My blog baby is three! In some ways it seems like only yesterday that I got up the nerve to launch Sugar & Sparrow. I was so anxious to do it ā what if no one read my posts? What if my recipes didnāt work for other people? What if itās just an epic failure? Somehow I pushed through my anxiety and hit the publish button, and here we are three years later. I have learned so much and this past year wasnāt exactly the easiest (for anybody), but Iām still here thinking of cake ideas and playing with buttercream.
This past year was one of big changes. Not only are we still dragging through this global pandemic and dealing with all of the anxiety that comes along with it, but I became a new mom in the midst of it all. Nowadays my son is very mobile, which takes things to a whole new level of fun and exhaustion. I feel so lucky to get to stay home with him and not miss a single thing ā his first words (ādadaā and āall doneā and “hi” and absolutely no sign of āmamaā yet!), pulling to stand on everything, rolling and crawling like a little ninja, eating solid foods (which he canāt get enough of), first wave, all the things. Unlike cake, babies donāt keep and I am constantly trying to soak up every bit of who he is in the current stage before he changes everything up on me and evolves into a totally different baby, which truly seems to happen overnight.
Thankfully, he loves being in the kitchen with me. But heās also getting faster at sticking his chubby little hands into whatever Iām working on, so itās getting harder to tote him around with me while Iām working these days. Hereās the sweetest video of us testing recipes from a few months ago though:
Aside from becoming a mom to this very ambitious boy, I launched my Cake Basics series last year ā something I had dreamed about since the beginning of Sugar & Sparrow. If you have yet to check it out, itās an ongoing series of blog posts and YouTube videos that walk you through all the very basics of cake making. So far, Iāve shown how to build a cake from start to finish, created some recipe videos for my essential faves (Vanilla Cake, Chocolate Cake, and Vanilla Buttercream), and Iāve got way more ideas up my sleeve. I have such a heart for helping people make beautiful cakes, so it’s one of my favorite things in the world when I hear that these Cake Basics tutorials have been helpful. Stay tuned for more in year four!
Other things to come this year: more cake recipes and decorating tutorials (as always!), making my son’s first birthday cake (something I’ve always dreamed of!), and doing a giant kitchen remodel (VERY exciting!). Although I feel like Iām in a constant state of trying to find a good rhythm with life and cake, even more so as a new mom, Iāve got a big long list of ideas that Iām excited about and it’s keeping my creativity alive. Thanks for sticking with me and following along every step of the way. Let me know in the comments if thereās anything in particular you want to see from me this year!
Happy 3rd Birthday Sugar and Sparrow! I absolutely love your work and has been a huge inspiration to me. After testing many recipes your vanilla cake is the one I use. Itās magnificent. Thank you for creating and sharing your cake magic Whitney!
Thanks so much, Sheri! I’m so happy to hear that you love my vanilla cake recipe! That is so encouraging š
Happy 3rd Birthday!!! Iām so excited for you and all that this next year has in store. Thanks so much for sharing your amazing skills here! Youāre inspiring!!
Thanks so much for cheering me on, Caryn! You are so kind!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUGAR & SPARROW
The amount of times I’ve used this blog for help, inspiration, tips !! Thank you for sharing all your hard work!
Yay, Brenda! That makes me so happy! Thanks for taking the time to let me know and cheer me on!
Happy birthday
Thanks so much, Tamara!
Congratulations on your 3 years and your baby! I have a 1 year old and another one on the way and in the midst of it all I started selling cakes which has been great following your recipes has helped my cake business a ton and just learning from you has been a major impact in my life. Thank you for putting yourself and knowledge out there! I appreciate everything that you do. Enjoy your mom journey, they change on you so quickly (not crying)!
Thanks so much, Claudia! I am so thrilled to hear that my recipes have been helpful for your cake business and honestly in awe of you balancing motherhood and pregnancy and cake life! You are amazing. I’m cheering you on and excited for what’s ahead š
Congrats on year 3! So thankful for your blog. I would LOVE to see tips and advice on starting a cake blog. I feel like itās really scary and itās hard to know where to begin and what it requires.
Canāt wait to keep staying connected to your blog/videos š
Thanks so much, Julianna! What a fun topic! I will totally add that to my list because YES it was totally scary to start and I wouldn’t have done it without the encouragement from my husband (and a lot of his graphic design help) and advice from A Beautiful Mess. They have a lot to say about how to start and run a successful blog, so check them out in the meantime until I can get a post up: https://abeautifulmess.com/how-to-start-your-blog-with-a-bang/
Happy 3 years to blog and congrats to being mum. Looking forward to more.
Thank you so much, Linda!
Congratulations on these 3 years and for your advice and inspiration. I have followed you for some time and I have learned to be a better pastry chef!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Gabriela! I’m so happy to help and inspire! Thanks for cheering me on š
Happy Happy Happy Third Birthday. I love all your posts, your tutorials and photos. You have been my biggest inspiration.
Thank you so much, Joann! That is so kind and I’m happy to hear you’ve been inspired š
Happy birthday to your blog and congratulations on that beautiful boy! Greetings from Portugal!
Thank you so much!!
Happy Belated 3rd Birthday.
Thanks so much, Denise!