Lee Lee's Kitchen: Baking with a 3 year old

Meet Charlotte- one of my favorite toddlers on the face of this Earth. She's 3, loves puppies, princesses and helping out in the kitchen. She's also the one who deemed me "Lee Lee" about a year/year and a half ago before she could say "Julie." (My heart still breaks when she says my actual name now, since for so long I answered to "Lee Lee" when I was with her..and her mom!) She spent most of the morning/afternoon with Aaron and I while her mom (my friend Candi who I've previously mentioned) snuck away to get some work done...look to the bottom of this post to see what I mean!! I didn't plan on baking- but I was dying to try out this new recipe I just found...yes, yes..on Pinterest. I think from now on that will just be a given!

On the menu today: Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake
As found on http://www.alexandracooks.com/ (her pictures are totally better than mine, as I was not showed and my hair was a complete mess...and she has a better camera! haha)

I'm not a huge fan of blueberries, but I can dig them when they're cooked/baked in something. I was also hoping that the lemon zest would take away that "blueberry" taste. Turns out- I LOVED this recipe and everything about it! Except that by the time I got around to making it it was more like lunch-time. I hadn't eaten yet so it was still technically "breakfast cake" ;)

Here's your list of ingredients:

Charlotte and Lee Lee baking away! :)

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (I totally used frozen, but defrosted them before adding to the bowl)
½ cup buttermilk

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (who says "I need 7/8 of a cup" anymore?)
** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top

According to the original recipe's directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

Charlotte was very intrigued about "zesting" a lemon.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

She was quite the egg crackin' pro, and insisted that I let her do this part..I'm brave, but in the end she needed help.

Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. This was definitely Charlotte's job!

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

She was so great at holding the measuring cup so I could pour. On another note: YIKES! I've got some crazy hair!

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Before. Charlotte loved the "pretty purple" color!

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for "doneness." If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes.
(Note: The original recipe stated that "Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary"....however I ended up baking for 18 minutes past the original bake time..making that about 53 minutes..make sure you check it though to make sure you even need to do this when you make it.)

6. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

After! Not too shabby!

YUMMY!!

Charlotte, on the other hand, was not interested at all in trying this masterpiece...she was more interested in....

Spending her afternoon reading books to my rabbit Han Solo. He loves it when Charlotte comes over to play!

Side Note: If you are curious about the adorable knit dress Charlotte is wearing you'll never guess where it came from! Her mom is the most creative person I know and owns (with a friend of hers located in North Carolina) her own clothing shop for little girls and boys. If you are interested in learning more about some of the AMAZING things she makes and sells check out her website By Cee Cee. You can also find her on facebook! Here's just a few examples of my favorite things she's made: