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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 Parè 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 · In: Lifestyle · 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

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Comments

  1. 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! 🙂 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
  2. 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

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PEACHES AND CREAM CAKE 🍑 I have not been able to s PEACHES AND CREAM CAKE 🍑 I have not been able to stop thinking about how tender this cake is (even when chilled!) + every bite has the most refreshing, creamy peach flavor 🙌🏼 it’s layers of extra soft vanilla cake, homemade peach syrup, brown sugar peach filling, and cloud-like whipped cream frosting. Best use of your late summer peaches imo!

Comment “PEACH CAKE” and I’ll send the recipe straight to you 💌 or find the recipe at https://sugarandsparrow.com/peaches-and-cream-cake/

#peachesandcream #peachcake #whippedcreamcake #peaches #cakedecorating
OREO CAKE 🖤 with black cocoa powder in those moist OREO CAKE 🖤 with black cocoa powder in those moist chocolate cake layers (same main ingredient in Oreo cookie shells!) + cookies and cream buttercream, the flavor profile of this cake is so spot on!! Make this for the Oreo lover in your life 😍
  
Get the recipe at https://sugarandsparrow.com/oreo-cake-recipe/
  
#cookiesandcream #oreocake #oreo #blackvelvet #chocolatecake 
EASY FUDGE BROWNIE ICE CREAM 🤎 (recipe below) the EASY FUDGE BROWNIE ICE CREAM 🤎 (recipe below) the easiest no-churn chocolate ice cream with gooey brownies + ribbons of fudge in every bite!! Even if you’ve never made ice cream before, you’ll be amazed at how easy this is to make without an ice cream maker 

🍦Full recipe at https://sugarandsparrow.com/no-churn-fudge-brownie-ice-cream/ + more no-churn ice cream recipes linked in my bio 

INGREDIENTS
2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
3/4 cup (4oz, 135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup (30g) cocoa powder 
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2 cups brownie chunks (store bought or homemade) 
6 oz hot fudge sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer (or stand mixer w/ whisk attachment) until stiff peaks form, about 2-4 minutes. Place into refrigerator.
2. Heat the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate, then whisk in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. 
4. Fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into the chocolate condensed milk mixture. Then, pour the chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped cream and fold together until combined. Fold in the brownie chunks. 
5. Scoop large spoonfuls of the brownie ice cream mixture into a loaf pan along with a few smaller spoonfuls of the hot fudge sauce. Use a wooden skewer or butter knife to swirl the hot fudge and create ribbons as you go. Continue adding and swirling until all of it is in the loaf pan.
6. Press the reserved brownies into the top of the ice cream, then cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Freeze for 6-8 hours, after which the ice cream should be semi-firm, scoop-able, and ready to enjoy!

#nochurnicecream #brownieicecream #chocolateicecream #nobake #icecreamlover
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Get the full recipe link in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/key-lime-pie-cake/ 

#keylimepie #keylimecake #keylime #cakedecorating #layercake
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✨recipe linked in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/lemon-raspberry-layer-cake/
 
#lemonraspberry #lemoncake #raspberrycake #pinkcake #layercake

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