Dessert Recipes
Petit Fours
This recipe uses a white cake (either from scratch, as below, or from a mix).
Yield: about 35 (2 inch) squares
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 egg whites (1/2 cup)
Petit Fours Icing
- 9 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (about 2 pounds)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Decorators' Icing
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Apricot Glaze
- 1 (12 ounce) jar apricot preserves
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Greased and flour* a 15 x 10 inch jellyroll pan.
Cake
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Measure flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, 2/3 cup of the milk and vanilla extract into a large mixer bowl. Blend for 30 seconds on low speed, scraping bowl constantly.
- Beat for 2 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
- Add remaining milk and the egg whites; beat for 2 minutes on high.
- Pour into prepared jellyroll pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Cool.
- Cut cake into small squares, rounds, diamonds, hearts, or other fancy shapes with tiny cookie cutters.
- Glaze cake pieces by placing upside down, a few at a time, on wire rack over large bowl or baking dish.
- Pour Petit Fours Icing over top so entire cake piece is covered at one time. (Glaze that drips off cakes into bowl can be reheated and used again.)
- Decorate tops with silver dragees, candy flowers, gumdrop roses or Decorators' Icing (below).
Petit Fours Icing
- Combine ingredients in top of double boiler and heat over boiling water just to lukewarm. (do not overheat icing or it will become dull.)
- Remove from heat, leaving icing over hot water to keep it thin.
- If desired, tint parts of icing delicate pastel colors with food color. If necessary, add hot water, just a few drops at a time, until of spreading consistency.
Decorator's Icing
- Mix confectioners' sugar and water. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing is of the consistency that can be used easily in a decorators' tube and yet hold its shape.
Apricot Glaze
- Heat preserves with water; strain. Place a Petit Four on fork; hold over saucepan and pour warm glaze over each. Place on wire rack; let stand about 1 hour or until set. Glaze with Petit Fours Icing as directed above.
Notes
* For best results, use our Pan Release!
Petit Fours can also be glazed by placing each cake piece on a fork over icing (in double boiler) and spooning the glaze over each. With spatula or another fork, push cake off onto wire rack to set glaze.
Petit Fours Variation: Before pouring icing over Petit Fours, glaze each cake piece with Apricot Glaze.