• 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
    • Frosting
    • Cupcakes
    • Ice Cream
    • Vegan
  • Tutorials
  • Book
  • Blog
  • About

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

January 9, 2019 · In: Lifestyle

I know Christmas isn’t just about presents, but there’s something special about getting meaningful things from (and for!) the people you love. You know, those gifts that make you feel known. This year I got quite a few special cake-related things along those lines, and I wanted to share them with you because they’re just so good:

A cute linen apron.

My sister in law got me this pretty linen apron that has the cutest criss cross straps! Maybe now my clothes won’t be so covered in powdered sugar.

linen apron for baking

A tiny cupcake stand.

This teeny tiny stoneware cupcake stand is also from my sister in law, made by the Hearth & Hand collection at Target. I’m kindof obsessed with all things miniature and I’m so excited to use it in my food photography. It’s perfect!

white cupcake stand by hearth and hand

The perfect white cake stand.

I gifted this one to myself for Christmas (hehe) because I’m trying to grow my cake stand collection. It’s surprisingly hard to find plain white cake stands that aren’t super short and wide! This one is a 6 inch stand on a taller pedestal, and it comes in all sorts of sizes and colors.

white cake stand

A personalized cake design journal.

Little did I know, my husband was tucked away in his office designing me a custom cake journal. I cried instantly when I unwrapped it because it was just so thoughtful! Every page features a blank cake that I can draw all over and cast creative vision. I’m always scribbling cake designs on napkins and scraps of paper, so to have all of my designs in one place is going to be magical.

personalized cake decorating journal

The cake cookbook that started it all.

And as if that wasn’t thoughtful enough, my sweet husband also hunted down the cake cookbook that started my passion for baking! My mom used to have the entire collection of these Jean ParĆØ cookbooks and I poured over this specific one when I was a little kid. My mom passed away a handful of years ago and I sadly didn’t inherit her recipe books, but I’m so happy to have this little piece of my childhood back thanks to the internet and my thoughtful husband.

jean pare company's coming cookbook cake

I’ve already started baking some of the recipes and they’re just so good. Some of them are hilarious though. There is a recipe for Chocolate Potato Cake that incorporates mashed potatoes into the batter and another quite famous one for Tomato Soup Cake, which is basically a spice cake with a can of tomato soup added. I can’t imagine either of those being tasty, but I’m going to have to bake them just to see!

jean pare cake cookbook

What are a few of your favorite things right now? Let me know in the comments!

By: Whitney Ā· In: Lifestyle Ā· Tagged: cake decorating, cake stand, cupcake stand, gifts for bakers, jean pare, jean pare cake cookbook, linen apron, personalized journal, sugar and sparrow, white cake stand, white cupcake stand

you’ll also love

vintage halloween lambeth cakeVintage Halloween Lambeth Cake Tutorial
Rustic cake tutorialHow to Frost a Cake with Rustic Texture
cake decorating tools for beginnersEssential Cake Decorating Tools for Beginners

Join the List

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

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emily says

    January 18, 2019 at 1:14 pm

    Stop it. What perfect gifts!! But that custom journal? Brilliant. So thoughtful and BEAUTIFUL. Thanks for sharing! Fun fun fun! (Glad your cereal cake led me to your blog. Darling!)

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      January 23, 2019 at 10:56 am

      Yesss! I’m loving the journal (and all the things) so much!! And wonderful job on the cereal cake – saw it on Instagram and I’m amazed!!

      Reply
  2. Gail Petragnnai says

    January 23, 2019 at 10:23 am

    I LOVE everything about your cakes!!
    Could you please please tell me where you got the white cake stand with the wood at the bottom???

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      January 23, 2019 at 10:58 am

      Aw thank you so much, Gail! The cake stand with the wood bottom was a gift from my sister in law and she says she got it on Amazon but I have not been able to find it anywhere since. There’s a similar one on Amazon called the “Petra Marble Cake Stand” but it’s not identical. I’ll make a whole blog post about it if I find it again because I’ve gotten so many inquiries about it! šŸ™‚ I’ll keep my eyes out!

      Reply
      • Renee says

        December 5, 2019 at 4:35 pm

        https://www.riverbendhome.com/rbhitem/552237*1

        I think I found it!

        Reply
        • Whitney says

          December 6, 2019 at 11:17 am

          Oh yeah! That one is super similar! Mine has a gold line through the top of it, but the design of that one is super close and the same size!

          Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

New Years Goals (Not Resolutions)

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

How Many Servings Per Cake Size (Chart Included!)

vanilla buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow

Basic Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

cascading heart cake tutorial

Cascading Heart Cake Tutorial

Search

Archives

Follow Along

@sugarandsparrowco

RAFAELLO CAKE šŸ¤šŸ„„ fully inspired byĀ @ferrero RAFAELLO CAKE šŸ¤šŸ„„ fully inspired byĀ @ferrerorocherusaĀ Rafaello truffles + one of my fave holiday cake ideas of all: layers of delicious almond cake, coconut cream filling, toasted almonds, and white chocolate coconut buttercream ✨I even rolled it in shredded coconut just like the real deal šŸ™ƒā£ ⁣
⁣⁣
Full recipe linked in my bio + at sugarandsparrow.com/rafaello-cake-recipe⁣⁣
⁣⁣
#ferrerorocherĀ #cakeĀ #rafaellocakeĀ #cakedecoratingĀ #holidaybakingĀ #christmascakeĀ #coconutcakeĀ #almondcakeĀ #sugarandsparrowĀ #bakingfunĀ #bake #cakesofinstagram
FERRERO ROCHER CAKE šŸ«šŸŒ° this is my personal F FERRERO ROCHER CAKE šŸ«šŸŒ° this is my personal FAVE cake recipe from my book + so perfect for the holiday season: rich chocolate cake with Nutella buttercream and chopped Ferrero Rocher truffles sprinkled between each layer, topped with toasted hazelnuts and a generous amount of Nutella ganache poured right on top šŸ™ŒšŸ½ It’s a chocolate hazelnut lovers DREAM šŸ˜ā£
⁣
Find the full recipe + decorating tutorial on page 185 of my book, Anyone Can Cake. Order worldwide at anyonecancake.com or at the links in my bio!⁣
⁣⁣⁣
#ferrerorocher #ferrerorochercake #chocolatecake #nutella #cakesofinstagram⁣⁣
#cakedecoratingĀ #chocolatehazelnutĀ #cakeĀ #bakingĀ #layercake #anyonecancake #hazelnut #holidaybaking
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PECAN PIE CAKE šŸ¤ŽāœØif you’r CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PECAN PIE CAKE šŸ¤ŽāœØif you’re looking for Thanksgiving dessert inspiration add this to your list: layers of decadent chocolate cake, gooey pecan pie filling, salted caramel, and brown sugar buttercream. It’s 100% inspired by a chocolate pecan pie with salted caramel topping I make every Thanksgiving + the cake version is šŸ™ŒšŸ¼ā£
⁣
Find the full recipe linked in my bio + at sugarandsparrow.com/chocolate-pecan-pie-cake-recipe⁣
⁣⁣
#fallbaking #pecanpie #chocolatecake #saltedcaramel #thanksgivingdesserts #bake #bakinglove #cakedecorating #layercake #cakesofinstagram #cake #pecan
MARBLE CAKE 🤩 this cake is so fun to make + sli MARBLE CAKE 🤩 this cake is so fun to make + slice into! It starts with my FAVE vanilla cake recipe, half of which gets turned into chocolate cake batter with a few simple ingredients. Marble the batters together and be amazed šŸ™ŒšŸ¼ then pair it with chocolate buttercream for extra deliciousness!⁣
⁣
MARBLE CAKE ⁣
Yield: 3 6-inch layers or 2 8-inch layers⁣
⁣
INGREDIENTS: ⁣
⁣
Vanilla Batter:⁣
2 3/4 Cups (290g) sifted cake flour DIY recipe in notes⁣
2 tsp baking powder⁣
1/2 tsp baking soda⁣
1 tsp salt⁣
3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature⁣
1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar⁣
2 large eggs + 2 large egg whites, room temperature⁣
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract⁣
1/2 Cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature⁣
1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature⁣
⁣
Chocolate Batter:⁣
1/4 Cup (22g) sifted unsweetened natural cocoa powder⁣
1 1/2 Tbsp (19g) granulated sugar⁣
1 1/2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature⁣
3/4 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder (optional)⁣
⁣
INSTRUCTIONS + full recipe (with buttercream!) linked in my bio or at sugarandsparrow.com/marble-cake-recipe ✨⁣
⁣
#marblecake #chocolatecake #vanillacake #baking #cake #cakesofig #cakedecorating #chocolate #vanilla #chocolatebuttercream #bakedfromscratch #satisfyingfood
Anyone Can Cake: BONUS RECIPES are back just in ti Anyone Can Cake: BONUS RECIPES are back just in time for Holiday gifting šŸŽ„šŸ„³ if you order my book (for you OR a friend) between now and Dec. 25th, 2023, you’ll get these four EXTRA EXCLUSIVE bonus recipes in eBook form (instructions below). Which one looks the most delicious (1, 2, 3, or 4)? ⁣
⁣
1. Banana Biscoff Caramel Cake with Salted Caramel Drip⁣
2. Lavender Earl Grey Cake⁣
3. Nutella Fluffernutter Cake ⁣
4. Zebra Cake (striped chocolate and vanilla cake!)⁣
⁣
Here’s how to get your Bonus Recipes eBook: ⁣
⁣
Step 1: Order Anyone Can Cake for yourself or a friend (available worldwide, links are in my bio)⁣. ⁣
⁣⁣
Step 2: Send a screenshot of your order confirmation to accbonusrecipes@gmail.com with ā€œbonus recipesā€ in the subject line.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Step 3: Click the download link in your response email + enjoy! ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I’m so excited to offer these Bonus Recipes again as a little extension of my book ✨⁣enjoy! ⁣
⁣
#nutellacake #biscoffcake #saltedcaramel #earlgreycake #stripedcake #baking #bake #anyonecancake #layercake #cakedecorating #cakesofinstagram #cake #lavendercake

Footer

On the Blog

  • Cake Basics
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials

Info

  • About
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure

stay in the know

Copyright © 2023 Ā· Theme by Sugar & Sparrow