• Cake
  • Frosting
  • YouTube
  • My Favorite Tools
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
    • Cake
    • Cupcakes
    • Frosting
    • Ice Cream
    • Vegan
  • Cake Basics
  • Tutorials
  • Blog
  • About
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Sugar & Sparrow logo in script font

Sugar & Sparrow

Lifestyle and Cake from Portland Oregon

  • Cake Basics
  • Recipes
    • Cake
    • Cupcakes
    • Sheet Cakes
    • Cookies & Bars
    • Filling
    • Frosting
    • Ice Cream
    • No-Bake
    • Small Batch
    • Vegan
  • Tutorials
  • Book
  • Blog
  • About

Everything I Baked in May

May 29, 2026 · In: Featured, Lifestyle

If I had to describe what May was like in my kitchen, I’d probably compare it to a rollercoaster. There were extreme highs like taking the first bite of this orange poppyseed cake with mascarpone frosting and realizing I had achieved what I call “fancy restaurant status” โ€“ it’s flawless in my eyes! Or drooling over the photos of my strawberry shortcake sheet cake and feeling so satisfied that it looks as delicious as it tastes. Then there were lows like testing this chocolate chip cookie cake so many times that I felt crazy, only to nail it and ruin the final cake before I could photograph it (thus requiring me to make it AGAIN)!

BUT. This month was also about perseverance. I didn’t give up on that cookie cake, or making my no-bake marbled strawberry cheesecake exactly how I was imagining (even though I had to buy what felt like 72 boxes of cream cheese to get there). And all of it was so satisfying in the end, because I got to publish 7 new recipes I’m really proud of and finalize a couple more that will go live in June. I hope you love all of them as much as I do!

whitney depaoli of sugar and sparrow holding an ice cream cake

New Recipes

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

strawberry shortcake sheet cake baked in a 9x13 pan

Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake

Bakery-style vanilla sheet cake baked in a 9×13 pan, topped with whipped cream cheese frosting and homemade strawberry sauce. The perfect easy dessert for a crowd!

Get the Recipe

orange poppyseed cake recipe with mascarpone frosting

Orange Poppyseed Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

This orange poppyseed cake is tender and moist, bursting with bright citrus flavor, and kept so light and refreshing with whipped mascarpone frosting! You get the crunch of poppy seeds in every bite which I find so satisfying. 

Get the Recipe

mascarpone whipped cream frosting recipe for cakes and cupcakes

Whipped Mascarpone Frosting

This frosting is silky smooth, deliciously light, and the perfect consistency for filling and frosting cakes and cupcakes! It comes together so quickly with just five ingredients and is perfect for anyone who “isn’t a frosting person.”

Get the Recipe

strawberry swirled no-bake cheesecake topped with strawberries

No-Bake Marbled Strawberry Cheesecake

Tangy no-bake cheesecake with swirls of beautiful strawberry reduction, set on a buttery graham cracker crust. Stunning, delicious, and perfect for making ahead!

Get the Recipe

lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting

Lemon Cupcakes

These lemon cupcakes are light and refreshing, perfectly fluffy, bursting with natural lemon flavor, and irresistible topped with lemon cream cheese buttercream.

Get the Recipe

lemon cream cheese buttercream for cakes and cupcakes

Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

If you love the tang of cream cheese frosting, youโ€™re going to be obsessed with this lemon variation! Ideal for Spring and Summer cakes, it’s so light and refreshing, beautifully tangy and complex, and perfectly thick for decorating cakes and cupcakes.

Get the Recipe

chocolate chip cookie cake recipe with vanilla buttercream border and sprinkles

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

The perfect birthday dessert for anyone who loves a thick and chewy, bakery-style chocolate chip cookie! Adapted from my beloved sheet pan chocolate chip cookie recipe and can be served warm and gooey or decorated as a celebratory cake.

Get the Recipe


Recipes Coming Soon

Here are the recipes I’ll be publishing in June. My gluten-free friends, I realize I’ve been meaning to publish the GF vanilla cake for two months now! If you’ve been waiting, comment below and I’ll email you the recipe early.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

homemade chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake slice on a plate

I made my DREAM birthday cake and will be publishing the recipe ASAP! It’s no-churn chocolate and vanilla ice creams swirled together and loaded with cookie dough chunks, set on an Oreo cookie crust. Heavenly.

Berry Chantilly Sheet Cake (Photo Update)

Berry chantilly sheet cake recipe by sugar and sparrow

I revisited my Whole Foods inspired berry Chantilly sheet cake and it’s just as delicious as I remember! I will be updating some of the photos next month, but the recipe will remain the same with the exception of adding almond extract (optional).

Whitney DePaoli Sugar and Sparrow ice cream cake recipe

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

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

you’ll also love

Whitney Depaoli of Sugar and Sparrow in the kitchenEverything I Baked in September
everything I baked in June Sugar & SparrowEverything I Baked in June
Whitney DePaoli Sugar & SparrowEverything I Baked in April

Join the List

Stay up to date & receive the latest posts in your inbox.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Helping you whip up pretty desserts with confidence and creativity. And hopefully sharing a few laughs with you along the way!

Learn More

Connect

let’s bake!

Get my very best recipes, baking tips, and decorating tutorials sent to your inbox

Featured Posts

gender reveal cupcakes

Sprinkle Filled Gender Reveal Cupcakes

easter egg cake tutorial

Colorful (Edible!) Easter Egg Cake Toppers Tutorial

diy food photography backdrop tutorial

DIY Food Photography Backgrounds with Contact Paper

Search

Archives

Follow Along

@sugarandsparrowco

DYE-FREE BLACK VELVET CUPCAKES ๐Ÿ–ค These all black c DYE-FREE BLACK VELVET CUPCAKES ๐Ÿ–ค These all black cupcakes use black cocoa powder (and NO food coloring!) to achieve that rich black color for the cupcakes + black buttercream. That means they wonโ€™t turn anyoneโ€™s mouth black AND they taste like Oreo cookies in deliciously moist cupcake form ๐Ÿ‘ป

โœจFull recipe (with dye-free black buttercream) is linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/black-velvet-cupcakes/ 

BLACK VELVET CUPCAKES
Yield: 14 cupcakes

1ย Cupย (132g) all purpose flour
3/4ย Cupย (150g) granulated sugar
1/3ย Cupย (38g) black cocoa powder
1ย tspย baking soda
1/2ย tspย baking powder
1/4ย tspย salt
1/4ย Cupย (60ml) vegetable oil
1ย large egg, room temperature
1/2ย tspย pure vanilla extract
1/2ย Cupย (120ml) full-fat buttermilk*
1/2ย Cupย (120ml) hot coffee or hot water

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. Place all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.ย 
3. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners (no more than โ…” full) and bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it. Cool completely before frosting with dye-free black buttercream (full recipe linked in my bio).

*If you donโ€™t have buttermilk on hand (I rarely do!), use 1/2 Cup whole milk mixed with 1 1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice. 

#blackcupcakes #blackbuttercream #blackcocoapowder #halloweencupcakes #halloweenbaking
EASY MUMMY CUPCAKES ๐Ÿ‘€ this classic Halloween cupca EASY MUMMY CUPCAKES ๐Ÿ‘€ this classic Halloween cupcake design is so easy to make with chocolate cupcakes, googly eye sprinkles, vanilla buttercream, and one piping tip! Hereโ€™s how:

Full tutorial (with recipes for the cupcakes and buttercream!) is linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/mummy-cupcakes/

MUMMY CUPCAKES SUPPLIES: 
-Baked chocolate cupcakes
-Vanilla buttercream
-Googly eye sprinkles
-Piping bag
-Small flat piping tip or basket weave tip

INSTRUCTIONS: 
1. Press two googly eye sprinkles on top of the chocolate cupcake.
2. Starting on the edge of the cupcake, pipe a straight line to the opposite edge, avoiding the googly eye sprinkles. If youโ€™re using a basket weave tip, make sure the grooved edge is face down.
3. Continue piping lines that connect the edges, overlapping the lines until the surface of the cupcake is covered (aside from the googly eyes) and the piping looks like mummy cloths.

#halloweencupcakes #halloweenbaking #chocolatecupcakes #cupcakedecorating #cupcakes
HALLOWEEN CANDY BUCKET CAKE ๐ŸŽƒ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿฌ this jack-o-lanter HALLOWEEN CANDY BUCKET CAKE ๐ŸŽƒ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿฌ this jack-o-lantern cake is SO fun to make with two bundt cakes frosted with buttercream to look like a pumpkin candy bucket + lots of Halloween candy to fill it with. The perfect Halloween party cake!! 
โ€‰
A condensed tutorial is below but you can find the full tutorial link (with recipes I used!) in my bio + on my blog at โ€‰https://sugarandsparrow.com/halloween-candy-bucket-cake-tutorial/
โ€‰
๐ŸŽƒ Candy Bucket Cake Tutorial:โ€‰
โ€‰
1.  Bake two bundt cakes. I doubled my one-bowl chocolate cake recipe and divided it between two 9.5-inch bundt cake pans, then baked at 350F for 35 minutes. โ€‰
2. Fill and crumb coat the cakes in the shape of a pumpkin. I used my dye-free black buttercream recipe for this, but any flavor will do. โ€‰
3. Frost the cake. I used my vanilla buttercream recipe tinted with @americolor Electric Orange for the frosting. A flexible plastic smoother is KEY to shaping the roundness of the pumpkin (I got mine on Amazon) + I made my own little tool for the grooves from a leftover yogurt container. After I chilled the cake I hand-smoothed the finish with a little parchment paper to iron out the imperfections. โ€‰
4. Carve the jack-o-lantern. I chilled the frosting until it was firm to the touch, then used an X-acto knife to cut out the eyes and mouth. 
5. Add the handle. I inserted some crafting wire into hollow black licorice to create the candy bucket handle before sticking it into the cake. โ€‰
6. Fill with your favorite Halloween candy! โ€‰
โ€‰
#halloweencake #pumpkincake #partycake #cakedecorating #bundtcake
These are 10 of the Halloween cake and cupcake rec These are 10 of the Halloween cake and cupcake recipes Iโ€™d make for a spooky party! ๐Ÿ‘ป

Comment โ€œHALLOWEENโ€ and Iโ€™ll send all of these recipes and cake decorating tutorials + even more from my Halloween baking archives โ€“ spooky classics like my dye-free black velvet cake and pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, plus Halloween party cake tutorials and easy Halloween cupcake designs. 

https://sugarandsparrow.com/halloween-cakes-cupcakes-treats/

#halloweencake #halloweencupcakes #cakedecorating #halloweenbaking #halloweenpartyideas
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

Footer

On the Blog

  • Cake Basics
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials

Info

  • About
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure

stay in the know

Copyright © 2026 ยท Theme by Sugar & Sparrow