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Everything I Baked in April

April 29, 2026 · In: Featured, Lifestyle, Recipes

There’s something so satisfying about looking back on a month in the kitchen โ€“ the flavors I was inspired by, the recipes that came together easily, but especially the recipes that challenged me. April was all about light and refreshing Spring/Summer flavors like lemon, strawberry, raspberry, and a classic hummingbird cake that you readers have been requesting for years. I published 5 new recipes, made 2 of my existing recipes for friends, and finalized 2 recipes that will be coming your way in May!

Whitney DePaoli of Sugar & Sparrow with cupcakes

New April Recipes

Here are the latest recipes that went live on my site in April:

Strawberry Lemon Cake
strawberry lemon cake recipe

Vanilla Raspberry Layer Cake
vanilla raspberry layer cake recipe with raspberry filling and raspberry frosting

Strawberry Cupcakes
strawberry cupcakes recipe with strawberry frosting
Hummingbird Cake
hummingbird cake recipe by sugar and sparrow

Seedless Raspberry Cake Filling
seedless raspberry filling recipe for cake and cupcakes

Recipes I Revisited

There were a couple events that I donated desserts to this month, and it was such a good feeling to revisit these recipes and confirm that they’re just as delicious as I remember:

Oreo Cupcakes
black velvet cupcakes with oreo buttercream

This Oreo cupcake recipe went live last year but I got to make them for a church fundraiser and enjoyed them all over again!

Matcha Cake
Matcha cake with edible moss

I made a double batch of my matcha cake recipe as a sheet cake for my good friend’s rebrand event! I topped it with edible moss, pretty piping, chamomile, and a buttercream transfer for the logo.


Coming Soon

And here are some recipes I obsessed over, went through many rounds of testing, and are in the process of being published to my site! You’ll see them live in May.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Zesty lemon cupcakes that are so fluffy and moist + lemon cream cheese buttercream. Heaven.

No-Bake Marbled Strawberry Cheesecake
no bake marbled strawberry cheesecake

My favorite no-bake cheesecake base, marbled with the prettiest strawberry compote. Perfect for Spring and Summer!

whitney depaoli from sugar & sparrow holding a cupcake

I hope you love these new recipes! I had a blast making them. If there are any dessert recipes you’re craving, leave me a comment and they might make it onto my baking list!

By: Whitney ยท In: Featured, Lifestyle, Recipes ยท Tagged: everything I baked

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Comments

  1. Debbie says

    April 30, 2026 at 2:15 pm

    Whitney, I saw your recipe for the Swiss Buttercream. If I am looking to make a cream cheese Swiss Buttercream, how much cream cheese would I need?

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      May 1, 2026 at 9:31 am

      Hi Debbie! I’ve never made cream cheese flavored Swiss Meringue Buttercream so I’m not sure how to go about adding cream cheese to this recipe. Instead, I would look for a dedicated cream cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream and follow that. This one looks thoroughly tested: https://korenainthekitchen.com/2013/03/28/cream-cheese-swiss-meringue-buttercream-frosting-success/

      Reply

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@sugarandsparrowco

DYE-FREE BLACK VELVET SHEET CAKE ๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ‘€ if youโ€™re look DYE-FREE BLACK VELVET SHEET CAKE ๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ‘€ if youโ€™re looking for a black cake that wonโ€™t stain your teeth, look no further! This sheet cake version of my favorite black velvet cake recipe uses black cocoa powder to create the dark black color for this whole cake without ANY food coloring, and it tastes just like Oreo cookies (but in deliciously moist cake form). Top that black buttercream with googly eyes for the perfect easy Halloween cake ๐Ÿ‘ป

Comment RECIPE and Iโ€™ll send it to you or find it linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/black-velvet-sheet-cake/

You can also use the same ingredients and amounts for my black velvet layer cake recipe from a few Reels back! Just lower the oven temp to 325F and bake in a 9x13 pan for 30-35 min ๐Ÿ–ค

#blackbuttercream #blackcake #blackvelvetcake #halloweencake #sheetcake
SNICKERS CAKE ๐ŸคŽ๐Ÿฅœ this truly tastes like a sweet an SNICKERS CAKE ๐ŸคŽ๐Ÿฅœ this truly tastes like a sweet and salty Snickers bar, but in cake form: decadent chocolate cake layers filled with soft chocolate peanut butter nougat and thick, gooey peanut caramel, all wrapped up in chocolate buttercream. Make this for the Snickers lover in your life!! 
โฃโ€‰
Comment โ€˜RECIPEโ€™ and Iโ€™ll send it right to you, or find it linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/snickers-cake-recipe/ 
โฃโ€‰
#snickerscake #chocolatecakeย #caramelย #birthdaycake #cakedecorating
BLACK VELVET CAKE ๐Ÿ–คโ€‰can you believe that this deli BLACK VELVET CAKE ๐Ÿ–คโ€‰can you believe that this deliciously moist all-black cake is made with ZERO FOOD COLORING?! The magic of black cocoa powder creates the perfect black cake + dye-free black buttercream for the ultimate Halloween party cake that wonโ€™t turn anyoneโ€™s mouth black ๐Ÿ‘ป plus it tastes like Oreo cookies so Iโ€™m obsessed!!

Full recipe (with black buttercream + my fave black cocoa powder) linked in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/black-velvet-cake-recipe/
โ€‰
Youโ€™ll also find recipes for a cupcake version, a vegan version, and a small batch version if you search โ€œblack velvetโ€ at https://sugarandsparrow.com 
โ€‰
BLACK VELVET CAKE โ€‰
2 Cups (265g) all purpose flourโ€‰
1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated sugarโ€‰
2/3 Cup (80g) black cocoa powderโ€‰
2 tsp baking sodaโ€‰
1 tsp baking powderโ€‰
1/2 tsp saltโ€‰
1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oilโ€‰
2 large eggs, room temperatureโ€‰
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extractโ€‰
1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temp
1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot waterโ€‰
โ€‰
INSTRUCTIONSโ€‰
1. Preheat the oven to 350ยบF. Grease and line three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans.โ€‰
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk together. Slowly pour in the hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk until combined.โ€‰
3. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 32-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before frosting with black buttercream. Full recipe (with frosting!) linked in my bioโœจโฃโฃโฃโ€‰
โฃโ€‰
*If you canโ€™t find buttermilk, mix together 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar as a substitute. โฃโ€‰
โฃโฃโฃโ€‰
#blackcakeย #blackbuttercreamย #blackvelvetcakeย #cakedecoratingย #halloweencake
SALTED CARAMEL APPLE CAKE ๐Ÿ๐Ÿฏ layers of deliciously SALTED CARAMEL APPLE CAKE ๐Ÿ๐Ÿฏ layers of deliciously moist apple spice cake and salted caramel buttercream drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce (which is also used to drip the cake and coat the apple on top). Such a classic Fall cake that is so fun to decorate with that dripping caramel apple! 

Comment RECIPE to get the full recipe + decorating tutorial sent to you! Or find it at https://sugarandsparrow.com/caramel-apple-cake-recipe/โ€‰

Hereโ€™s what readers have said about this cake:

โ€œThis cake is one of the most delicious cakes I have ever had in my life! My husband also said he wants this for his birthday from now on! Fantastic recipe!โ€ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ

โ€œI just baked this cake with intentions to sell by the slice but once I posted it someone wanted to buy the whole thingโ€ฆ RIGHT NOW!!! Thanks for the recipe.โ€ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ

โ€œI just made this cake for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! The salted caramel buttercream perfectly offset the spiciness of the apple cake. If youโ€™re looking for a cake that celebrates fall flavors, I highly recommend it.โ€ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ

โ€œI made this for Thanksgiving and wow! Everyone wants me to make it at Christmas too! Even my husband, who doesnโ€™t usually like sweets had two pieces and said I nailed it. It was a big hit with my family.โ€ โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
โ€‰
#saltedcaramel #applecake #caramelcake #cakedecorating #fallbaking
MONSTER HALLOWEEN CAKE ๐Ÿ‘€ ๐Ÿฅณ give me a handful of pi MONSTER HALLOWEEN CAKE ๐Ÿ‘€ ๐Ÿฅณ give me a handful of piping tips and some googly eyes sprinkles and this is what happens ๐Ÿ˜† I love this cake design so much because you can truly go with the flow with your buttercream piping. The googly eyes will make that piping come alive! 
โฃ
The full tutorial is linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/buttercream-monster-cake-tutorial/
โฃ
๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฝโ€๐Ÿณ buttercream recipe: my vanilla buttercream at https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-buttercream-recipe/
๐ŸŽจ frosting colors:ย @americolorย Electric Green, Electric Purple, Orange, and Deep Pink + added black cocoa powder for the black pipingโฃ
โœจpiping tips:ย @wiltoncakesย 1M, 104, 4B, 233, 10, and 16 โฃ
๐Ÿ‘€ eye sprinkles: @michaelsstores
โฃ
#monstercakeย #halloweencakeย #cakedecoratingย #halloweenparty
#buttercream

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