Whitney, Author at Sugar & Sparrow

All posts by Whitney

How to Convert My Layer Cake Recipes into Sheet Cakes

April 1, 2020

by Whitney

how to bake a sheet cake from layer cake recipe

In the midst of this crazy pandemic, I have seen so many of you turn to baking to pass the time and escape a little. It’s a really beautiful thing and I’m so inspired by it. I’ve got tons of cake recipes for you to try while you’re homebound, and while I tend to write them for layer cakes, I wanted to show you how to easily convert them into sheet cakes! This way, if you don’t have round cake pans or want to keep things simple with a single layer cake, you can use any of my cake recipes to do it!

Helping Small Businesses During the Coronavirus Pandemic

March 26, 2020

by Whitney

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#cakesforsmallbiz Rainbow Cake by Sugar and Sparrow

These are wild times, my friends. How are you all holding up in the midst of this Coronavirus pandemic? For me, I’ve been sheltering in with my husband, working my day job from my home office, talking to all my friends through Zoom/FaceTime, and baking to calm my anxiety about how long this is all going to be a reality. Life has changed so much in such a short amount of time, and while I’ve found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for my own health and wellbeing, it’s so hard to watch the suffering around me without an end in sight.

The Fluffiest Yellow Cake Recipe + Chocolate Frosting

March 25, 2020

by Whitney

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yellow cake recipe with chocolate buttercream

When you think of the most classic birthday cake ever, what comes to mind? For me, it’s always been yellow cake with chocolate frosting. All throughout my childhood, my momma used to mix up a box yellow cake, bake it in a casserole dish, smear canned chocolate frosting on top, and write Happy Birthday on it with those little tubes of icing colors you can still find at the grocery store to this day. I loved those birthday cakes. And I’m really surprised that after all my years of caking, it’s taken me this long to nail down the perfect yellow cake recipe. Well, wait no more!

Buttercream Terrazzo Cake Tutorial

March 16, 2020

by Whitney

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buttercream terrazzo cake by sugar and sparrow

Terrazzo patterns seem to be everywhere these days, and I am all for it. These pretty mosaic prints were originally popularized in the early 1900’s as a trendy floor tile design. Nowadays you’ll find terrazzo prints on walls, ceramics, furniture finishes, and all the things. I’ve been dying to incorporate it into a cake design for awhile now, so when JOANN asked me to create a project for National Craft Month I knew it was the perfect time to make my terrazzo cake dreams come true! I stocked up on some essential Wilton supplies and got right to work on this beauty.

Sweet & Salty Pretzel Nutella Cake Recipe

February 28, 2020

by Whitney

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Pretzel Nutella Cake Recipe by Sugar and Sparrow

Have you ever tried dipping pretzels in Nutella? My, oh my. If you have, you know that it’s sweet and salty heaven. These two flavors belong together, and I love the pairing so much that I decided to make a cake recipe out of them: layers of pretzel-flavored cake with Nutella buttercream, topped with Nutella ganache and pretzel bits for added crunch. I was a little skeptical of whether or not I’d be able to pull these flavors off in cake form, but it totally worked!

Ruby Chocolate Cake Recipe

February 14, 2020

by Whitney

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ruby chocolate cake recipe by sugar and sparrow

Right after I made this Ruby Chocolate Buttercream recipe, I instantly thought to try it with my favorite chocolate cake recipe. I figured since ruby chocolate has predominant notes of raspberry, and raspberry and chocolate are a match made in heaven, the cake and buttercream combo would be a good fit. Well I was right (I love it when that happens!) – it was the perfect balance of berry and chocolate and such a delight to eat! You would think that the chocolate cake would overwhelm the berry notes but instead, the flavors work together in perfect harmony. And just look how pretty it is:

Heart Covered Valentine Cake Tutorial

February 12, 2020

by Whitney

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I recently got to whip up a Valentine’s Day cake for The Cake Blog and it turned out so gorgeous I think it might deserve it’s own power ballad! The rose gold color palette and matching sprinkles are everything. And if you zoom in, you’ll see that all the hearts on this cake are filled in with pretty piping to give it even more texture. Whether you’re planning a Valentine’s Day party this year or want to bake something beautiful to impress your honey, I think this is the cake for you:

Cascading Heart Cake Tutorial

February 7, 2020

by Whitney

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cascading heart cake by sugar and sparrow

Two years ago, I got this wild idea to make some fondant hearts and cascade them down the side of a cake with pretty piping and Valentine’s Day conversation hearts. Ever since I posted that design on my Instagram back then, I’ve gotten tons of requests for a tutorial – not just for Valentine’s Day but for all sorts of occasions! Wait no more, the tutorial is finally here.

Ruby Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

February 6, 2020

by Whitney

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Ruby chocolate buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow

I’ve been curious about ruby chocolate for awhile now, mostly because of its gorgeous, all-natural mauve coloring. So when I saw these Chocolove Ruby Cacao bars at my local New Season’s, I almost squealed! I thought it was a super rare find but it turns out you can find ruby chocolate bars at most grocery stores now, especially around Valentine’s Day. It’s the latest chocolate confection since the invention of white chocolate, only it’s made from the ruby cocoa bean with no added flavoring or food coloring.

Thin Mint Chocolate Cake Recipe

January 27, 2020

by Whitney

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Mint Chocolate Cake Recipe by Sugar and Sparrow

I never got the chance to be a Girl Scout, but I have been loving their cookies for a lifetime and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. They’ve got an array of amazing flavors, but my favorite are Samoas and Thin Mints. Hands down. So when I was working on a peppermint hot chocolate cake this past Christmas and it came out of the oven tasting just like a Thin Mint, I knew just what I had to do with it. I never made that peppermint hot chocolate cake (maybe this year!), but I am oh so happy with this Thin Mint inspired cake in the meantime!