Category: Recipes

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

January 19, 2022

by Whitney

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:

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!

A Black Buttercream Recipe That Won’t Stain Your Teeth

October 15, 2021

by Whitney

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black buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow

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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: