Best Almond Loaf Cake

I baked my Best Almond Cake in a loaf pan so that I could make a smaller one. I halved the amount of ingredients that Cook's Illustrated called for, except sugar. I used only a quarter of the original amount of sugar. Using a food processor to mix the batter was the key to create a magical not-too-caky but not-too-dense texture. However, this time I ignored it and bravely or foolishly used a hand-held mixer because it was simply handy.

The result was still delicious! What can I skip and/or change in the recipe next?