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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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LEMON RASPBERRY CAKE 🍋♥️ this cake has the dreamie LEMON RASPBERRY CAKE 🍋♥️ this cake has the dreamiest layers: soft and zesty lemon cake with raspberries baked into every bite, thick homemade raspberry filling, and lemon raspberry buttercream with the prettiest natural color 😍 
 
✨recipe linked in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/lemon-raspberry-layer-cake/
 
#lemonraspberry #lemoncake #raspberrycake #pinkcake #layercake
SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM ✨I could eat this salty SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM ✨I could eat this salty-sweet caramel frosting by the spoonful but it’s absolutely delicious on cakes, cupcakes, macarons, and more 🙌🏽 I use my homemade EASY salted caramel recipe here but you can use any salted caramel sauce that you love.⁣

✨Full recipe (including homemade salted caramel) + cake pairing suggestions are on my blog at https://sugarandsparrow.com/salted-caramel-buttercream-recipe/ 
⁣
SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM⁣
Yield: 2.5 Cups ⁣
⁣
INGREDIENTS⁣
1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature⁣
3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar⁣
2 tsp vanilla extract⁣
1/2 Cup (120ml) salted caramel sauce, room temperature⁣
Pinch of salt⁣
⁣
INSTRUCTIONS:⁣
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter on high until it’s creamy and light in color, 5-6 minutes. ⁣
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each interval.⁣
3. With the mixer still on low, mix in the vanilla extract, salted caramel, and a pinch of salt. Continue mixing on low speed until fully combined. ⁣
⁣
#saltedcaramel #caramel #cakedecorating #frosting #buttercream
NO-CHURN BERRY CRISP ICE CREAM✨you don’t need any NO-CHURN BERRY CRISP ICE CREAM✨you don’t need any fancy equipment to whip up this delicious ice cream that tastes JUST like berry crisp a la mode! I layered my favorite 3-ingredient no-churn vanilla ice cream base with ribbons of homemade berry filling + buttery oat streusel in every bite. Even if you’ve never made ice cream from scratch before, I promise you can master this recipe!! 
 
🍦Full recipe linked in my bio or find it at https://sugarandsparrow.com/no-churn-berry-crisp-ice-cream/

#nochurnicecream #icecream #icecreamlover #berries #summerdessert
STRAWBERRY SHEET CAKE 🍓based on my favorite strawb STRAWBERRY SHEET CAKE 🍓based on my favorite strawberry layer cake recipe, this sheet cake version is so fun to decorate + such a crowd pleaser! I love using a combination of fresh and freeze-dried strawberries to create the most powerful authentic flavor ✨
 
🍓Full recipe (with strawberry buttercream) at https://sugarandsparrow.com/strawberry-sheet-cake-recipe/
⁣ 
STRAWBERRY SHEET CAKE⁣ 
Serves 24
⁣ 
INGREDIENTS⁣ 
1 Cup (12oz) fresh strawberries, pureed ⁣ 
3/4 Cup (180ml) whole milk, room temp⁣ 
2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour⁣ 
2 tsp baking powder⁣ 
1/4 tsp baking soda⁣ 
1/2 tsp salt⁣ 
3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temp⁣ 
1 2/3 Cups (350g) granulated sugar⁣ 
3 large eggs, room temp⁣ 
1/3 Cup (75g) sour cream, room temp⁣ 
2 tsp pure vanilla extract⁣ 
1-2 drops pink food coloring (optional)⁣ 
⁣ 
INSTRUCTIONS⁣ 
1. Simmer the strawberry puree in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point the puree should have reduced from 1 Cup to 1/2 Cup (if you have more, keep cooking!). Refrigerate until room temp, then whisk together with the whole milk and set aside.⁣ 
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a 13×9 inch baking pan. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. ⁣ 
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the butter on high until creamy, 2 min. Add the sugar and beat with the butter until light and fluffy, 2 min. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and sour cream, then turn the mixer to high and beat for 1 minute.⁣ 
5. With the mixer on low, add all of the dry ingredients at once until just combined, then add the strawberry milk mixture and pink food coloring (if using) until just combined. Give the batter a few stirs by hand to make sure everything is incorporated without over-mixing. ⁣ 
6. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. ⁣ Cool completely to room temperature before topping with strawberry buttercream (full recipe at the li
COOKIES & CREAM ICE CREAM CAKE 🤎 If you’re an Oreo COOKIES & CREAM ICE CREAM CAKE 🤎 If you’re an Oreo lover, this is your sign to make an ice cream cake this summer: no-churn cookies & cream ice cream set on an Oreo cookie crust, topped with hot fudge and whipped cream frosting. The perfect amount of Oreos in EVERY BITE! 

Full recipe link in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/cookies-and-cream-ice-cream-cake/ 

OREO CRUST
22 Oreo cookies
5 Tbsp melted butter

ICE CREAM LAYER
2 Cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
14 Oz sweetened condensed milk
15 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

TOPPINGS
12.8 Oz jar of hot fudge
Whipped cream frosting (see full recipe link)
4 Oreo cookies, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix together the Oreo crust ingredients and pack tightly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze while you make the ice cream.
2. In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream and vanilla to stiff peaks. Fold in the sweetened condensed milk until uniform, then fold in the chopped Oreos. Pile the ice cream on top of the Oreo crust, smooth it down, cover and freeze overnight.
3. When the ice cream layer is set, top with the hot fudge, whipped cream frosting, and more chopped Oreos. Store in the freezer until ready to serve! 

#oreocake #icecreamcake #nochurnicecream #birthdaycake #cookiesandcream

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