Cake Serving Sizes 

In the cake world, there are two main portion sizes: wedding servings and party servings. For weddings, cakes are generally sliced into rectangles that are about 4 inches tall (the height of the cake) x 1 inch wide x 1 inch deep. For cakes taller than 4 inches, wedding servings often get sliced into tall rectangles and then cut in half widthwise. Here are some examples to help you visualize:

Party servings are generally a little bit larger since party guest lists don’t tend to be as long as a wedding guest list. Depending on the size of the cake and number of people it’s planning to serve, a party cake may be cut into tall rectangles that are wider than a wedding serving (4 inches tall x 2 inches wide x 1 inch deep) OR cut into triangle-shaped slices that are about 2 inches wide. If the cake is taller than 4 inches, you might see the slices cut in half widthwise. Here are some examples of party cake slices: 

Calculating the Amount of Cake Batter You Need

Now that you know how cakes are sliced for different kinds of events, you can use the chart below to figure out what size cake you’ll need for your next event. Note that the cake batter amounts are included in the chart so you’ll know approximately how much you need per cake size. For reference on how much to scale your cake recipe per cake size: 

• My recipes written for 3 layer 6-inch cakes or 2 layer 8-inch cakes = 6 ½ Cups of batter
• My recipes written for 4 layer 6-inch cakes or 3 layer 8-inch cakes = 9 Cups of batter
• 1 box of cake mix = 4 to 6 Cups of batter

Note that the chart below has batter amounts for filling the pans ½ to ⅔ full. Any less full and you’ll end up with pancake-like cake layers and any more full and you risk the chance of the pan overflowing. It’s best to test the cake recipe you’re planning on using ahead of time just to see how much rise it has, especially if it’s for an important event. This way you’ll be totally prepared!

PS: If you need to figure out how much frosting to make for your cake, here’s a handy chart on buttercream quantity per cake size!

Cake Portion Chart

Use the chart below to plan out your cake size and calculate the amount of batter you need.

I hope this chart comes in handy when you’re planning out your next cake! I put some related posts below to help you even further. Let me know in the comments what you used this chart for and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me! I love to see what you create.

Other Posts You Might Like:

• How Much Buttercream Do I Need?
• How to Bake My Cake Recipes as Cupcakes
• How to Make & Decorate Cakes Ahead of Time

The post How Many Servings Per Cake Size (Chart Included!) appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Essentially, this is what scaling a recipe up or down involves: 

• To scale a recipe up (double, triple, and so on), multiply all of the ingredients by the scaling amount. For example, to double a recipe, multiply each ingredient on the list by two. 
• To scale a recipe down (halve, third, or quarter), divide all of the ingredients by the scaling amount. For example, to halve a recipe, divide each ingredient on the list by two. 

Using a Recipe Scale Calculator

Scaling a recipe involves a lot of simple math, basically either dividing or multiplying an ingredients list. But what if you don’t want to do the math by hand? I recommend finding a trusty recipe scale calculator like this one to do the math for you! All you do is copy/paste an ingredients list into the recipe scale calculator, select your scaling amount, and presto! Your ingredients list amounts will be altered to yield the amount you want. 

Tip: Be sure to double check the final amounts in your ingredients list after using a recipe scale calculator. Sometimes you may find that a recipe written in cups (with grams in parenthesis) will only scale the cups amount and leave whatever is within the parenthesis alone. Or you may notice that if a recipe states to use “1 large egg + 1 large egg white” may only scale the first part of the ingredient and leave what follows the plus sign alone. 

How Much to Scale a Recipe 

It can be tricky to know just how much to scale a recipe if you don’t know where to start. Hopefully these tips make it simple for you: 

Scaling a Recipe Up

When you need more than a recipe yields, you’ll need to scale it up. This will mean multiplying every ingredient in the recipe list by your scaling amount. Let’s say a cake recipe yields two 8-inch layers but you need to make three 8-inch layers. In this case, you’ll want to multiply the recipe by 1.5. The math here would be:

(anticipated recipe yield) / (current recipe yield), or in this case 3/2 = 1.5 

You will need to scale the recipe by 1.5 to get the correct amount of ingredients. You can either choose the one and one half option in a recipe scale calculator after copy/pasting your ingredients list, or multiply each ingredient by 1.5. 

Here’s how this works for cupcakes. Let’s say you need to make 75 cupcakes for an event and the recipe yields 24 cupcakes. Plugging those numbers into the above equation, you’ll get your scaling amount: 

75/24 = 3.125 

This would mean that you would need to multiply each ingredient on the list by 3.125 to get exactly 75 cupcakes. In this case, you might choose to round up the scaling amount to 3.25 or 3.5 just to make the final ingredient amounts simpler. By rounding up to the nearest quarter or half number, you’d have a little more than enough batter, but in my experience it’s better to have a little more batter than not quite enough.

For buttercream, I wrote out a handy chart that shows how much buttercream you might need for different cake projects. You can use that as a starting point for your scaling! 

Scaling a Recipe Down 

When you need less than a recipe yields, you’ll need to scale it down. This will mean dividing every ingredient in the recipe list by the scaling amount. Let’s say you’re working with a recipe that yields three 6-inch cake layers but you only want to make two 6-inch cake layers. You’ll actually use the same mathematical equation to get the amount you’ll need to scale the recipe by! 

(anticipated recipe yield) / (current recipe yield), or in this case ⅔. 

You will need to scale the recipe by ⅔ to get the correct amount of ingredients. You can either choose the two thirds option in a recipe scale calculator after copy/pasting your ingredients list, or multiply each ingredient by ⅔ (or 0.66667). I know I said we’re dividing the recipe, but it takes multiplication to get there when working with some fractions and decimals. 

Here’s how this works with cupcakes. Let’s say you’re working with a recipe that yields 24 cupcakes but you only want to make 6. Plugging the numbers into the equation:

6 / 24 = ¼ or 0.25

This means you’ll need to divide each ingredient on the list by 4, or multiply each ingredient by 0.25 to make exactly 6 cupcakes. 

Again, for buttercream, I wrote out a handy chart that shows how much buttercream you might need for different cake projects that you can use as a starting point for your scaling! 

What about Eggs?

Sometimes when scaling a recipe, you may end up with an odd number of eggs. For example, if the original recipe calls for 1 large egg and you’re making ⅓ of the recipe, how do you measure out ⅓ of an egg? Here’s how: crack an egg into a bowl and whisk it up before dividing it into the amount you need. For example, if you need ⅓ of an egg and the beaten egg totals 3 Tbsp (45ml), use 1 Tbsp (15ml). If you end up with an amount like 2 ½ eggs after scaling, use two whole eggs + ½ of a beaten egg.

I know this seems like a lot of math (which I personally don’t love), but math is a big part of baking. Science and art are also big parts of baking, which is what makes it so fascinating to me! 

I hope this post helps start you on the right when scaling your recipes! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me your cake projects! I love to see what you create.

The post How to Scale a Cake Recipe Up or Down appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

To make things a little easier, I whipped up some handy charts below to give you a good estimate of how much frosting to make for your bakes. 

Will This Chart Work with Any Kind of Frosting?

I wrote this chart with American Buttercream in mind (which is my go-to frosting). If you’re going by volume (not by weight),  this chart will work with any kind of frosting – swiss meringue buttercream, italian meringue buttercream, whipped cream frosting, etc. Most frosting recipes will state how much they yield in Cups (aka by volume), so you can base your estimations and scaling off of the chart below regardless of your preferred frosting. 

Tips for Scaling Frosting Recipes 

Let’s say you need 4.5 Cups of frosting based on the chart below, and you notice that one batch of the buttercream recipe you’re using yields only 3 Cups. How should you proceed? 

Working backwards, you’d divide 4.5 Cups by 3 Cups to get your answer: 4.5/3 = 1.5. In other words, you’ll need 1.5 batches of your buttercream recipe to have enough for your project. That means you’ll multiply each ingredient in your buttercream recipe by 1.5 to scale the recipe properly. 

If you don’t want to do all that math by hand, I recommend using a recipe scale calculator like this one where you can simply copy/paste your ingredients list and choose the scale amount (in this case, scale by one and one half) to get the correct amount of each ingredient.    

I will say that it’s always better to have a little more buttercream than you expected than to not have enough. To prevent that scenario, I recommend rounding up when estimating.

*A Note on Gram Measurements: I didn’t put gram measurements on this chart because different kinds of frosting vary by weight per cup. If you’re using American Buttercream (like most of my recipes), then you can go with the gram measurement of 1 Cup = 215g and scale the recipe from there.

I hope that you find this chart and info helpful for your cake planning! Let me know in the comments if you do and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me what you make! I always love to see what you create.

The post How Much Buttercream Do I Need? Helpful Chart Included! appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

How to Convert My Layer Cake Recipes to Cupcakes

The best part about baking my layer cake recipes as cupcakes is that there’s no need to tweak the recipe at all. You’ll make the batter as-is, spoon the batter into a lined cupcake pan, and bake for a shorter amount of time – that’s it! Here are some simple rules for cupcake success with my recipes:

• Prepare your cupcake pan by placing a cupcake liner into each cavity
• Fill the cupcake liners between ½ and ⅔ full 
• Bake at 350ºF/177ºC for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

How Many Cupcakes Will a Layer Cake Recipe Yield?

The answer to this question depends on what the layer cake recipe yields in its original form. Take a look at the baking instructions for the layer cake. If it’s written for three 6-inch layers or two 8-inch layers, the recipe will yield 24-30 cupcakes. If the recipe is written for four 6-inch layers or three 8-inch layers, the recipe will yield 34-40 cupcakes. 

Here are a few examples of recipes that will yield 24-30 cupcakes:

• Perfect Vanilla Cake
• One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
• Churro Cake
• Oreo Cookies & Cream Cake
• Strawberry Layer Cake

Here are a few examples of recipes that will yield 34-40 cupcakes:

• Rainbow Funfetti Cake
• Milk & Cereal Cake
• Favorite Matcha Cake
• Salted Caramel Apple Cake
• Toasted Marshmallow S’mores Cake

How to Scale the Recipe to Yield LESS Cupcakes

Maybe you only need a dozen or so cupcakes. Great news for you! All you have to do is scale the recipe down, which can be done with simple math or by using an online recipe scale calculator like this one. 

If the recipe originally yields three 6-inch layers or two 8-inch layers, scaling the recipe by half will yield 12-15 cupcakes. This means you’ll need to divide each ingredient in the recipe by two to get the correct amount per ingredient on the list. If you’re using an online recipe scale calculator, you’ll simply copy/paste the ingredients list into the ingredients field, then select one half (½) as your conversion factor.   

If the recipe originally yields four 6-inch layers or two 8-inch layers, you can scale the recipe by half using the instructions in the above paragraph to yield 17-20 cupcakes. You could alternatively scale the recipe by one third (⅓) to yield 11-13 cupcakes, but the math will be a little trickier, as you’ll have to divide each ingredient by 3. 

A Note About Eggs When Scaling a Recipe: Sometimes you’ll end up with an odd amount of eggs when scaling a recipe. The general rule of thumb is to crack the odd egg into a bowl and whisk it up before dividing it into the amount you need. For example, if you need ⅓ of an egg and the beaten egg totals 3 Tbsp (45ml), use 1 Tbsp (15ml). If you need 2 ½ eggs, use two whole eggs + ½ of a beaten egg. 

How to Scale the Recipe to Yield MORE Cupcakes

First, determine how many cupcakes you need total. Then divide that total number by the average amount of cupcakes a layer cake recipe yields as-is. For example, if the total cupcakes needed equals 100 and you’re working with a recipe that yields 24-30 cupcakes (or on average, 27 cupcakes), you’ll need about 4x the recipe (100/27 = 3.7) to yield 100 cupcakes. 

After determining the amount you need to scale the recipe, multiply each ingredient by that amount. In the above example, you would multiply each ingredient by 4 to get 4x the recipe. 

What About Fillings and Frostings? 

You can absolutely still make the same fillings and frostings for the cupcakes as you would for the layer cake! This way, you’ll essentially have cute little single-serve versions. This S’mores Cupcakes recipe explains how to fill cupcakes, but if the layer cake recipe uses the same buttercream for filling and frosting, I’d recommend skipping the filling of the cupcakes and simply piping the buttercream on top. That will give you the perfect ratio of frosting to cupcake. 

Find all of my layer cake recipes to practice with here + enjoy all of my already-converted cupcake recipes here.  

I hope all of this info helps with your next batch of cupcakes! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create! 

The post How to Bake My Layer Cake Recipes as Cupcakes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

First, let’s talk about some make ahead tips for baking cake layers, making frosting, and storing it all so it’s ready to go when you’re ready to decorate. There are a few different methods and preferences on the subject that vary from baker to baker, and the purpose of this post is to talk about my own preferred methods. I’ve gathered them all in the video below, so give it a watch before reading on to commit these make ahead tips to memory.

And side note: if you’re wanting to learn more Cake Basics, be sure to check out my YouTube channel and hit the Subscribe button so you never miss a new one. In addition to the basics, you’ll also find my favorite recipes and cake decorating tutorials to broaden your skill set!

Storing Unfrosted Cake Layers 

When you’re building a cake, it’s ultra important that your cake layers are room temperature and not even a little bit warm (trust me, your frosting will melt). Because of this, you’ve got to give your cakes a few hours to cool after they come out of the oven. This means padding in those extra hours of cooling time into your overall timeline, which can end up taking a lot of your day if you’re doing all of it the day of. Instead, there are a few options for baking your cake layers and storing them properly so they’re ready to go on decorating day:

Storing at Room Temperature

If you’re baking your cakes a day or two ahead of decorating day, you can store them at room temperature as long as they’re wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.

Just be sure to wait until they’re completely cooled before wrapping them in plastic wrap, as the steam from a hot cake layer can create excess condensation in the storage process. Nobody wants a soggy cake!

Freezing Cake Layers

If you’re baking your cakes more than two days ahead of time, I recommend freezing your cake layers. Again, it’s important that you let the cakes cool completely before wrapping them up. As long as you wrap them properly, they will keep for up to two months in the freezer and once thawed will taste just as fresh as the day you baked them! Talk about a cake hack. 

To ensure they stay extra fresh, I like to wrap the cake layers in one layer of plastic wrap, then one layer of aluminum foil, then place them into a ziploc bag (or other airtight container that can go in the freezer). When you’re ready to use them, simply take the cake layers out of the freezer the day before decorating to thaw them. 

Remove them from the ziploc bag, but keep them in their aluminum foil/plastic wrap covering. This way, any excess condensation will escape and gather on top of the foil, which acts as a barrier to keep the cake beneath it from getting soggy. Then, on decorating day, remove all the wrapping and you’ll have your cake layers thawed and ready to go! 

Making Buttercream Ahead 

To make your buttercream frosting ahead of time, simply place it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks before decorating day.

When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature by placing it on the counter for an hour or two. Once it reaches room temperature, add it back into your stand mixer and mix it on low speed for about a minute.

This will bring it back to frosting consistency and you’ll be ready to roll! 

Storing Crumb Coated Cakes 

After you’ve filled and frosted your cake with a crumb coat, it’s safe to store it in the refrigerator overnight without the risk of drying out the cake. The thin layer of buttercream acts as a barrier to preserve the cake underneath and help it maintain its moisture. 

I always like to add my final layer of frosting to a chilled crumb coated cake anyways, because having a nice firm structure underneath the final layer is one of the secrets to creating a smooth buttercream finish. Even if you don’t plan on storing your crumb coated cake in the fridge overnight, I highly recommend letting it firm up in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you add your final layer of frosting. Here’s everything you need to know about how and why I crumb coat my cakes.

Storing Decorated Cakes (Uncut) 

Once the final layer of frosting has been added and you’ve decorated your cake, the safest place to preserve it is in the refrigerator, uncovered (in my opinion). This way, the details of your decorating will be preserved while keeping the cake beneath all that frosting nice and moist. I like to decorate my cakes and store them in the refrigerator overnight before serving them.

Although I don’t have much experience with fondant covered cakes, I store my buttercream frosted cakes with ganache drips, buttercream piping, sprinkles, and even fondant/gumpaste accents in the refrigerator overnight, until about an hour or two before serving the cake. If I’m driving the cake somewhere, I keep it in the fridge until the minute I walk out the door. This is because cakes that are chilled are much easier to handle and transport while keeping the details intact. 

Cakes With Fresh Flowers

If you’re topping a cake with fresh flowers, I recommend keeping those flowers in a vase of water until the morning of the cake due date. Then, prepare the flowers according to these instructions to ensure they stay fresh once you top the cake with them. 

Since fresh flowers tend to wilt over time (some quicker than others), adding these final touches the day of is your best bet. 

Cakes With Fresh Berries

Berries (and fruits in general) are full of liquid, so if you are adding these to your cake, it’s best to add them last minute if possible. This will often require that you save some of the final buttercream piping until the due date of the cake as well, since those berries will need something to adhere to (and firm buttercream doesn’t make the best glue). 

To work ahead, you can always frost the final layer of the buttercream, add any ganache drips, and store the cake overnight in the refrigerator. Then finish the rest of the decorating the day the cake is due to keep those berries looking fresh. 

Cakes Topped With Cotton Candy

Cotton candy makes a pretty whimsical cake topper, but it’s a fleeting one. Since cotton candy only lasts about an hour before beginning to disintegrate, I wait until the cake is going on display to add the cotton candy – aka the very last minute. This way you get an hour for people to ooh and ahh before you cut the cake and no one has to know the cotton candy was about to fall apart.

Creating a Cake Timeline 

To best prepare yourself, especially if you’re just getting started on your cake journey, it’s a really good idea to establish a cake timeline for yourself. This just helps you plan ahead so you’re not scrambling to get your materials together last minute. Here’s a sample timeline that I have gone by when making cakes with due dates:

Notice that frosting and decorating the cake is split between day 3 and 4. This is just to give you extra padding in case you don’t want to do all the final decorating the day before. Your timeline will depend on what your final design will be, so be sure to take some time to think about things and plan out your schedule before you get in over your head.

Once you get the hang of how long things take, you can certainly squeeze this timeline even tighter and do more work closer to the due date. You can also freeze cake layers and store buttercream weeks in advance so you can eliminate more work for yourself the week of. It’s all up to you! But hopefully these make ahead tips and sample timeline give you the tools you need to set yourself up for success. Happy cake making!

The post How to Make + Decorate Cakes Ahead of Time appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

A note on this cake stand pictured above: I get asked about where it can be purchased all the time, and sadly I haven’t been able to find the same one online! It was a birthday gift from my sister in law many years ago, before Sugar & Sparrow was even a twinkle in my eye. I did find this very similar one on Amazon that you can feel free to check out. And as for where I get my other cake stands, I’ve had great luck at thrift shops, Target, eBay, and Amazon (here’s another one I use all the time). 

Before I get to the written tutorial below, here is a quick video I whipped up of the process showing two different styles of cake: one with a buttercream finish and one with sprinkles around the bottom edge. Give it a watch before you read on: 

Want to see more Cake Basics videos like this one? Head to my YouTube Channel to see the growing collection of recipes and cake decorating tutorials that’ll help you learn all the basics. You’ll also find tons of cake recipes and decorating videos there to inspire you and broaden your skill set – be sure to hit the subscribe button so you never miss a new one!

You Will Need

• A decorated cake on a turntable
• Cake stand or box 
• Angled spatula 
• Hot water 
• Dish towel

Step 1: Prep The Cake 

There are two things that are essential when it comes to a successful cake transfer: 1) a solid foundation underneath the cake and 2) a chilled cake. First, the cake needs to have been stacked on a cardboard cake circle in the filling and stacking process to ensure it has a sturdy foundation. This method will not work if you don’t have a firm foundation beneath that cake, because it’s nearly impossible to lift a layer cake that’s just sponge on the bottom. It might work with a cake lifter, but even still, I highly recommend building your layer cakes on a cardboard cake circle for easy maneuvering, 

Second, I always start the transfer with a chilled cake. To make sure the cake is nice and chilled before attempting to move it, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer. This will get that buttercream finish nice and solid so that if you do end up touching the cake finish during the transfer, you won’t fingerprint it easily. 

Step 2: Heat the Spatula 

Once the cake is nice and chilled, heat up an angled spatula by running it under some hot water for a few seconds, then drying it thoroughly with a towel.

Heating the spatula will help create a clean edge in the next step. 

Step 3: Release the Cake From the Turntable 

Now that the spatula is warm, run it all along the bottom edge of the cake to release it from the turntable. You’ll want to keep the spatula as close and parallel to the turntable as possible to get a clean edge around the bottom of the cake. 

As you go around, the seal between the buttercream frosted cake and the turntable will be completely released.

Once you’ve gone around the entire cake, work your spatula underneath to lift up one side.

Step 4: Move the Cake 

With your spatula lifting one side of the cake, slide one hand underneath the cake. Remove the spatula and place your other hand beneath the cake and slowly lift it up.

Move the cake over to the stand, going as slowly as you’d like.

Once you’ve made it to the stand, gently lower the cake and keep one edge of it lifted to pivot the cake around where you want it. Then, slide the angled spatula back underneath and gently lower the cake edge before removing the spatula.

Notice that I’ve got my finger covering the area above the spatula to prevent the buttercream finish from sliding off with the spatula. 

Step 5: Fix Any Areas (If Necessary)

Now that the cake is safe and sound on the stand, I like to slightly re-heat my spatula using the hot water method shown in step 2 and run it all around the bottom edge of the cake to press in any areas that look flared out or imperfect from the transfer. This helps to make the cake look even more flawless! 

And there you have it! All my best tips for moving your cake onto a stand, all while keeping it looking picture perfect. You can use this same method for moving a cake into a box, onto a serving plate, or wherever your cake needs to end up. 

If you want to learn more about cake baking and decorating, be sure to follow along with this Cake Basics series and all of the fun cake decorating videos I release on my YouTube page. Hit that subscribe button over there so you never miss a new video. And PS: I’m always thinking of new Cake Basics topics to help you learn, so if there’s something you’d love for me to cover please leave a comment below with your idea! 

The post How to Transfer Cakes From a Turntable to a Stand appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

After my fair share of sunken cake layers, I took to researching why exactly a cake recipe (even one you’ve had success with in the past!) would deflate in the center. Without further ado, here are the top 9 reasons I could gather: 

1: Your Baking Powder is Expired

Baking powder is one of the ingredients that gives your cake a beautiful rise. Unlike baking soda, which pretty much lasts forever, baking powder will expire between 6 months and one year. It’s especially sensitive to humidity and moisture, so to preserve it for as long as possible, you need to ensure it’s well stored in a cool, dry pantry.   

I always write the date that I open a new can of baking powder on the lid just to remember how long I have until it expires. If you’re not sure how long it’s been, you can test your baking powder by adding ½ teaspoon into a cup and adding ¼ cup of boiling water. If it bubbles up immediately, it’s still good. If not, it’s important that you get a new tin before baking a cake recipe. Sadly, expired baking powder won’t allow for the chemical reaction that a cake needs to rise. 

2: Too Much Leavening Agent 

If there’s too much baking powder or baking soda in a cake recipe, it can cause your cake to rise too rapidly, then sink shortly thereafter. The amount really depends on the other ingredients of the recipe.

A general rule of thumb for the amount of leavening agent in a cake recipe is one teaspoon of baking powder and/or ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per cup of flour. There are exceptions to this for sure, as not all cake recipes have both leavening agents. Some cake recipes that are ultra acidic (like a lemon cake) will require less baking powder to rise because the acidity of lemons cancels it out. See? So much science. 

3: Over-Creaming the Butter and Sugar 

The process of creaming the butter and sugar in a cake recipe is super important to the rise (or fall) of the cake. The majority of gas bubbles are created in the creaming process, and those are responsible for creating both texture and rise. A good rule of thumb is to cream the butter and sugar at a moderate speed for 2-3 minutes. Any more than that and you can end up either losing those precious gas bubbles or creating so many that the cake will rise too quickly and then sink immediately thereafter. 

I tested this theory with my vanilla cake recipe and creamed the mixture for a little bit longer (four minutes) and it’s true – any more than 2-3 minutes, or any higher power on your mixer than medium, will whip too much air into the mixture and cause your cake to fall in the oven. Be sure to follow the recipe exactly when it comes to creaming the butter and sugar, and if you’re ever curious about the time it takes for this to occur (because sometimes recipes don’t specify a time), just cream the room temperature butter with the sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium and you should be good to go. It should be “light and fluffy” after that amount of time, which looks like this: 

4: Your Butter is Too Soft 

Baking involves quite a bit of patience, and bringing the butter to room temperature is no exception. But what exactly is “room temperature”? According to the internet, perfectly room temperature butter will be 68ºF, which means it’ll be a little soft when you press into it, but not so soft that it’s easy to indent with your finger or on the verge of melting. 

If your environment is especially hot, you need to keep an eye on your butter and make sure you don’t leave it out too long before starting on the cake batter. And on the flipside, attempting to soften your butter in the microwave often results in too-soft butter. Regardless of how you ended up with butter that is over-softened, creaming it with the sugar will result in air bubbles that are frothy, hence destroying your chances of a light and fluffy rise. 

5: Over-Beating the Batter 

The process of mixing up cake batter requires beating in just the right amount of air. The air that you beat in is partly responsible for the rise in your cake, and if you beat in too much, your cake will rise too rapidly in the oven and then sink. Over-beating will also overdevelop the gluten in the batter, which will make the texture of your cake more dense. This common problem typically happens at the end of a cake recipe, when you’re adding in the final dry and wet ingredients. 

At the end of most of my cake recipes, I have the mixer on low and add all of the dry ingredients at once and wait until they just start to come together before adding all of the liquid at once. I specify to wait no more than fifteen seconds after adding the liquid, and this is specifically to make sure the batter doesn’t get overmixed. Each cake recipe will require a different process, but just know that the longer you mix the final batter, the more problematic air you’re whipping into it.  

6: Your Oven is Too Hot 

Have you ever checked your internal oven temperature? Sometimes your oven display will read one temperature, while the actual temperature is different. If an oven is too hot, it can cause the cake to rise too rapidly and thus, sink in the remainder of the baking process.

Typically, the resulting cake will have over-baked edges and will be runny in the middle. If you’re ever concerned about your oven temperature, you can purchase a thermometer to place inside your oven to ensure that it’s the right temp. 

7: Opening the Oven Door Prematurely 

I know it can be tempting to want to see what’s going on inside of the oven, but if you open the door during the baking process it lets too much air escape, even if it’s just for a second.

So as to not disturb the oven environment, you can just flip on the oven light to see your cake through the glass and be sure to only open the oven door after the specified baking time to check for doneness. 

8: Your Ingredients Aren’t Room Temperature

It’s ultra important that all of your ingredients are room temperature before you mix up your batter.

This means that your eggs, butter, and all other dairy and liquids need to be room temperature, not any colder or warmer unless the recipe specifies otherwise.

9: It’s Just an Unreliable Recipe 

There are TONS of cake recipes on the internet, and surprise, not all of them are written properly or go through extensive testing. Some common reasons why cakes sink are too much liquid in the recipe, an incorrect amount of leavening agent, or other ingredients with off measurements. Recipe writing requires lots of testing, and I thoroughly test all of my recipes before publishing them for the world to see, but not all bloggers have the time (or ambition) for that. 

Finding the right cake recipe for you means trying out a few to see which ones you love. As long as you follow the detailed instructions and spend a little time comparing, I’m sure you’ll end up with a cake you love! 

Although it’s frustrating to end up with a sunken cake, remember that you might be able to salvage it by leveling off the cake layers. And if all else fails, you can always stress eat your cake layers (like I’ve done many a time), turn them into cake balls, or just dust yourself off and try again!

Want more Cake Basics? Head here to see all of the posts and learn the methods of caking I’ve come to love over the years. I’m cheering you on every step of the way!

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Sheet cakes are very nostalgic for me because they’re what I was raised on. Every year for my childhood birthdays, my mom would bake a single layer cake in a casserole dish, add canned frosting with a butter knife, and top it all with simple birthday candles. It was glorious! 

The sheet cake in this photo looks really similar, but it’s all homemade. I baked my Yellow Cake Recipe in a 9 x 13 casserole dish and frosted it with my Favorite Chocolate Buttercream. You don’t need a ton of cake tools or fancy techniques to make a sheet cake (I frosted this one with a spoon to get those swoops) but if you want to get creative with a non-traditional design, go crazy!

Making the Right Amount of Batter

To bake my layer cake recipes in a 9 x 13 dish or pan, you’ll want to fill it only halfway full. My cake recipes have a bit of rise to them, and filling the pan more full will result in either 1) a really tall single layer of cake or 2) an overflow disaster. Since I know ingredients are semi-scarce right now, I don’t want you to make a big batch of cake batter when you aren’t going to use it all. So here’s a list of my layer cake recipes that you can convert following the instructions below:

For cake recipes that yield four 6-inch cakes or three 8-inch cakes, like the ones listed below, you’ll need to half the recipe to make the right amount of batter: 

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
• Milk & Cookies Cake
• Funfetti Cake
• S’mores Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream
• Milk & Cereal Cake
• Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Espresso Buttercream
• Favorite Matcha Cake 
• Salted Caramel Apple Cake
• Almond Joy Cake (Coconut Almond Cake)

The cakes listed below can be made as-is, but fill the 9 x 13 pan no more than half full. OR, if you really want to do the math, you can make 2/3 of the cake portion of the recipe to make just the right amount: 

• Perfect Vanilla Cake 
• One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
• Yellow Cake 
• Chocolate Oreo Cake 
• Thin Mint Chocolate Cake
• Pretzel Nutella Cake
• Ruby Chocolate Cake
• Spiced Vanilla Chai Cake
• Pumpkin Cake 
• Churro Cake 
• Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Preparing the Sheet Cake Pan 

Once you’ve found the perfect recipe, you’ll need to prepare the pan you’re using for best results. You can use a 9 x 13 inch glass or ceramic casserole dish, or a metal pan of the same dimensions. I tend to use glass or ceramic dishes (especially love this one that came as part of a set from Crate & Barrel) just because I love the way they look right out of the oven, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Either way, prepare the pan or dish by spraying the sides and bottom generously with cooking spray (I love Baker’s Joy for this). You can alternatively grease the pan generously with vegetable oil, or just grease the sides and place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom.

Baking the Sheet Cake 

Once you’ve filled your prepared pan or dish with cake batter (remember, no more than ½ full!) bake it at the oven temperature the recipe instructs. For my cake recipes, I always bake at 350ºF. Add 5 minutes to the baking time in the original recipe and check for doneness then by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. It’s done when the toothpick comes out clean.

If it seems to need more time, add an additional 3-5 minutes to the baking time and check again. 

Frosting and Decorating the Sheet Cake 

You can use any of my frosting recipes to decorate your sheet cake, and if the cake recipe you chose calls for a specific buttercream recipe, be sure to half that portion of the recipe to make just enough for your sheet cake. To create the look pictured, use a spoon or butter knife to swirl the frosting around on top of the cake, then add some sprinkles to tie it all together. Totally quick and failproof!

If you’d rather get more elaborate with your sheet cake decorating, feel free to use piping tips and creative cake decorating techniques to create what you’re imagining! This floral sheet cake tutorial shows how to create one of my favorite sheet cake looks: 

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

You can bake the sheet cake ahead of time and store it in its dish at room temperature, covered tightly with plastic wrap, a day or two ahead of frosting. Once it’s frosted, the buttercream will preserve the cake underneath and keep it moist. I still recommend covering it with plastic wrap while you’re storing it (especially after cutting into it) because the extra protection helps keep it fresh for 3-4 days. 

You can keep your cake in the refrigerator as an alternative to room temperature, but I only recommend that if your kitchen environment is warmer than 70ºF. If you do refrigerate your cake, be sure to bring it back to room temperature before serving it because cake tastes best at room temp!

I’m so excited to provide you with lots of fun cake recipes for you to try as sheet cakes! Let me know which ones you try in the comments section, and be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me how you decorated. I love to see what you’re caking. Stay safe and healthy out there, everyone! 

The post How to Convert My Layer Cake Recipes into Sheet Cakes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

The Difference Between Cake Flour and All-Purpose Flour

While all-purpose flour is made from a combination of soft and hard wheat, cake flour is made from only soft wheat that’s been milled extra fine. It contains the lowest protein content of all the flours, and in baking, the lower the protein content the softer the texture. To give you an idea of the difference, cake flour has about 7-8% protein, all-purpose flour has about 10-12%, and bread flour has 14-16%. The higher the protein content, the more dense and sticky your batter will be, thus the more dense a cake will be after it’s baked. 

I did a little baking experiment to test cake flour vs. all-purpose flour and see if there really is a big difference. I made my vanilla cake recipe, first with cake flour, then with all-purpose flour.

While you can’t see an alarming difference just by the photograph alone, trust me on this one. The all-purpose flour cake was much more dense and less flavorful (perhaps because of the extra gluten content?), while the cake flour version was mega-flavorful, so light, and so fluffy. 

How To Make Homemade Cake Flour 

You can find cake flour in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, but if it isn’t something you have access to, I have great news for you: you can easily convert the all-purpose flour you already have in your pantry into homemade cake flour that’s just as effective!

Here’s a quick video I whipped up of the process, and the detailed instructions are below:

You Will Need:

• All-Purpose Flour (also known as Plain Flour)
• Cornstarch
• Measuring cup (1 Cup)
• Measuring spoon (1 Tbsp)
• Sifter

Instructions: 

Place 2 Tbsp of cornstarch into a one-cup measuring cup.

Spoon all-purpose flour or plain flour into the measuring cup and level it off to make exactly one cup.

Repeat per the amount of cake flour the recipe calls for, then sift it all together into a large bowl 4-6 times. I know, it’s a lot of sifting, but so worth it! 

And voila, DIY cake flour! You can make large amounts of this cake flour ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in your pantry. This way, you won’t have to repeat the measuring-and-sifting process every time you make a cake. It’s a little more time intensive than buying actual cake flour, but it totally works in a pinch.

If you’d rather bypass this process and purchase cake flour, my favorite brands to use are Swan’s Down, Softasilk, and Bob’s Red Mill. Each of those will have you singing “hallelujah” when your cakes come out of the oven!

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