It's a Sunday morning and this bright sunny day inspired me to bake some cupcakes :) I have baked muffins before but this time i wanted to try out my hand in cupcakes and what better than Lemon cupcakes :D ...they are moist, buttery, with just the right amount of that lemony zing...
Usually I prefer muffins over cupcakes as i am not a frosting person ..that over sweetness of frosting sometimes takes away the actual flavor of the bread.But this time i thought to why not make them with little less sweetness and for that icing sugar is great or a some fresh fruit on top of whip cream ..
Vanilla frosting could also be replaced by strawberry frosting..and i think i will try one soon :D
Lets get straight into the recipe now :
PREP TIME
BAKE TIME
TOTAL TIME
Makes: 12 medium cupcakes
Ingredients:
LEMON CUPCAKES
•Softened butter 1/2 cup (115g)
•powdered sugar 1 cup (200g)
•2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
•2 teaspoons vanilla essence(any)
•1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• Lemon Zest, of 1 large lemon or 2 small ones
• Lemon Juice, 1 tablespoon
Vanilla FROSTING
•Softened unsalted butter 3/4 cups (170g)
•Whipping cream /powder (any brand), 4 tablespoon
• Icing Sugar, 125 grams
• Vanilla essence, 1 teaspoon
optional
•Lemon slices for garnish or sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat the oven to (180°C).
For cupcakes: Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamed. About 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until everything is combined, about 2 full minutes. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions, beating slowly after each addition. Batter will be thick. Beat in the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice slowly until just combined. Do not over-mix this batter at any point. Spoon batter evenly into 12 cupcake liners. Bake for about 20 minutes. Check at 18 minutes, then again at 20. A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean when done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting: Whisk butter until light and fluffy, for about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl whisk the whipping cream until it triples in volume and forms stiff peaks.
Fold in the whipping cream to the whisked butter and add in the icing sugar and vanilla essence.
Refrigerate the frosting for about 15 minutes before you transfer it to your piping bag.
To decorate : Pipe on the frosting and decorate with a some sprinkles or a slice of lemon .
Let me know how it turned out for you .. Have a sweet n sour Sunday :)
Another Perk of being in Paris was that we were able to visit our bucket list item 2 – Disneyland Paris!
It was our second day in Paris and we bought one day ticket .But trust me guys one day is not enough . Disneyland Paris is actually made up of two parks – Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.Disneyland Park is what is traditionally associated with Disneyland – this is where you will find Mickey Mouse, Sleeping Beauty’s castle, flying Dumbo elephants and all your favorite cartoon characters..It's so amazing.
Disney Land Park
Walt Disney Studios Park also has many rides but has a focus on how films are made – specially Animation and Disney movies..there are many sessions and studio tours to illustrate this.
Walt Disney Studios Ideally, you should dedicate at least a day to each park. Its very obvious to get excited and confused at the same time ,what to choose and what not .In fact ,We did not even get to every themed area coz time was running and you don't want to miss anything right ..!! :D But Alas you do .. That's why I am saying either plan for 2 day trip or pre-decide the areas you want to cover . The first thing you need to get along with the park is the guide map .All the categories mentioned in there helps you to choose the special events and timings according to your preference .Disneyland Park have 5 lands – Adventureland, Frontierland, Discoveryland, Fantasyland and Main Street USA and its huge coz its the main Disney Park . So we thought to start of with Walt Disney Studios and planned to finish it soon so we could enjoy the main park for the rest of the day. There are studio tram tours, how animations are made, a Toy Story playland, rides and so much more .We didn't go for any rides where you mostly see long queues and straight away went to Cars stunt show that featured Lightening McQueen.They explained many of the stunts and the tricks behind them. Also they had cameras around the lot so they could show us the little tricks they did during the show on a big screen.It was one amazing show you don't wanna miss..
Although you have to wait in long queues where i could see most of the kids getting tired ..even we too on many occasions but that's exciting sometimes :D
Glimpse of the stunt show I think this show itself is enough to justify adding Walt Disney Studios Park to your ticket. Then there was this Tram tour taking you through the inside Magic of Sets and Action scenes from many famous movies like Jurassic Park , Speed etc..
Tram tour for Studio Disney (inside the Tram) It was intriguing to experience the land slide with a gush of water :D Another awesome experience was the set of Armageddon with those thrilling special effects .Although little ones were quite petrified and were screaming ..
Unfortunately we had to skip more of Walk Disney Studios Park.It was almost quarter past two when we had our lunch there and headed towards Disneyland Park.
Entry to Disney Land Park Sitting at the entrance to Disneyland Paris, the Disneyland Hotel is as majestic and beautiful as the Park itself. Its lovely for those who want to cherish the magic of Disney land for couple of days with their kids :D
Welcome to the world of DISNEY <3 ...as GRAND as it sounds ..it does feel :D
As soon as you enters..it's feels like living your imagination ..Truly ..!! Park is so big and there are so many events going on at every corner ...We were literally running :D We rush towards Phantom Manor , the Haunted Mansion ... It has its story but since it was mostly in French..we were not focused . It was totally dark inside where around 20 of us were put into a stretch room which was elevated downwards and pulled us into the worlds of spirits.A long black chair car swept us inside the mansion with weird moving faces ,bride sits crying in front of a skull shaped mirror,graves ,skulls playing piano and sitting in a wedding reception and much more..
Mansion from the outside Bushes
Stretch room
Bride's spirit
Phantom Manor is a very bold and ambitious move by the Imagineers .I loved it :D
Disney Land Park has so much to offer ..Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast - a Lazer shooting ride ..the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through ..with the creepy dragon inside ..is not-to-be-missed..
Inside the Castle
Meeting your Favorite Cartoon characters
And the most important ..Disney Land Magic Parade.. starts at 5 pm where you see all your favorite characters dancing along together ..
Here is the Glimpse ..
and another one of my Favorite Frozen sisters Anna and Elsa's - Royal welcome :D
All of a sudden ..we felt like a Kid again ..
We will never forget the magical Disney world in our entire life for sure :)
So It was our Last day in Paris ..and In a city that is literally one giant museum, the Louvre stands out as the marquee museum .On the banks of the Seine, straight down from the Champs-Élysées, lies the grand structure of The Louvre.Visiting the Louvre is a dream for so many people traveling to Paris.
Louvre Museum at Night
Since its opening in the late 18th century, it’s been the home to centuries worth of historical artifacts, paintings, sculptures, antiques, and a massive collection of archives.This place is simply huge.
We started off with buying tickets ,getting a guide map from information center and finding central access to all the different areas of the museum.
The Pyramid Bottom Tip(left above),Staircase inside the Louvre(Right above)
and Famous Lion with Marble Ball(Down)
There’s only one problem...where to go first! The museum floor plan can be a little tricky to figure out at first, but it helps to remember that the Louvre has three wings in a U shape around the Pyramid entrance: the Denon, Sully and Richelieu. And if that wasn’t enough, there are 4 floors to almost each wing: lower ground, ground floor, first floor and second floor. If you plan to cover a lot of the museum, be sure to wear comfortable shoes :D
There are beautiful sculptures,Roman and Egyptian antiques on the ground floor ..
and one of the beautiful-Pysche and Cupid below
Pysche and Cupid
Even if you only have a short time , another must see is the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The gallery is huge, but nevertheless you’ll most likely have to be patient to get a close up shot.
Famous Painting of Mona Lisa
The last Supper
(Too big to be captured in a single frame )
A Picture is worth the thousand words..So here are few Inside and Outside Shots of the Museum .
The collections of ceramics, furniture, jewelry and other objects d’art are the best in the world.
The painted and gilded ceilings, grand staircases and galleries are full of surprises.
While there are plenty of signs and we were equipped with the museum map, I think we still walked around in circles quite a few times.
View from the First Floor to the center of the museum.
After exploring most popular parts of the Louvre quickly (reason - it was my personal guide's second trip to Louvre :-D ) .We managed to take come clicks outside or you could call it at the center of the museum with the famous pyramid.
it was time to finally bid adieu the city with million faces ..It was none less than a dream ..
A Dream come true ..
#We love You PARIS
XOXO
That wraps up my trip to this Fascinating City ..You just cannot resist its charm..
