Petit Fours Recipe

Any petit fours recipe is overwhelming due to all the steps and all the ingredients to produce tiny little desserts. But ya know what? They're decadent, and it's totally worth it. Your guests will be impressed!

Here is a Almond Cake that I got from the folks at Baking Arts when I took their cooking class last year. Enjoy!

Almond Cake for Petit Fours Recipe

Yield 1 12x16 inch sheet

Ingredients:
7 oz almond paste
13 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup flour + 1 tbsp flour

Note: The success of this cake depends on all the ingredients being at room temperature before starting the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease the bottom of a jello roll pan or half sheet pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside. There is no need to butter or flour the paper.

Break up almond paste into the bowl of a mixer. On medium speed, gradually add softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the almond paste. When all the butter is incorporated and no lumps are visible, add the sugar and beat on medium high speed for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after the last addition.

With the mixer on low, sprinkle in the flour. Mix briefly to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then mix 5 seconds on medium speed. Do not over mix.

Immediately pour into prepared pan and spread evenly and thinly using an offset spatula. Bake for 7-12 minutes until the top has a few golden spots and no longer appears wet.

Cool in pan and then refrigerate covered, until completely chilled, before assembling petit fours.

Butter cream Icing for the Petit Fours Recipe
8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups)1/4 cup water or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Food coloring, as needed.

Combine ingredients except food coloring. Mix slowly, then beat at medium speed for several minutes until smooth and fluffy. Keeps five days, covered with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the icing. Color with food dye as appropriate for flowers and leaves and stems.

Flat Icing for Coating Petit Fours
Mix until smooth and use immediately to coat petit fours. To store, place plastic wrap directly on the surface and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days. Warm briefly before using. Icing may be tinted very lightly, if desired.

It is important to test how well the icing coats the petit fours. The icing should pour freely, but no be watery or too thick. Test pour on one of the cakes. You should be able to see the cakes layers showing through a little on the sides of the cakes with a nice white/opaque top.

Note: there is a product called "dry fondant mix" that is a powerded mixed with water to produce a pourable icing. It is sold on the internet and some well stocked cake decorating/candy making supply stores. It is worthwhile trying to coating petit fours.

Required:
Almond sponge sheet for petit fours
raspberry or apricot jam
marzipan
icing for coating petit fours
buttercream icing for decorating
paper cups for finished cakes

1. Leaving the parchment paper intact, cut each almond sponge sheet into three equal rectangles using kitchen sheers.

2. Lay one sheet of cake on a piece of cardboard or other firm surface. Spread with a paper thin layer of raspberry or apricot jam or buttercream. Place the second almond sheet upside down on the first. Remove the parchment paper.

3. Spread another paper thin layer of jam on top of the second sheet and cover with the remaining sheet of cake. leave the paper attached until you are ready to cut and dorm petit fours. Chill the cake for 2 hours in freezer before cutting into shapes. The cake can be well wrapped and frozen at this point for up to two months.

4. Remove the top paper and spread the top layer with jam.

5. Roll out a thin sheet of marzipan the same size as the cake sheet and cover the cake, pressing slightly to adhere.

6. Turn cake over onto table.

7. Cut out shapes using small cutters such as circles, squares, diamonds or rectangles. Remember to keep them small, about 1 inch. You may also use a knife dipped in hot water and dried between cuts. Sometimes dipping the cutters in powdered sugar between cuts will keep the cakes from sticking.

8. Place petit fours approximately one inch apart on a metal grate. Pour the coating icing over each cake making sure to cover the cakes completely. Allow icing to set. Place each cake into a paper cup and then apply the decorations of your choice.

Note: not all cakes are good for a petit fours recipe. What works best is a cake that has a fine, close textured crumb such as the almond sponge or a pound cake type recipe.

You can also coat the cakes in coating chocolate or tempered chocolate instead of fondant or flat icing.

Partially freezing the petite fours cakes before cutting gives the neatest cuts.

To complement this petit fours recipe, check out our recommended cake baking supplies for this awesome dessert.

Hope you enjoyed this petit fours recipe!

Have A Great Story About Mini Desserts?

Do you have a great story about Mini Desserts? Share it!