Spooky Chocolate Cake | Halloween Baking

Hi Guys!

            Welcome back, I’m starting a new autumn blog series. It is October officially fall and it’s my favorite time of the year. I thought what better way to start it off then, to do some autumn baking. I’m very excited to share this recipe. So many of you guys requested me to do baking tutorials on blog after I posted a picture of devils chocolate cake on Instagram last week. We are going to kick it off by baking a Spooky Chocolate cake. Since the weather is getting colder, baking is a perfect indoor activity to do with your friends and family. This cake would be perfect to take for a Halloween party over at your friends. If any of you guys try this recipe. Please tag me in your picture I love look at your creation.

Baking Instructions

1.      Heat oven to 350 degree F. Prepare pan to keep cake from sticking by lightly coating bottom of pan with cooking oil or soften butter. I used 9-inch round baking pan.

2.     Measure all the ingredients and add them in a big mixing bowl. I first like to add my dry ingredients. Stir together, all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Then I like to make a whole in between using my spatula and add in all my wet ingredients. Add eggs, milk, soften butter, oil and Vanilla extract. Mix it all together until it’s nice and moistened. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan and flip the cake onto a plate.

Frosting Recipe

1.      Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder; soften butter, milk and vanilla.

2.      Stir in melted butter and stir it all together.

3.      Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

Decor 

 Now time for the fun part, once the frosting is cooled down, spread it onto the cake and slowly spread it on the sides. I added Reese’s pieces all around my cake brown, yellow and orange and perfect to keep the autumn theme. Then I made it look spooky by adding eyes and teeth with remaining Reese’s you can use your own creativity and decor as per your liking. 

Ingredients for cake

·         2 and ¾ cups of all-purpose flour

·         2 cups of sugar

·         ¾ cups of unsweetened cocoa powder

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 and ½ cup of milk

·         2 eggs

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients for Chocolate buttercream Frosting

·         2 and ¾ cups of confectioner’s sugar

·         6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

·         5 tablespoons milk

·         6 tablespoons butter- softened

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

Hope you all enjoy the chocolate cake as much as I did with my family. Next, post will be up on Sunday. Till then, keep hustling for your dreams. Xo

Back to school look | Fashion

It’s officially autumn and I couldn’t be happier. I love this time of the year. I’m excited for the chilly sweater weather, football games, colorful leaves, Cider mill trips, Hay rides, Pumpkins treats, and for Halloween. I have made a Fun do list for fall. Check it out at the end of the post. I will be checking things off once I complete them. I always love having things to look forward to it helps me keep motivated.

            For today I want to share this simple back to school fall look. I’m wearing this long sleeve royal blue top from Aeropostle. It is prefect for that confusing day where it’s warm in the day but breezy in the evening! I love basic long sleeves because you can dress it up or down depending on what look you are going for. I styled it with my baby pink scarf H&M, which helps keep me warm. My tip is to add a soft colored scarf to any dark outfit which makes both the top and scarf standout. My dark blue pair of skinny jeans is from Hollister. I love their jeans because they are comfy and stretchy. It’s a great substitute for black jeans as it goes good with almost any color top. I wore my Pandora bracelet for jewelry. In fall, I like to keep my jewelry minimum and let the outfit be the center of attention.  Lastly, the shoes are this gorgeous pair of booties from Bethany Mota’s fall collection for last year. They are the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. That’s why they are perfect to wear for school. They have zippers on the sides and buckles with rustic gold detailing. These ankle booties look great on skirts and dresses as well, which is why I adore this booties.

            All the details of the outfit are mentioned below the pictures. Until next time, keep hustling for your dreams. Xo.

Top: Aeropostale, Scarf: H&M, Jeans: Hollister, Bracelet: Pandora, Shoes: Aeropostale

Fall to do list!

1.      Go to the Cider Mill.

2.      Visit an apple orchard.

3.      Drink a pumpkin spice latte.

4.      Carve a pumpkin.

5.      Bake fall treats.

6.      Enjoy pumpkin pie.

7.      Enjoy a scenic fall drive.

8.      Apple picking.

9.      Apple cider & Donuts.

10.  Collect fall leaves.

11.  Dress up for Halloween.

12.  Go for a Hike. 

Cute & comfortable looks | Fashion

Hello my beautiful friends! I hope you all are doing well. This week was pretty hectic for me. I was very busy with school & studies. So, the last thing I was worried about was looking good. I try to dress up and look my best every day. I choose comfort when it comes to busy days. Most days all you need is a casual outfit which is easy to pair, and still look fashionable.

My number one tip for a casual look is to keep it simple yet classy. Wear something which you know you can break into easily. A romper is one of my favorites for casual wear because you don't have to choose between two pieces. It is easy to dress up by adding jewelry and a good pair of sandals. For this look, I wore a white lace romper from Jcpenny’s, which has flowy lace detailing on it. The romper has a very nice fit. This look could also work for a night out; just add some heels and a Smokey eye shadow.

Look two, I’m wearing this top & jean shorts from H&M which was totally unintentional, it just so happened that both items went together nicely! H&M is one of my favorite stores to by basic and casual pieces. I bought the pair of light wash jean shorts last summer and the top is one of my more recent purchases. My shoes are my favorite pair of brown sandals. I literally wear them every single day. They look great on every outfit and are super comfortable. I kept my jewelry every simple. I’m just wearing a charms bracelet. This look is perfect for a brunch or going out with friends. Here are the two cute & comfortable looks that I put together. Hope you enjoy!

Keep hustling for your dreams.

Jasika xx

Silver Lake sand dunes | Travel

        Like every summer vacations for last three years. I ended my summer break with a trip to northern Michigan. This was absolute last minute plan that we attached to our trip to Grand haven. We drove a day early to the sand dunes. This was actually a great addition to our trip. We had to drive a little longer but we reached Grand haven city the same day.

 Our first stop was at a farmers market.  This was a perfect spot to have some fresh fruit and organic farm grown treats. Nearby there was a lavender garden, cherry picking farms and a huge corn maze.  A perfect spot for a family vacation to have a picnic or to enjoy biking through trails. We had a pizza for lunch at local town restaurant. It was delicious and freshly made from scratch.

Our next stop was at the Silver Lake near the shores of Lake Michigan which is a pure lake Paradise. With a picturesque view of massive sand dunes. The shoreline lakes are designed for pure family fun. Within the walking distance there are beautiful lighthouses, museums and gift shops to buy the perfect souvenirs.

We then took the Mac wood sand dunes ride. This was a 25 sitter ride that took us through the sand dunes. The sands dunes were not as hot as we expected it was actually the perfect day to ride on the dunes. The dunes ride experience was breathtaking. At times we could just see the blue sky and the mystical sand. As we drove higher and higher over the dunes the turns got sharper. We took couple breaks while driving besides the shore of Lake Michigan. The best portrait opportunity was when we got off the ride on the tallest dune which overlooked the beautiful Silver Lake. I didn’t take a lot of pictures during the drive because I just wanted to enjoy the views. Plus, the ride wasn’t very smooth. Especially for last drop from tallest dune which basically felt like a roller coaster. It was totally worth every penny!

Summer is about effortless looks. I kept my outfit simple and weather appropriate. I wore a tank top from H&M and black leggings from Kohl’s. My cross body bag is by Nine West and sunglasses are from forever 21.

We drove to Grand Haven city took a quick stop at our hotel and drove downtown and walked around the coast guard festival. We had Chinese cruising for dinner. I enjoyed a coconut Pina colada from a café called earth choice. We ended our day watching the Coast guard festival. The next two days will be up on my blog soon!