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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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POV: you ask for a construction truck birthday cak POV: you ask for a construction truck birthday cake (and I’m your mom) 🚜🥳 I took inspiration from @beyondfrosting for this design to celebrate my littlest turning three! Details: 

👩🏽‍🍳 Cake Recipe: my easy chocolate sheet cake (you’ll find it on my blog!) 
🤎 Dirt: Oreo cookie crumbs
🚜 Construction trucks + cones: @amazon 
🥳 Sprinkles: @fancysprinkles 
✨ Piping tip for the border: @wiltoncakes 4B 

#birthdaycake #partycake #constructiontruckcake #cakeideas #constructioncake
TOP 10 BIRTHDAY CAKES 🥳 These are just a few of my TOP 10 BIRTHDAY CAKES 🥳 These are just a few of my favorite birthday cake recipes that will make anyone feel special! 

Comment “BIRTHDAY” and I’ll send you all 24+ of my favorite birthday cake ideas –  classics like funfetti cake and yellow cake with chocolate frosting, plus ice cream cakes, sheet cakes, and more complex flavor combos like Snickers cake and Millionaire cake. 

https://sugarandsparrow.com/best-birthday-cake-recipes/

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BERRIES & CREAM SHEET CAKE 🍓🫐 deliciously light, n BERRIES & CREAM SHEET CAKE 🍓🫐 deliciously light, naturally stunning, and the easiest cake you’ll want to make all Summer long!! It’s my favorite bakery-style vanilla sheet cake that’s so soft and moist, topped with silky whipped cream cheese frosting and fresh berries. I love how quickly this cake comes together with simple ingredients + doesn’t require any fancy cake decorating techniques to make it a showstopper✨

Grab the recipe link in my bio or find it at https://sugarandsparrow.com/berries-and-cream-sheet-cake/

#berrycake #berriesandcream #sheetcake #whippedcreamfrosting #cakedecorating
FUNFETTI SHEET CAKE 🥳 the most celebratory flavor FUNFETTI SHEET CAKE 🥳 the most celebratory flavor of all and so perfect for a crowd. It’s extra soft and moist vanilla cake speckled with rainbow sprinkles + captures that box mix texture but it’s 100% homemade and EASY! Top it with vanilla buttercream and rainbow sprinkles for the perfect party cake 🎉
 
Full recipe (w/ frosting) at the link in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/funfetti-sheet-cake/ 

INGREDIENTS 
2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour 
2 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp salt 
3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temp 
1 3/4 Cup (340g) granulated white sugar 
3 large eggs, room temp 
1/2 Cup (120g) sour cream, room temp 
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract 
1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temp 
1/3 Cup (60g) rainbow sprinkles, coated in 1 tsp flour 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163ºC). Grease and line a 9×13 baking pan. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.  
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 min. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high speed. 
4. Turn the mixer off and add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then add the milk and mix until just incorporated.  
5. Coat the rainbow sprinkles in 1 teaspoon of flour, then gently fold them into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the baking dish until room temperature, then decorate with vanilla buttercream + rainbow sprinkles (full recipe link in bio!) 
 
#funfetti #funfetticake #sheetcake #cake #birthdaycake
COOKIE DOUGH ICE CREAM CAKE 🍪🍦this is the birthday COOKIE DOUGH ICE CREAM CAKE 🍪🍦this is the birthday cake of my DREAMS and I’m so excited to share the recipe with you!! It’s chocolate and vanilla no-churn ice creams with homemade cookie dough chunks in every bite, swirled together and set on a delicious Oreo cookie crust 😍 easy, perfectly sliceable, and ideal for making ahead! I’m already dreaming about when I can make it again ✨

Get the recipe link in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-ice-cream-cake/

#birthdaycake #icecreamcake #cakedecorating #nochurnicecream #icecreamlover

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