Blog - Sugar & Sparrow

How To Create Striped Buttercream Cakes With A Cake Comb

July 12, 2019

by Whitney

Ever since I picked up this set of Wilton Cake Combs from my local JOANN, I have been absolutely obsessed with making striped buttercream cakes. Before cake combs became part of my life, I was getting the striped buttercream look using piping bags, but my hands aren’t the steadiest so I’d always end up with stripes that were uneven and a bit wonky. Being the perfectionist I am, I’ve been loving how these cake combs do all the hard work of creating perfectly spaced stripes for me! And after a few rounds with them, I’ve learned all the secrets of ensuring flawless buttercream stripes, every time.

Homemade Cake Flour Recipe

July 10, 2019

by Whitney

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There’s a reason why the majority of my cake recipes call for cake flour instead of all-purpose (aka plain flour). The short answer is that cake flour is what makes my cakes ultra light and fluffy! Maybe it’s because I grew up on boxed cake mixes, but I’m always after that light, fluffy (yet moist) texture when crafting a cake recipe. I get tons of questions about whether or not it’s ok to substitute all-purpose flour and while it’s not something I recommend, there is a way to create homemade cake flour using all-purpose. I’ll show you how!

Lemon Cake With Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

July 8, 2019

by Whitney

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We spent the 4th of July bbq-ing with friends, and this year I thought I’d bypass the star spangled cake designs and flavors all together. Instead, I reached for the perfect lemon cake recipe (always a crowd favorite!) and paired it with the tastiest lemon cream cheese buttercream. It did not disappoint. I think this lemon cake is so perfect for any Summer gathering (or year round!), and I can’t wait to share this recipe with all of you lemon fans.

Almond Joy Cake Recipe

July 1, 2019

by Whitney

comments 8

Almond Joy Cake Recipe by Sugar and Sparrow

If there are fun-sized Almond Joys anywhere in my general proximity, I will eat them. All of them. I just love the flavor combination of sweet coconut, milk chocolate, and almond. It’s a taste trifecta and if you agree, you’re going to LOVE this cake! Just imagine all the textures and flavors in an Almond Joy candy bar, only in cake form, and behold this beauty:

The Cutest Beach Cupcakes

June 24, 2019

by Whitney

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Summer is finally here and I could not be more thrilled about it! Probably because where I live, this is the only season where we have three pretty consecutive months of sun (as opposed to gloom), and all I want to do is bask in it. One of my favorite places to be this time of year is the beach, which is entirely what inspired these Beach Cupcakes I created for The Cake Blog.

DIY Candy Melt Honeycomb For A Bee Cake

June 20, 2019

by Whitney

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I recently had the opportunity to create this bee-themed cake for Thistle & Lace, and as I was during the design planning process I knew I had to incorporate honeycomb in some way. The black and yellow buttercream stripes were a given, but adding the texture of honeycomb really made the cake come alive. There’s a really quick way to make DIY “honeycomb” for cake decorating, and I want to share the technique with you in this super quick tutorial (especially if you’re planning a bee-themed cake of your own!).

Floral Sheet Cake Tutorial

June 13, 2019

by Whitney

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My momma was the queen of birthday sheet cakes. She baked them in her favorite casserole dish and served them up for every one of my birthdays as a kid, always covered in canned frosting and that grocery store tube gel for writing out Happy Birthday. It’s so nostalgic for me to see those little gel tubes hanging at the grocery store nowadays! I think casserole dish sheet cakes might have been a 90’s thing, but I want to bring them back in a big way. After a trip to my local JOANN store, I found the perfect piping tip set to make it happen!

Banana Split Cupcakes Recipe

June 12, 2019

by Whitney

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Hooray that it’s nearly summertime! It’s my favorite time of year, mainly because Portland gets sunny and so picturesque. I just want to be outside 24/7 soaking it all up! Since ice cream is such an iconic summer treat, I wanted to use it as inspiration for these Banana Split Cupcakes. There’s no actual ice cream involved, just tons of cuteness and flavors that are so perfect together.

Sprinkle Fault Line Cake Tutorial

May 30, 2019

by Whitney

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There’s a serious sprinkle trend happening on Instagram, and I’m not even sure who came up with it! I’ve been marveling over sprinkle fault line cakes for weeks now, and I finally got the chance to try it for myself. I was so excited to use the technique with the Vintage Rose Gold sprinkle mix by SprinklePop because the sprinkles alone are stunning, but the fault line style really makes them pop! I just love the way they look peeking through that buttercream:

Bee Themed Cake with Thistle & Lace Cake Toppers

May 29, 2019

by Whitney

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Whether you’ve got a wedding, birthday, anniversary, or anything to celebrate with cake, one thing is for sure: a custom cake topper will make it extra special, effortlessly! My favorite place to find cake and cupcake toppers for special occasions is a sweet online shop called Thistle & Lace. From ready-to-order cake toppers to completely custom toppers like monograms, names, and sayings, Thistle & Lace has the perfect cake topper for any event, all designed and handcrafted with love. And great new: you can use my code SUGAR15 to get 15% off your order, valid until June 30th!