scratch. That is the type of business it is. I market it that way and it’s fun for me.
I did not create every recipe I use or sold on the menu. Still, no one has ever asked me which ones are original recipes and which ones are not.
Now that I will be publishing recipes online and, the dream of all dreams, in books, I will give proper credit to the author of a recipe that I use or adapt.
Integrity is important. You can build your whole business on it.
Questions or Comments?
Were you surprised by anything in this post? I would love to hear about it in the comments. Did I leave you with questions? Feel free to drop me a line and I will do my best to give you a good answer!
Let’s stay in touch, subscribe to the newsletter, and get all of the Delicious News!
Cupcakes Slot
Explore a sweet world in the Cupcakes slot and win up to 2,762x the stake! The game comes with mega symbols, the Crush feature, and free spins. My in-depth Cupcakes Slot Review will tell you everything you need to know about this fantastic NetEnt release.
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Cupcakes Slot Review
Explore a sweet world filled with gumdrops and cupcakes in this new NetEnt release! Introducing Cupcakes, a 6-reel slot with uses a scatter pays mechanic for creating wins. As well as sweets, the Cupcakes slot also comes with extras like mega symbols, the Crush feature, multipliers, and free spins.
If you want to learn how to win up to 2,762x your bet, continue reading my Cupcakes Slot Review!
Table of Contents
- About Cupcakes Slot
- Design, Symbols and Graphics
- RTP, Variance and Payouts
- Gameplay and Features
- Our Verdict
About Cupcakes Slot
The Cupcakes slot from NetEnt plays across 6 reels and 7 rows. There are no fixed paylines because the game uses the scatter pays mechanic. This means that in order to win, you need to land 8 or more symbols of the same type on the reels.
You can start playing the Cupcakes slot with bets that range from £0.10 to £200 per spin. The maximum payout can reach 2,762x the stake, thanks to the game’s bonus features. While I’m at the features, I’ll mention that the Cupcakes slot is packed with symbols in 2×2 size, multipliers, free spins, and the Crush feature.
Design, Symbols and Graphics
As its title suggests, the theme of the Cupcakes slot is cupcakes. You’ll visit a sugar world filled with cupcakes and gumdrops. The background of the reels is showing giant cupcakes, so make sure not to play this game on an empty stomach! Overall, NetEnt did an excellent job with the design of Cupcakes — it’s smooth, high-quality, and of course, mobile-friendly.
The symbols include gumdrops in purple, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, and blue colours. They can interact with the cupcake symbols as part of the game’s features (explained below). Furthermore, the jar symbol is the scatter, which also triggers a bonus feature.
RTP, Variance and Payouts for Cupcakes Slot
The average Return to Player (RTP) rate of the Cupcakes slot is 96.05%, so it’s right at the industry average of 96%. It’s combined with high variance, providing you with chances of landing high-sized wins on a less frequent basis. In total, you can win 2,762x the bet per spin.
Do you want to learn more about RTP and variance in online slots? Then take a look at our in-depth Variance, Volatility and RTP Guide!
Gameplay and Features on Cupcakes Slot
The Cupcakes slot comes jam-packed with modifiers and features which made me enjoy its gameplay. I particularly liked the Crush feature where cupcakes fall on the reels, awesome! Without further ado, here are all the features available in the Cupcakes slot, along with an explanation of how to trigger them.
Cupcakes and Gumdrops
As I’ve mentioned before, the gumdrops appear as 1×1 symbols while the cupcakes land as 2×2 symbols. The cupcakes fall to the bottom of the grid or stack on each other. They also bring a random multiplier value which can be 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 30x, 50x, or 100x the bet.
When you create a winning combination, the winning gumdrop symbols will be added to the corresponding cupcake if it’s present on the reels. When you fill the cupcake with 10 symbols, its multiplier will be added to the payout.
Crush Feature
The Crush feature triggers when 5 or more Gumdrops make part of a winning combination over two reels with at least 2 Gumdrops on each reel. When this happens, a Cupcake will fall on the reels. Please note that the Crush feature won’t trigger if the reel pair has 1 scatter symbol, 2 Cupcake symbols, or if there are 4 Cupcakes already.
Free Spins Feature
To trigger the Free Spins feature, you have to land at least 3 jar symbols on the same spin. 3, 4, or 5 jar symbols will give you 10, 13 or 16 free spins, respectively. You can win additional 3, 6, or 9 free spins during the bonus round.
During the Free Spins feature, the multiplier won’t reset between spins as it does in the base game. Fantastic!
Other NetEnt Slots
NetEnt is one of my favourite slot providers. The company recently launched the Superstars slot which I absolutely love! Among other NetEnt slots that I recommend everyone to try out are Cornelius, Gonzo’s Gold, and Space Wars 2 PowerPoints.
Our Verdict
There have been many sugary slots created in the past few years, but the Cupcakes slot definitely grabbed my attention. That’s because the game introduces an interesting math model with cupcakes and gumdrops, allowing you to benefit from multipliers and bigger wins. Plus, there is the famous Free Spins round which can be retriggered for a higher winning potential.
I also liked the design of the Cupcakes slot, it really is like a sugar world, with giant cupcakes and gumdrops. The only thing that NetEnt could’ve done better is the game’s maximum payout — 2,762x the stake is good, but it can be better!
Candy Slots
The candy-themed slots are very popular among all players not just because of their interesting and colourful design, but also because of the fun special features that can multiply the payouts. The reels of the slots are covered with different kinds of candies, as well as with some fun characters that will entertain the players while they play.
SugarPop!
SugarPop is a slot machine video game which has 5 reels and 5 paylines. This is not a traditional BetSoft 3D game. The games icons when combined into 3 award players with a win. After which the icons will explode, causing the ones above to fall down to replace them.
This feature is referred to as cascading reels, which should a player be lucky, can trigger more consecutive wins. Also, there are bonus icons which appear on every round a player progresses into the game, these can range from multipliers, exploding icons, chocolate which comes out of other icons, and a gum drop candy which hoovers up other icons. The list is endless.
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The Big Heist
The Big Heist is a classic-looking virtual slot machine powered by RTG. The game features 3 reels and only 1 payline, but its top prize is estimated to 2,000 coins, which makes the slot really attractive thanks to the awards.
The robbery theme of the game takes the player in the criminal world and offers excellent gaming experience, no matter that the slot’s graphics is nothing special. There are the Gun, the Safe dial, the Badge, the Sunglasses and the Doughnut icons, each of which grants players with a different prize. There is also a variety of denominations to choose from.
There are three levels of jackpot provided in the game. The highest level is unlocked when hitting 3 Badge Symbols and playing at the highest bet. The second jackpot is triggered when 3 Badge Icons are hit when playing at a bet of 2 coins. And last but not least, the third highest jackpot is unlocked when 3 Doughnuts in case of betting 3 coins.
Bunko Bonanza
Bunko Bonanza is the perfect game if you want to take a break from the complicated strategies some other games require. Bunko Bonanza is an enjoyable 5-reel, 20-payline slot game that has cupcakes and baked goods theme. It is powered by Realtime Gaming and initially launched in 2008. It features plenty of opportunities for getting a solid payout and you can find the game in the most popular online casinos.
The Bell icon acts as the wild symbol and the scatter is Bunko Dice. If you land a certain number of wilds, the free spins bonus round is activated and while you are enjoying your free spins, the Skill Stop option can be triggered. It is found appealing by new and experienced players as the dice can be stopped at any time. The bet you are allowed to make ranges between €0.01 and €100. Don’t forget that the higher bet grants you bigger payouts.
Fortune Cookie
Test your luck with the exciting Fortune Cookie slot that provides unique design ,as well as excellent bonus features. It has been developed by Microgaming and it impresses with the text, all written in oriental font. Fortune Cookie is a 3 reel classic slot and features a single payline and players can hit a total jackpot of 1,600 coins in case they line up 3 of the Fortune Cookies wild icons on the payline. The wild icon adds a real intrigue in the game because it also serves as a multiplier.
Fortune Cookie slots are very suitable starter game for all new online slot players who fancy fantastic jackpot rewards and entertaining sound effects and for everyone who is keen on online fruit slots.
Rhyming Reels – Hearts & Tarts
Rhyming Reels- Hearts and Tarts is a non-progressive video slot that provides 5 reels and 30 paylines. Developed and released by Microgaming, this entertaining games is based on the famous poem “The Queen of Hearts” and features a wild symbol, a scatter symbol, multipliers and free spins which definitely increase your chances for winning.
The heart symbol acts a wild and in case you have 5 icons appearing on the regular play, you are awarded with 4,000 coins. It is also a multiplier for any win except for the top jackpot. The highest pay during the base game is received thanks to the stacked Queen symbols that award you with 300,000 coins, in case you have a whole screen of Queens. Thanks to the scattered Crown symbol, you stand a chance to hit the incredible jackpot of 2,400 000 coins.
Teddy Bear’s Picnic
If you are thrilled by 3D graphics and stunning animations, Teddy Bear’s Picnic is definitely the right slot for you. Powered by Microgaming, it features 5 reels and 23 winning paylines. Thanks to the fact that it offers excellent bonus feature, a wild and a scatter, this entertaining slot has been preferred by players of all levels.
The wild symbol is represented by the Honeycomb icon that is the highest paying symbol in the game and it gives away the top jackpot of 500 coins. The scatter symbol is the Basket icon and it offers both payouts and free spins. When three or more scatters appear on the payline, the Free Spins Bonus Round is automatically triggered, awarding you with 8 free spins.
So Much Candy
So Much Candy is a fun video slot game by Microgaming, which offers to the players 5 reels and 25 paylines. As the name suggests the candies are the theme of the game, which is why most symbols on the reels look like fruit sweets. There are also rock candies and even a gumball machine.
The players can choose to bet between 1 and 20 coins, as the minimum coin size is €0.01 and the maximum €0.20. So Much Candy has a special feature called Much More Candy, where one candy symbol can split into five. This makes the dream of 25 symbol wins a reality. The game also has a wild and a scatter symbol, as the latter can trigger the Free Spins bonus.
High Tea
High Tea is the very British feeling slot from Playtech featuring 5 reels and 20 paylines. The slot is situated on a table serving high tea and includes symbols to fit the theme, cupcakes with different toppings as well as the usual playing card numbers. You can place a minimum bet of €0.20.
The scatter symbol comprises of a smartly dressed lady sipping tea whilst the wild symbol is represented by a plate of blue cupcakes. Spinning in a wild on reels 2 or 4 will produce an expanding cupcake that turns the whole real into a wild and a free respin whilst holding the reel in place.
Rich Treats
Rich Treats is a cake based progressive jackpot slot created by Playtech. In order to begin winning on Rich Treats you have to match up different cakes, in the form of doughnuts and cupcakes, within a 5 x 5 grid. It features 25 paylines and €0.25 minimum bet.
When the cakes are spun in and a match is made they will explode, creating a space for more cakes to fall into. If these cupcakes go on to create a match they will also explode allowing more cakes to appear. This chain of explosions and prizes will continue to give you money until there are no more matches available.
