The name Petit Four translates as Little Oven
Back in the day, when ever that day was, at the end of the day, when the bakery oven was cooling, the bakery staff would place the left over batter in small pans and cook it in very small amounts so as not to waste anything. The ovens would not need to be really hot to cook these little delights. Then once cooked they would be cut into very small bite size shapes were filled with some kind of preserve and iced with a poured fondant, the were bite sized treats that were very popular and in end are quite easy to do.
I wish I knew that when I was first asked to make Petit fours for my friends 65th Birthday party.
So here is the truth. Confidentially, I agreed to make 3 dozen petit fours, all the time thinking they were small cakes covered in "rolled fondant" - WRONG.
It was quite funny watching me try to shape the fondant over these very tiny cakes and having the cake crumble all over the place. Well my husband thought so anyways, I was so mad at one point I dumped the entire batch in the garbage. Then ever so calmly I sat down on the couch with a drink and my laptop and googled "petit four". Then I youtubed the same inquiry and before long I knew what to do. Luckily I already had another cake ready to go.
Here is what you do. Bake your cake, square or rectangle work the best, and I used pound cake so it would be more dense. Cool your cake. With a sharp knife cut off all of the brown cooked edges. Just pretend you are feeding my kids lunch, they never eat the crust or anything that is remotely close to the colour of the crust. Now slice the cake horizontally through the middle. Take approx 1/3 cup of jam, (I used raspberry but your choice) and microwave it just for a few seconds until it is runny. Then spread it between the two cakes like a jam sandwich. Now it really looks like my kids lunch. Large jelly sandwich with no crust! Okay here is the secret part, put it in the freezer and freeze it solid. Overnight is good. Take it out of the freezer and immediately slice it into 1 inch by 1 inch squares with a really sharp knife. Originally I thought 2x2 would be small enough but by the time they are iced, they are not petit at all. Or if you are adventurous you can cut diamonds or other shapes just keep them little. Pretty simple so far. Put them back in the freezer.
Now make your poured icing. Here is the recipe I use...now
Poured Fondant
6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract
(My secret addition - I added Belgium white chocolate wafers and melted them with the mixture on the stove. I used probably 1/2 c)
In a saucepan, combine confectioners' sugar, water, corn syrup (white chocolate wafers). Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a temperature of 92 degrees F (33 degrees C). Mixture should be thin enough to pour, but thick enough to coat the cake. Stir in the almond extract.
You will need a rimmed cookie sheet and a cooling rack for the next part.
Place your cut petit fours on the cooling rack far enough apart to be able to pour icing over each one without touching the one next too it. Place your cooling rack on the cookie sheet. Pour your warm icing over your frozen little cakes. The hot, cold works wonderfully to set the icing smoothly over the cakes. As you pour the icing the cookie sheet will catch all of the extra that falls between each little cake. It takes a little practice to get the right amount and right coverage but once you figure it out it actually goes very quickly.
Let the icing cool and harden, then with a sharp knife remove the cakes from the cooling rack. You can decorate the top with something pretty or drizzle some chocolate over them.
I like adding the chocolate wafers to the icing, it makes it a little more decadent and adds gloss to the finished product. These little morsels are very sweet, I think that is why they are so small. Now that I have finished this post, I have a craving for them. I will have to make some this weekend. Oh no wait, I have a birthday cake and a shower cake to do for this weekend. Petit fours will have to wait until........Monday.
In a saucepan, combine confectioners' sugar, water, corn syrup (white chocolate wafers). Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a temperature of 92 degrees F (33 degrees C). Mixture should be thin enough to pour, but thick enough to coat the cake. Stir in the almond extract.
You will need a rimmed cookie sheet and a cooling rack for the next part.
Place your cut petit fours on the cooling rack far enough apart to be able to pour icing over each one without touching the one next too it. Place your cooling rack on the cookie sheet. Pour your warm icing over your frozen little cakes. The hot, cold works wonderfully to set the icing smoothly over the cakes. As you pour the icing the cookie sheet will catch all of the extra that falls between each little cake. It takes a little practice to get the right amount and right coverage but once you figure it out it actually goes very quickly.
Let the icing cool and harden, then with a sharp knife remove the cakes from the cooling rack. You can decorate the top with something pretty or drizzle some chocolate over them.
I like adding the chocolate wafers to the icing, it makes it a little more decadent and adds gloss to the finished product. These little morsels are very sweet, I think that is why they are so small. Now that I have finished this post, I have a craving for them. I will have to make some this weekend. Oh no wait, I have a birthday cake and a shower cake to do for this weekend. Petit fours will have to wait until........Monday.
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