Petit Fours Recipe

Petit Fours Recipe

Petit Fours Recipe adapted from Gesine Bullock-Prado

• Skill Level: Intermediate
• Makes: around 75 miniature cakes
• Nutritional info per serving: (Based on 1 of 26 servings) Calories: 359, Total Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Carbohydrates: 61g, Sugar: 54g, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Protein: 3g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 81mg.
• Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes (includes chilling and setting)
• Hands-on Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Cake:

• Nonstick spray for baking sheet
• 1 1/4 cups standard flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3.5 ounces almond paste, crumbled
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temp
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 batches Royal Icing, recipe provided below
• Violet and green gel food coloring, or other desired colors
• 1/3 cup seedless blackberry jam

Coating Icing:

• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water, plus up to 1/4 cup more as required
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Royal Icing:

• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 5-6 tablespoons warm water

Special tools:

• 2 pastry bags with #2 tips

Instructions

1. Cake preparation: Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray and line with parchment. Nest this pan into a second one beneath to prevent overbrowning.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
3. In a food processor, pulse almond paste, sugar, and honey until smooth. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition until incorporated.
4. Add eggs one at a time, pulsing until each is incorporated; scrape the bowl and process until the batter is smooth and just slightly airy. Pulse in the flour mixture only until blended.
5. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake 1520 minutes, until golden and springy. Cool completely.
6. While the cake cools, tint the Royal Icing with desired gel colors and put each color into a pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip. Pipe small flowers on parchment by making tight spirals and add leaves with the second color. Let the piped flowers air-dry and firm for about 1 hour.
7. Remove the cake from the pan and slice it horizontally into two equal layers. Spread blackberry jam on one layer, top with the other, and freeze for 10 minutes to help set.
8. Using a serrated knife, cut the layered cake into 1-inch squares. Arrange the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour.
9. Icing the petit fours: While the cake squares chill, melt white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over gently simmering water (make sure the bowl does not touch the water). Stir until smooth.
10. Sift powdered sugar into a large bowl, then whisk in hot water and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in the melted white chocolate. If the glaze is too thick to pour, add hot water a teaspoon at a time. Keep the coating warm while working, reheating briefly if it thickens.
11. Place cake squares on a wire rack set over a parchment-lined pan. Spoon or pour the coating over each square, or pipe it on if preferred. While the glaze is still wet, press a dried piped flower onto each petit four. Allow the icing to set completely before serving.

Royal Icing Recipe

1. In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sifted powdered sugar and meringue powder. Add 4 tablespoons warm water and mix.
2. Lift the paddle to check consistency the icing should be thick and not runny. Add more water a little at a time until you reach the desired thickness for piping (thicker) or flooding (thinner) as needed.