Category: Recipes

Cherry Chip Cake Recipe with Vintage Piping

April 25, 2022

by Whitney

cherry chip cake recipe by sugar and sparrow

It’s not often that you see Betty Crocker’s Cherry Chip Cake mix at grocery stores these days, but it’s one of those flavors that evokes nostalgia for so many people. While I did not grow up eating Cherry Chip, so many of you asked for this flavor that I felt intrigued to give it a go. After all, how could you go wrong with a pink, maraschino cherry-flecked cake? Turns out you can’t go wrong. This cake is super fun to make, pretty to look at, and extremely delicious paired with this Cherry-Almond Buttercream.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Recipe

March 29, 2022

by Whitney

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I am so excited to share this Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe with you because it is one of my most requested frosting recipes of all time! Although I include it with my recipes for Red Velvet Cake, Pumpkin Layer Cake, Lemon Layer Cake, and Pumpkin Cupcakes, I finally decided to create a standalone post just for this frosting. It’s the perfect consistency for piping, frosting cakes smooth, and decorating cupcakes, all without being too sweet or complicated to make. It’s become my go-to and I hope you love it as much as I do!

Nutella Ganache Recipe for Drip Cakes

March 24, 2022

by Whitney

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When I realized that Nutella could be made into a ganache, I practically ran to the store to get a jar. Turns out it makes the shiniest, most beautiful cake drip ever, plus it tastes just like Nutella (aka chocolate hazelnut heaven) so it’s the most delicious of all ganaches in my humble opinion. If I had you at Nutella, you’re going to want to make this ganache asap and put it on everything.

Finally. The Perfect Vanilla Cake Recipe.

February 17, 2022

by Whitney

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I have a little confession to make: when I first started making cakes, my secret go-to for far too long was the box vanilla cake mix by Betty Crocker.

Phew. Now you know.

Since I became accustomed to the light and fluffy texture of said box mix, every time I tried to make a vanilla cake from scratch, the result seemed off. Blame it on the lack of Propylene Glycol Mono (or the handful of other ingredients in box mixes that you’ve never heard of), but my from-scratch vanilla cakes always ended up too dense, tasted a little cornbread-ish, and just didn’t have that fluffy appeal. Finding a go-to vanilla cake recipe from scratch felt like a mountain I had to climb, but after (what felt like) five hundred tries and a whole lot of not giving up, I’ve found a recipe that is beyond my wildest cake dreams.

White Chocolate Ganache Drip Cake Recipe + Tips [Video Included!]

February 3, 2022

by Whitney

comments 260

White Chocolate Ganache Recipe by Sugar and sparrow

Ever since I shared this recipe and tutorial for semi-sweet chocolate ganache drip cakes, I’ve gotten so many questions about making white chocolate ganache drip cakes. I’m so excited to share these tips with you because I know how finicky white chocolate ganache can be if you don’t get the ratio and timing just right. In fact, the first time I made it (using a super popular recipe that won’t be named) the ganache was so thin and runny that the drips just ran down the side of the cake and pooled at the bottom, even after cooling it to below room temperature! I have since experimented with white chocolate ganache to find the perfect ratio of chocolate to heavy whipping cream, and have found some handy tips for making it extra white and beautiful.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

January 19, 2022

by Whitney

comments 24

red velvet cake recipe by sugar and sparrow

I’ve always been smitten with Red Velvet Cake. It’s quite the looker with that deep red crumb, and the subtle chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting combination is absolutely divine. Red Velvet is versatile too – it can be a fancy cake or completely hilarious (remember the armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias?), a total party hit or a cozy weekend bake, delicious all year round. It’s been on my list for awhile now, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner I thought now is the perfect time. Well, any time is really the perfect time.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting Recipe

January 3, 2022

by Whitney

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coffee buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow

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It’s my first blog post of the new year (Happy 2022!) and I don’t think there’s a better way to kick it off than with this delicious Coffee Buttercream recipe. After frosting my Peppermint Mocha Cake and Gingerbread Latte Cake with this glorious buttercream I decided it needed its very own recipe post. Chances are that if you’re reading this you’re already a big fan of coffee. If that’s the case, get ready to crave this frosting. It’ll blow your mind!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cake Recipe

December 22, 2021

by Whitney

Gingerbread Latte Cake Recipe

December 10, 2021

by Whitney

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It’s that time of year when all the coffee shops start selling lattes with festive flavors. Anytime I see a Holiday drink menu roll out I can’t help but get inspired to translate those flavors into cake form (see also: my Peppermint Latte Cake and Hot Cocoa Cake recipes). I thought it was about time for a delicious Gingerbread Latte Cake and to my complete satisfaction (and after lots of recipe testing), this one checks all the boxes!

Favorite Thanksgiving Cake Recipes

November 22, 2021

by Whitney

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The traditional Thanksgiving meal is probably my favorite of all time. It’s basically all of my favorite foods spread out on one big table and absolutely no judgement on how high my plate gets. I love it so much that I eat the leftovers for breakfast. And lunch. And so on.

While I really enjoy making pies for the dessert table, I’m also over the moon for cake and do my best to represent. I’ve been really inspired by traditional Thanksgiving and holiday flavors over the years, and have been able to translate some of those flavor combinations into cake form. Whether you’re looking to add some variety to your dessert spread or you want to venture from the tradition of serving pie, here are my absolute favorite cakes for Thanksgiving: