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Sugar & Sparrow

Lifestyle and Cake from Portland Oregon

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About

hello! i’m Whitney

About Me

I’m a self-taught baker, cake decorator, wife, mama, and homemaker living in Portland, Oregon. When I’m not baking up a storm in the kitchen, I enjoy a good long run, traveling to new places, making music, and getting lost in a thrilling novel. Creativity is a huge driving force in my life, and while I enjoy a variety of artistic mediums, sugar is hands-down my favorite.

About Sugar & Sparrow

I inherited a love for baking from my mother, who was the queen of lemon squares and casserole dish birthday cakes. As a kid I can remember flipping through her vintage baking books and attempting to recreate every single recipe. That passion for baking evolved into a fascination with cake decorating, and I spent a good amount of years whipping up custom cakes from my home kitchen. Being self-taught every step of the way, I’ve gained quite a few tips, perfected recipes, and have overcome my fair share of kitchen fails. Sugar & Sparrow is my little space to share everything I’ve learned with you in hopes of helping you bake pretty desserts with confidence! 

Work With Me

I love creating cake projects to showcase the brands I admire in a fun new way. If you have an idea for a collaboration, I’d love to hear about it! You can email me at sugarandsparrow(at)gmail.com.

Here are some of the brands I’ve partnered with:

Selected Features

Sugar & Sparrow has been featured in the following publications

American Cake Decorating Magazine

Buzzfeed Tasty

Green Wedding Shoes

Junebug Weddings

Food Network

How to Cake It

The Feed Feed

Find Your Cake Inspiration


get to know me

These are a few of my favorite things…

  1. PORTLAND. I’m a born and raised Portlander (Oregon), and I could easily see myself living here for the rest of my life.
  2. RUNNING. It’s my brain’s happy place. My mind is pretty wild, always busy with ideas and thoughts, and running is my favorite way to clear my head. In addition to my neighborhood jaunts with my toddler in tow, I’ve run a couple half marathons and a Hood To Coast relay and I’d love to do more races at some point.
  3. VINYL RECORDS. There’s just something about the sound and feel of a vinyl record that’s magical, so if I love an album I have to own it on vinyl.
  4. ROLLER COASTERS. Before I met my husband I hadn’t been on a legit roller coaster. He actually has my first ride on video and it’s pretty hilarious. Nowadays I will ride any roller coaster any chance I get.

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Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Helping you whip up pretty desserts with confidence and creativity. And hopefully sharing a few laughs with you along the way!

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April in my kitchen 🌸 I published 5 NEW recipes April in my kitchen 🌸 I published 5 NEW recipes on my site, baked my Oreo cupcake recipe for a fundraiser and found it was just as delicious as I remember, and filmed/photographed 3 recipes that will be on my blog in May (Lemon Cupcakes, Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream, and No-Bake Marbled Strawberry Cheesecake) 🥰 

Comment “APRIL” to get all the available recipes and stay tuned for more! 

#bakersofinstagram #springbaking #cakedecorating #cupcakes #bakinglove
SHEET PAN COOKIE CAKE 🍪 slice it warm for a fud SHEET PAN COOKIE CAKE 🍪 slice it warm for a fudgy chocolate chip cookie OR let it settle into a moist and chewy cookie cake that’s perfect for decorating! My fave vanilla buttercream + sprinkles turn this giant chocolate chip cookie into the perfect birthday cake alternative at the end 🥳
⁣
Full recipe + decorating ideas at https://sugarandsparrow.com/sheet-pan-chocolate-chip-cookie-cake/
⁣
INGREDIENTS⁣
1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, melted⁣
1 1/3 Cups (267g) packed light or dark brown sugar⁣
1/2 Cup (100g) granulated sugar⁣
3 large eggs⁣
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract⁣
1 tsp baking soda⁣
1 tsp cornstarch⁣
1/2 tsp salt⁣
3 Cups (398g) all purpose flour⁣
2 Cups (350g) semi-sweet chocolate chips⁣
⁣
INSTRUCTIONS⁣
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and line a 13×18 inch sheet pan.⁣
2. In a large bowl, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour it over the top of the sugars. Whisk together until uniform. Add the eggs and vanilla, then continue whisking until uniform. Whisk in the baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.⁣
3. Add the flour and use a silicone spatula to fold it in until smooth cookie dough forms. Reserve 1/2 Cup of the chocolate chips and set them aside, then fold the remaining 1 1/2 Cups of chocolate chips into the cookie dough.⁣
4. Place the chocolate chip cookie dough onto the prepared sheet pan and use an offset spatula to spread it all the way to the edges in an even layer.⁣
5. Bake the cookie cake for 14-16 minutes, until it looks golden brown on the edges and set. 
6. Enjoy warm or let it cool and decorate with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles! ⁣
⁣
#cookiecake #chocolatechipcookies #sheetcake #birthdaycake #cakedecorating
STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES 🍓based on my beloved strawb STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES 🍓based on my beloved strawberry layer cake recipe, this cupcake version is just as moist yet fluffy and bursting with natural strawberry flavor! Between the mix of fresh strawberries in the cupcakes + freeze-dried strawberries in the frosting, the flavor is out of this world 🚀

Full recipe link in my bio (with strawberry buttercream) + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/strawberry-cupcakes/

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
Yield: 14 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:
5 oz (143g) fresh or frozen strawberries
1/3 Cup (80ml) whole milk, room temp
1 1/2 Cups (158g) sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, room temp
1 Cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
3 Tbsp (45g) sour cream, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 drop pink food coloring (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS: 
1. Puree the strawberries using a food processor (you’ll have about 1/2 cup of puree), then place into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 10-15 min, stirring occasionally, until you have 1/4 cup. Refrigerate until room temp.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line a standard cupcake pan with liners.
3. Whisk together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
4. In a stand mixer w/ paddle attachment (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip the butter on high for 2 min. Add sugar and beat for 2 min, until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream, turn the mixer to high and beat for 1 min. Meanwhile, whisk together the strawberry puree, whole milk, and food coloring (if using).
5. Turn the mixer off and add all of the dry ingredients at once. Mix on low until just combined, then add the strawberry milk mixture until just combined, about 30 seconds.
6. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-18 minutes. Cool completely before topping with strawberry buttercream (full recipe linked above). 

#strawberrycupcakes #strawberrycake #pinkcupcakes #strawberry #cupcakes
COFFEE BUTTERCREAM (recipe below)☕️ this frost COFFEE BUTTERCREAM (recipe below)☕️ this frosting has AMAZING coffee flavor, is so easy to decorate cakes with, and pairs beautifully with so many flavors (chocolate, vanilla, or any cake flavor you’d want to turn into a latte). 

All my cake pairing suggestions are linked in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/coffee-buttercream-recipe/ 

COFFEE BUTTERCREAM⁣
Yield: 2.5 Cups⁣

INGREDIENTS⁣
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder⁣
1 1/2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature⁣
1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature⁣
3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar⁣
2 tsp pure vanilla extract⁣
Pinch of salt⁣

INSTRUCTIONS⁣
1. Combine the instant espresso/coffee with the whole milk and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on high until creamy and smooth (about 5 minutes), scraping down the bowl and paddle a few times in between.⁣
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle between intervals. Add the vanilla, the coffee/espresso milk mixture, and salt. Mix on low until fully incorporated, about one minute.⁣

#coffeebuttercream #buttercream #frosting #coffeecake
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE 🤎 after weeks of testing this HUMMINGBIRD CAKE 🤎 after weeks of testing this recipe I found that the KEY to taking this already delicious cake to the next level is: roasting the bananas!! It’s an optional step in this recipe BUT it adds unparalleled caramel notes and noticeable richness to the flavor 🙌🏼 Along with the crushed pineapple, toasted pecans, and tangy cream cheese buttercream, this cake is NEXT LEVEL delicious, ultra-moist, melts in your mouth, and will have everyone asking for the recipe. 

Full recipe (with cream cheese frosting) linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/hummingbird-cake-recipe/ 

#hummingbirdcake #creamcheesefrosting #bananacake #cakedecorating #cakerecipe

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