Simple and Delicious Mini Lemon Pound Cake Bites

These little morsels of deliciousness are very simple and cheap to make.  They only require a few ingredients that most people have in the fridge or pantry already.

Ingredients (Makes about 24 depending on the mold):
-A Mini Pan Mold (I used my petite four pan or Madeline mold would work well)
-Zest of a Medium Lemon
-4 Eggs
-2/3 Cup of White Sugar
-1 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
-1/2 Cup of Butter (i.e. 1 Stick of Butter)
-2 Pinches of Salt
-1 1/2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract

Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Butter you pan and set aside.

Melt the stick of butter.  I just melted it in the microwave (the easy and lazy way of doing it). Allow the butter to cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla, and salt at high speed until thoroughly mixed and the batter is light.  Then, gradually add the sugar while continually beating the mixture at a high speed.  Beat the mixture until it is thick and pale (about 10-15 minutes). Yes, it's a very long time to beat the mixture.  I thought my arm was going to fall off before I got to taste my yummy creations!

After you have beat the mixture to death, sift 1/3 of the flour at a time into the mixture.  I actually own a sifter, so this step was fairly easy for me.  You can also sift it through a fine sieved strainer. Gently fold the flour into the mixture after each addition.

Add the lemon zest and pour the melted butter into the mixture.  Quickly (but gently) fold the butter and lemon zest into the batter.

Pour the batter into the molds.  I used a small teaspoon for assistance.  Isn't my mold soooo pretty!

Bake the cakes for about 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Use a butter knife to gently lift the cakes out of the mold while they are still warm.  Immediately, sprinkle a little more granulated white sugar on the top for taste and extra crunch. 

Look at these beauties!  So good!

These mini bites of heaven are perfect for your morning cup of coffee, afternoon tea, or for a "just because" snack.  They are not too sweet or lemon-y.  Hope you like these as much as I did!

Skinny Minny Recipe #1....Grand Marnier Macerated Fruit

So I am making a new series of posts called "Skinny Minny Recipes", which is a collection of low calorie, healthy, and flavorful recipes.  I have a bunch of recipes and pictures saved up, so I get to share a whole lot with you guys. Yipee!  After eating at a local "farm to market" style restaurant in Houston called Zelko Bistro, and after trying their version of Macerated Fruit dessert I decided to take a shot of my version.

Ingredients (Makes 4 Servings):
-2 cups of fruit of your choice (I used apples, blackberries, strawberries, and grapes)
-2 springs of roughly chopped mint
-1 1/2 tbsp of honey
-3 portion packs of Stevia "Sugar"
-1/4 cup of Grand Marnier liquor

1.) Cut the apples into cubes, halve the strawberries, and leave the blackberries and grapes whole.

2.)  Place the fruit in a large mixing bowl and mix it with all the above ingredients.  I slightly "muddled" the black berries, just so I can extract some of that delicious juice =)

3.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours; I refrigerated it overnight.

4.)  Here is the final product.  Spoon the fruit into a nice ramekin or serving dish.  Then drizzle with any leftover Grand Marnier juice left on the bottom of the bowl.  Lightly sprinkle with regular white granulated sugar, so you get a nice crystallized crunch texture.  You can also sprinkle powder sugar on top.  This is a great alternative to eating boring fruit, and Grand Marnier will make anything taste a million times better =)

There can be many variations to this recipes, such as adding white/red wine, balsamic vinegar, basil, other fruits, cinnamon, etc.

Calorie Counting Divas: ~100-130 calories per serving