3/100: Happy half half birthday to me and Laura!

My birthday is July 9, my Stanford bestie (Laura)'s birthday is July 7. We both used to celebrate our half birthdays solo, however since last year we've celebrated our half half birthday together on January 8! We decided to bake this lemon coffee cake at Laura's house yesterday evening. With a plan underway- it was time to execute!

When I arrived it was clear the both of us were feeling tired, but determined. We got to her house and I started finding and organizing all of the ingredients.

One reason I love Laura's baking is because she always puts her own interesting twist into every recipe. This time, the twist was to use this minced lemon peel instead of lemon zest. You rehydrate every TBSP of minced lemon peel you use with 3 TBSP of water. In less than 2 minutes you have hydrated lemon peel that smells incredibly lemony and, as we found out later, packs quite a punch. Great idea, Laura!

When Vy got home, it was time to start baking and I have to say: it was a baking experience like no other. As I mentioned, we were all tired, but we were all determined to bake something for the half half birthday celebration. We are all incredibly close friends, so what does this entire combination yield? 3 girls, 1 silent, well-oiled, streamlined baking machine.

Vy took the dry ingredients, I took the wet ingredients and butter/sugar creaming, and Laura took the lemon crumble topping. Like the silent powerhouse we were, we combined all of the ingredients, popped the cake into the oven, and cleaned everything up almost wordlessly. In some respects, it totally freaked me out- we were moving around each other and giving necessary tools to each other so we were definitely aware of each other and what we needed, but it was all silent! In other regards, however, it shows that we have a solid friendship that can transcend talking, and that's pretty cool!

"Guys! I have to document us working together!" Look at those smiles ;)

There were no big things to note during this baking progress. The one mistake I made was to fold in the sour cream, rather than mix it in with the handheld beater I was using. Apparently, when you cream butter and sugar together you are creating air pockets that will eventually create rise during the baking process. When you fold in the next ingredients, it helps to save this air and promote rise. Citation here, and also Laura who did break our silence to say: save the air!

We started a new puzzle as we waited for the cake to bake and 45 quick minutes later the cake was ready to be tested!

Patiently waiting

Cake + puzzle = great half birthday

How'd the cake turn out? A solid medium, I'd say. It was pretty salty, definitely on the "coffee cake" side of a baked good. The crumble turned out fantastic and there was a strong lemon flavor, but a sweet element is definitely needed in this recipe. Perhaps a lemon drizzle could have saved it? It was still good, but if I were to make it again I'd tweak the recipe to showcase some more sweetness!

Nevertheless, I had a fantastic time baking with my half half birthday buddy Laura and Vy and I'm glad this tradition is standing strong!

January 8, 2018!

January 8, 2019!

What's next?? I haven't quite decided yet! One thing's certain, though: I'll learn a lot and I'll have fun doing it. See you shortly!