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Sugar & Sparrow

Lifestyle and Cake from Portland Oregon

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chocolate buttercream

hot cocoa cake recipe with homemade marshmallow filling

January 7, 2026 · In: Cake, Featured, Holiday, Recipes, Seasonal, Winter

Hot Cocoa Cake with Homemade Marshmallow Filling

I know I’m not alone in saying that a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows on top is downright nostalgic. This cake captures that warm feeling and will satisfy any…

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yellow cupcake recipe with chocolate buttercream frosting

April 17, 2023 · In: Cupcakes, Featured, Recipes

Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

There is no cake more nostalgic to me than yellow cake with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. It’s the birthday cake my mom made for me every year growing up…

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black buttercream recipe with minimal food coloring

October 15, 2021 · In: Featured, Frosting, Halloween, Recipes, Seasonal

Black Buttercream Recipe with Minimal Food Coloring

UPDATE 2023: I recently found a way to make black buttercream with ZERO food color gel, so if you’re looking for a dye-free alternative be sure to check out this…

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toasted smores cupcakes by sugar and sparrow

June 30, 2020 · In: Cupcakes, Featured, Recipes, Seasonal, Summer

Toasted S’mores Cupcakes

I can’t tell you how many requests I’ve gotten for a cupcake version of my S’mores Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream. It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes (s’mores fan…

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chocolate buttercream recipe

January 11, 2019 · In: Featured, Frosting, Recipes

Favorite Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

One of my friends described this chocolate buttercream perfectly: it’s the kind you have to put in the sink and cover with water so you don’t eat the whole bowl….

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gingerbread cake recipe

December 16, 2018 · In: Cake, Featured, Holiday, Recipes, Seasonal

Gingerbread Layer Cake Recipe

Learn how to bake this gingerbread layer cake and decorate it with festive candy for the perfect addition to your Holiday dessert table

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Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

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BLACK VELVET CAKE 🖤 can you believe that this deli BLACK VELVET CAKE 🖤 can you believe that this deliciously moist all-black cake is made with ZERO FOOD COLORING?! The magic of black cocoa powder creates the perfect black cake + dye-free black buttercream for the ultimate Halloween party cake that won’t turn anyone’s mouth black 👻 plus it tastes like Oreo cookies so I’m obsessed!!

Full recipe (with black buttercream + my fave black cocoa powder) linked in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/black-velvet-cake-recipe/
 
You’ll also find recipes for a cupcake version, a vegan version, and a small batch version if you search “black velvet” at https://sugarandsparrow.com 
 
BLACK VELVET CAKE  
2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour 
1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated sugar 
2/3 Cup (80g) black cocoa powder 
2 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil 
2 large eggs, room temperature 
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temp
1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot water 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk together. Slowly pour in the hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk until combined. 
3. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 32-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before frosting with black buttercream. Full recipe (with frosting!) linked in my bio✨⁣⁣⁣ 
⁣ 
*If you can’t find buttermilk, mix together 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar as a substitute. ⁣ 
⁣⁣⁣ 
#blackcake #blackbuttercream #blackvelvetcake #cakedecorating #halloweencake
SALTED CARAMEL APPLE CAKE 🍏🍯 layers of deliciously SALTED CARAMEL APPLE CAKE 🍏🍯 layers of deliciously moist apple spice cake and salted caramel buttercream drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce (which is also used to drip the cake and coat the apple on top). Such a classic Fall cake that is so fun to decorate with that dripping caramel apple! 

Comment RECIPE to get the full recipe + decorating tutorial sent to you! Or find it at https://sugarandsparrow.com/caramel-apple-cake-recipe/ 

Here’s what readers have said about this cake:

“This cake is one of the most delicious cakes I have ever had in my life! My husband also said he wants this for his birthday from now on! Fantastic recipe!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I just baked this cake with intentions to sell by the slice but once I posted it someone wanted to buy the whole thing… RIGHT NOW!!! Thanks for the recipe.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I just made this cake for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! The salted caramel buttercream perfectly offset the spiciness of the apple cake. If you’re looking for a cake that celebrates fall flavors, I highly recommend it.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I made this for Thanksgiving and wow! Everyone wants me to make it at Christmas too! Even my husband, who doesn’t usually like sweets had two pieces and said I nailed it. It was a big hit with my family.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 
#saltedcaramel #applecake #caramelcake #cakedecorating #fallbaking
MONSTER HALLOWEEN CAKE 👀 🥳 give me a handful of pi MONSTER HALLOWEEN CAKE 👀 🥳 give me a handful of piping tips and some googly eyes sprinkles and this is what happens 😆 I love this cake design so much because you can truly go with the flow with your buttercream piping. The googly eyes will make that piping come alive! 
⁣
The full tutorial is linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/buttercream-monster-cake-tutorial/
⁣
👩🏽‍🍳 buttercream recipe: my vanilla buttercream at https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-buttercream-recipe/
🎨 frosting colors: @americolor Electric Green, Electric Purple, Orange, and Deep Pink + added black cocoa powder for the black piping⁣
✨piping tips: @wiltoncakes 1M, 104, 4B, 233, 10, and 16 ⁣
👀 eye sprinkles: @michaelsstores
⁣
#monstercake #halloweencake #cakedecorating #halloweenparty
#buttercream
APPLE CRISP CAKE 🍏I took everything I love about a APPLE CRISP CAKE 🍏I took everything I love about apple crisp and turned it into the ultimate layer cake with deliciously moist spiced apple cake, homemade apple pie filling, buttery crumble topping, and cinnamon-vanilla buttercream. This cake is packed with warm fall flavors, incredible textures, and truly tastes like apple crisp in cake form! 🙌🏽

Comment RECIPE and I’ll send it to you! Or find it linked in my bio + https://sugarandsparrow.com/apple-crisp-cake-recipe/

#applecake #layercake #cakedecorating #fallbaking #applecrisp
CARAMEL APPLE CUPCAKES 🍏deliciously moist, perfect CARAMEL APPLE CUPCAKES 🍏deliciously moist, perfectly spiced apple cupcakes topped with a swirl of salted caramel buttercream and drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce – these are the ideal Fall cupcakes if you ask me! 

Comment RECIPE and I’ll send it to you! Or find it linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/caramel-apple-cupcakes/

#applecupcakes #saltedcaramel #caramelcupcakes #fallbaking #caramelapple

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