Candied Orange and Honey Walnut Mini Pound Cakes
She unlocks her front door, kicks and stretches her way out of her work clothes and bra, throws on yoga pants and a tank and stumbles barefoot into the kitchen.
A bad day, she knows, requires a balm – one made from the holy trinity of butter, sugar and flour…something quick, that doesn’t require a cookbook, that’s single-girl serving sized. Something to soothe.
She’s perfected just that sort of recipe. She calls it her personal pound cake – It’s 1/8th of a standard recipe, just enough for one person; enough to palliate without overdosing. One bowl and five ingredients comprise the basic cake; the perfect canvas for improvisation. From there, she can add berries, almonds or lemon zest. She can soak it in rose syrup or blanket it with cream cheese frosting. She can use it as a base for scoops of chocolate ice-cream or warm peach compote – personalizing it to target whatever ails her.
Tonight, and more nights than she’d like to admit, this is her medicine. Others mix up a drink, she whisks up one of these.
Personal Pound Cake
This recipe requires a 3”x5” mini loaf pan. I use the disposable aluminum ones available at most grocery stores for quick clean up. A kitchen scale makes quick work of measuring ingredients. The trick with this recipe is to personalize it with your favorite add-ins.
Ingredients
- 2 oz. (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 oz. sugar
- 1 large egg
- pinch salt
- 2 oz. flour
- add-ins of your choice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350⁰ F. Whisk together butter and sugar (If your butter isn’t softened and you’re impatient, soften it in the microwave, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn’t melt).
- Whisk in egg and salt. (I add a pinch of flour at this point to help avoid separation that can happen when adding egg to butter).
- Stir in flour. Add your flavors of choice and spoon into loaf pan (no pan greasing or flouring required).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, slice and indulge.
Honeyed-Walnut Variation: In a small pan over medium-high heat, combine 4 Tablespoons of chopped walnuts and 2 Tablespoons honey. Cook until nuts are toasted and honey is thick and bubbly. Cool and add to batter.
Candied Orange Variation: At the time you add the egg , add 1 Tablespoon Orange Flower Water. After stirring in the flour, stir in 2 Tablespoons chopped candied orange peel.
Two-Bit Tart 
Pound cakes look amazing!
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Oh, no, this looks like a dangerous recipe! The kind that can make one re-define a “bad day” just so one can have pound cake! Yum!
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