Portion Control? Mini Orange, Pistachio, Cardamom, and Honey Cakes!

After having making a super quick dinner of hot dogs and refried beans on Saturday night, I decided we needed a real meal on Sunday night. I had chicken thighs on the bone with skin in the fridge, so I decided to make Chicken Vesuvio, chicken with crispy skin on a bed of sauteed potatoes, shallots, garlic, and herbs with a sauce of white Vermouth and chicken stock. It was delicious. 

For dessert, I thought we could use something vaguely healthy-ish with portion control. Jeff has been on a pistachio jag lately because he discovered that pistachios are good for the brain. I decided to bake mini orange, cardamom and honey cakes. They are easy to put together, and because they bake in a muffin tin, they bake in 18 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 c. ground pistachios (I used shelled, unsalted pistachios)

• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 c. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• zest of 1 large orange
• 1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
• 1/4 c. whole milk
• 1/2 c. chopped pistachios for topping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a full size muffin pan with paper liners. Spray lightly with a neutral oil.
3. Grind the shelled pistachios in the food processor till its the consistency of flour.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground pistachios, baking powder, cardamom, and salt.
5. In a large bowl (or the mixing bowl of a mixer), cream the butter and sugar till it’s light and fluffy.
6. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in orange zest, orange juice, honey, and vanilla until well combined.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture alternating with the milk, starting and finishing with the dry ingredients. Mix to combine.
8. Scoop or pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with chopped pistachio.
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Let the mini-cakes cool in the pan for about 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Each muffin has about 200 calories. 

As I mentioned earlier, this dessert was supposed to encourage portion control.

Jeff tried a mini-cake, and before I knew it, he requested another one. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted. They must be good! Actually, they are yummy! The orange flavor comes through, and the pistachios on top give it a little crunch. The mini-cakes are just sweet enough, but not overly sweet. Try them!