Category: Cake

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.

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.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

January 19, 2022

by Whitney

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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.

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:

Chocolate Pecan Pie Cake with Salted Caramel

November 17, 2021

by Whitney

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chocolate pecan pie cake recipe with salted caramel

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One of my very favorite pies to make for Thanksgiving is a chocolate pecan pie topped with salted caramel. The crunch of the pecans, richness of the chocolate, and sweetness of the caramel together are next level. I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to translate that flavor palette into cake form, but I’m beyond pleased with how it turned out – it’s the perfect pie alternative for your Thanksgiving feast and just an all-around amazing holiday flavor combo!

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:

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?