Mini Grain Free Pound Cakes with Peaches, Blackberries and Cream

Hi All! I’ve been traveling lately, working on some exciting projects. If you receive my newsletter, then you got to see a little sneak peek! Tomorrow, I am off to the Ancestral Health Symposium in Berkeley. If you are going too and see me, please say hi! I love meeting blog readers. I asked my friend Caroline to share a recipe with you this week, to keep the healthy living inspiration going and to introduce you to some new bloggers!

I was thrilled when my friend Caroline of Colorful Eats agreed to share her delicious recipe from her brand new eBook, A Backyard Summer: Grain, Gluten and Refined Sugar Free Recipes for Summer Entertaining. I am a huge fan of Caroline’s work. Make sure to connect with her on Instagram, so you can stay up to date with her latest recipes and gorgeous photos. You can also find Caroline on Facebook and Pinterest

Thank you Arsy for letting me share one of my favorite desserts from my ebook A Backyard Summer: Grain, Gluten and Refined Sugar Free Recipes for Summer Entertaining. To me, the best way to enjoy a meal is with family and friends, gathered around tables of all shapes and sizes, passing, sharing and laughing. I was inspired to create simple recipes, for all to enjoy, from a gluten, grain and refined sugar free perspective. Recipes that taste great and leave you satisfied. Recipes that are healthy, without feeling restricted or limited, and truly delicious.

Summertime foods have always been my favorite—maybe its the smell of the BBQ, the color and sweetness of bright red strawberries, or the way food somehow seems to taste better after a long swim in the ocean. Summer is the perfect opportunity to soak up the sunshine, sip on a refreshing drink and enjoy the cooking process, sharing in food and laughter with friends and family.

A Backyard Summer celebrates life at the table with simple grain free and paleo recipes designed to be passed and shared. Each recipe comes with an entertaining tip so that you can focus on the people who come to gather at your table rather than stressing about the menu.

See more recipes from A Backyard Summer here!

So now on to the dessert! Growing up, in the summer my mom always made the best pound-cake served with fluffy cream and berries. I wanted to recreate this classic dessert using grain and refined sugar free ingredients. Hints of orange and honey provide these dense cakes with extra sweetness and moisture. Baking with coconut flour results in a denser cake, but once you garnish with whipped cream or coconut cream and fresh fruit, the presentation and taste is delicious with every bite! Enjoy!

Mini Grain Free Pound Cakes with Peaches, Blackberries and Cream

makes 12 individual pound cakes

Ingredients
3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted (find my favorite coconut flour here)
3/4 tsp baking soda (I use this kind)
6 eggs
6 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup whole fat sour cream (I like the consistency of sour cream best, yet whole fat, plain coconut yogurt for paleo will work too)
1/4 cup raw honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (find gluten-free, organic vanilla here)
1 tsp (heaping full) fresh orange zest
butter, for greasing muffin tins

To garnish
8 oz fresh blackberries
2 peaches, pealed and sliced
8 oz heaving whipping cream or whipped coconut cream (see how I made coconut whipped cream in 30 seconds here)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease muffin tins with butter or line tins with baking cups.
2. In a bowl, use a hand blender to mix together wet ingredients. Sift in dry ingredients and continue to blend until a smooth batter forms. Fold in orange zest.
3. Spoon batter into baking tins about 2/3 way full.
4. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
5. As the cakes are cooling, prepare the whipping cream by using a hand blender to whip for 2-3 minutes or until cream is thick and fluffy. Prepare peaches and blackberries.
6. Assemble by cutting the mini cakes in half and garnishing with a large spoonful of cream and fruit.

Entertaining Tip

• Make the shortcakes the night or morning before serving, cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• This is a great dessert to serve to those with nut allergies!
• If there are children in the group, have them help assemble the cakes to get them involved in the cooking process. They will love making their own and the scooping the fluffy cream onto their plates!