Ideas for your Tried and Tested Chocolate Cake Recipe

        Your grandma's good old tried and tested Chocolate Cake Recipe can do so much, from cakes to cupcakes, name it. The chocolate cake recipe I'm using is vegan, but any recipe would still be perfect.

1. Oreo Cookies and Cream Cake

        What I did with this cake is I roughly crushed 10 Oreo Cookies and mixed it in the batter. For the frosting, I made a white chocolate ganache. I didn't use cream for the ganache, I used soy milk instead (but you can use any milk you prefer), the ratio is 1/4 cup of milk for every 250 grams of white chocolate. I used roughly crushed Oreo cookies for the sides and Oreo cookie halves as decor on top. It's quite hard to cut Oreo Cookies in halves when it's at room temperature (it breaks), so what I did  is freeze it before cutting.

2. Chocolate Ganache Cake

        This cake was my birthday cake. I melted chocolate chips and mixed it in the cake batter to make it more chocolatey. For the frosting, I made a dark chocolate ganache. Again I didn't use cream, so the ratio is 1/4 cup milk for every 250 grams of chocolate (the dark chocolate is quite thicker so I added a tablespoon of milk until I get my desired consistency). I love nuts so I decorated the sides with it, you can use peanuts, almonds, cashew, or whatever you prefer.

3. Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

  

      For this cupcake, I just did the same thing I did with the Oreo Cookies and Cream Cake but there's a surprise on the bottom which is the half of the Oreo (the cream side). For the frosting, I still used the white chocolate ganache but I added finely crushed Oreo cookies.

     

   If you're feeling fancy, you can decorate it with cupcake toppers. The cupcake toppers are totally DIY, I made a design and printed it on stickers, sticked it on cardboards and attached it to a toothpick.

4. Chocolate Cupcakes

     

   I also did what I did on the Chocolate Ganache Cake, I used chocolate ganache and decorated it with chocolate chips.

        Again, if you're feeling fancy, cupcake toppers would make a great decor.

        

        For this one, I topped it with marshmallows. I also thought of topping it with mini marshmallows and nuts and then drizzle it with chocolate for a rocky road cupcake.

Lazy Daisy

        Hello lazy days! Since the start of our school break last week, I have been just lying on the couch in our living room (yes, I'm too lazy). So my mom decided to bring me to our rest house where she will be gardening. It's been a long time since I went here and I've been actually dreaming of going back to this place because it's so serene and calm.

Pathway to our rest house

My mom trimming her plants

Feeling like a kid on the swing. Ha ha

        This place changed a lot since I last went here as my mom had done renovations. Like this bamboo-like rows (but I sure wish it's real bamboo, it would look so much better).

 
    I am also lovin' this new lamp, it looks vintage-y and the lamp post is orange which is so adorable!

        I also found this garden decor which I think looks like a temple.

        This wheel amazed me. I remembered this in our house years ago (I think I was in grade school back then) and it was so rusty and ugly, but look at it now!

        Lazy daisy no more. 

Beautiful Finds

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” - Anne Frank

        I guess Anne Frank is right, nature brings solace. I've been feeling great lately strolling around our yard and these beautiful finds have been comforting me.

Bougainvillea

White Gumamela (Hibiscus)

Kumintang (Madagascar periwinkle)

Yellow Bells

       

        These flowers are golden! Lately, I've been hooked with knowing names of flowers and it frustrates me that I still don't know what the flowers above are called. They somewhat look like wild daisies, I don't know.  Whatever! They are such beauties.

          Dried leaves are all around our yard and it feels like autumn though we don't have that season here in the Philippines.

        Old is beauty. This old wood is so picture perfect.

        This feather is also such a find, so pretty and soft.