The problem states that the baker made 18 vanilla cupcakes, which is 17% of the total number of cupcakes he made on Wednesday. To find out the total number of cupcakes made on Wednesday, we can use the following steps:

Step-by-Step Solution:

Let the total number of cupcakes made on Wednesday be denoted by $T$.

Since 18 vanilla cupcakes represent 17% of the total cupcakes, we can set up the equation: $18 = 0.17 \times T$

Now, solve for $T$:

$T = \frac{18}{0.17}$

Let's calculate that.The total number of cupcakes the baker made on Wednesday is approximately 106.

Would you like more details or have any questions about this solution?

Here are 5 related questions you might consider:

1. How many red velvet cupcakes did the baker likely make, assuming the rest were evenly distributed?
2. What percentage of the total cupcakes would 20 double chocolate cupcakes represent?
3. If the baker increased his production by 15% the next day, how many cupcakes did he make?
4. How can you calculate the total number of cupcakes if the percentage for each type was different?
5. What would be the total if the baker made 25% more vanilla cupcakes?

Tip: When working with percentages, always ensure you convert the percentage to a decimal before performing calculations.