Blog - Sugar & Sparrow

A Black Buttercream Recipe That Won’t Stain Your Teeth

October 15, 2021

by Whitney

Spooky season is here and with it, lots of black buttercream cakes. I’m no stranger to the trend and before now I’ve stuck with a method of making my Favorite Chocolate Buttercream recipe and adding a few Tbsp of AmeriColor Super Black. Since this food color gel is tasteless, the black buttercream still tastes like chocolate buttercream but there is one little problem: it stains teeth temporarily (among other things). So I thought I’d do a little research and experimenting to see if I could create a black buttercream recipe that not only tastes great, it uses as little food coloring as possible to get a nice deep color.

German Chocolate Cake Recipe

October 6, 2021

by Whitney

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german chocolate cake recipe by sugar and sparrow

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German Chocolate Cake always reminds me of my Oma. She was full German, so I grew up thinking that this was one of her “cakes from the old country,” but the German Chocolate Cake actually originated in America. Even still, that was the cake we always had for Oma’s birthday – her favorite. This cake is so nostalgic for me, and I’m so happy to have developed a recipe for it that reminds me so much of what it tasted like as a kid and brings back so many beautiful memories of Oma. I absolutely love how this cake turned out:

A Pumpkin Pie Layer Cake Recipe That’s Easy & Eye-Catching

October 4, 2021

by Whitney

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pumpkin pie layer cake recipe by sugar and sparrow

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Every Thanksgiving, I look forward to a few things: 1) cooking all day with my mother in law with the music blasting our favorite dance-worthy hits, and 2) getting to make a delicious, eye-catching dessert that the whole family can enjoy. The Thanksgiving meal is my absolute favorite to eat too, especially when surrounded by my loved ones, so this holiday really checks all the boxes for me. And since I’m always on dessert duty (I take my role very seriously!) I’m always trying out new recipes to compliment the family favorites. This year, I thought I’d go a little above and beyond and translate the classic pumpkin pie into cake-form, which is how this Momofuku-inspired Pumpkin Pie Cake was born:

Stable Vanilla Buttercream Recipe for Hot Weather

September 17, 2021

by Whitney

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heat stable buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow

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This Summer, something happened to me that has never happened before (to my knowledge at least): one of my cakes melted in the outdoor heat. I made a birthday cake for a dear friend’s daughter – my vegan vanilla cake with vegan vanilla buttercream. The party was outdoors and the temperature was around 85 degrees. I refrigerated the cake up until I needed to drive it to the party, thinking that would be enough to preserve it for a few hours. But about an hour after the cake was displayed, the thing started melting (along with my heart). Thankfully, these were the kind of friends who were able to laugh about it with me as it all fell apart. Here’s a before and after:

Homemade Marshmallow Meringue Frosting Recipe

September 13, 2021

by Whitney

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marshmallow meringue recipe by sugar and sparrow

When I was creating my S’mores Cake Recipe, I thought it would be amazing to pipe some pretty marshmallow fluff on top and toast it. The problem was, the jar of Kraft Marshmallow Creme I started with in recipe testing was not pipeable and quickly lost its shape, melting into pools of goo all over the cake. It was a happy accident though, because instead I concocted a homemade version that is pipeable, holds its shape perfectly, and looks amazing when toasted! And this homemade Marshmallow Meringue is so tasty, you’ll forget all about that store bought stuff.

First Birthday Party Fun!

September 1, 2021

by Whitney

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First birthday parties have always been my favorite. I just love getting to see a baby eat cake for the very first time and celebrate what a huge milestone a year is, so when it came time to start planning my little guy’s first trip around the sun I went into full on mom party planning mode. Turns out it’s my favorite kind of mode to be in, and I made about a hundred to-do lists to get everything perfect. I’m so happy to say that although party planning can be stressful, I had so much fun with all of it! I kindof want to be in mom party planning mode all the time.

Orange Creamsicle Cake Recipe

July 16, 2021

by Whitney

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orange creamsicle cake by sugar and sparrow

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Here’s a little behind the scenes secret: when I was trying to create this watercolor cake tutorial, I actually started with an all-orange color palette and it did not turn out the way I wanted. The flowers didn’t go with it, so I thought I’d start over with a different color scheme. It was a happy accident though, because the cake reminded me of an Orange Creamsicle and I thought, hey, that would make an amazing cake flavor. And I considered it perfect timing because Summer is in full swing and what’s more Summer than an Orange Creamsicle anyway?

Watercolor Cake Tutorial

June 24, 2021

by Whitney

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I’ve always been inspired by painterly textures when it comes to my cakes, and although watercolor buttercream has been around for quite some time, it hasn’t gotten old in my eyes. It works in all sorts of color palettes and is so freeing to create because you really can’t go wrong. I do the technique a little differently because I tend to like bigger blobs of color in my watercolor finish, so I wanted to whip up a quick tutorial to show you my way.

DIY Food Photography Backgrounds with Contact Paper

June 22, 2021

by Whitney

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For the past few years, I’ve been shooting my cake photography with an all-white backdrop – white wall behind the cake, white board beneath the cake. Super simple and clean. Recently though, I’ve been thinking it would be nice to have a variety of colors and textures to use as backgrounds and surfaces just to switch things up every once in awhile. I found some backgrounds I loved, but after realizing that each one can cost upwards of $75, I thought I’d get a little creative and make my own. They turned out just the way I hoped, and I can’t wait to show you how to make them!

Layered Ombrè Buttercream Cake Tutorial

June 10, 2021

by Whitney

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layered ombre buttercream cake by sugar and sparrow

I tend to use color ombrès a lot in my buttercream cakes. There’s something about the gradient color change that is so eye-catching and works a little better than a solid finish in some cases (like my Cactus Cake, Under the Sea Cake, and Strawberry Lemonade Cake Recipe to name just a few). Today though, instead of creating a subtle gradient with my buttercream colors, I decided to make them a bit more edgy with this Layered Ombrè Cake. The design allows each color to really stand out and I just love the beautiful texture you can create with the layers!