Petit Fours
Makes 30
Ingredients
For Cake
- 8 oz almond paste
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 stick butter, softened (room temperature)
- 4 eggs
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
For Glazing Fondant
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 5 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- food coloring
For Layering
- ½ cup apricot jam, puréed (or jam of choice)
For Thinning Fondant
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
Equipment
- jelly roll or half sheet pan (about 18" x 12")
- nonstick cooking spray
- parchment paper
- offset spatula
- candy thermometer
- food processor
- serrated knife
- double boiler
- cooling rack
How-to
Make Cake
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Fit mixer with paddle attachment and add almond paste and sugar. Start on low speed, gradually increasing to medium and beating to combine
- Add the butter and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 1 minute
- With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is well-incorporated before adding the next
- Add the flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 15 seconds
- Coat a jelly roll pan (half sheet pan) with nonstick cooking spray, then line with parchment paper
- Pour batter onto the prepared pan. With an offset spatula, spread batter evenly out to the edges of the pan. The cake will not spread while baking
- Transfer cake to the oven and bake until the edges are golden and the top is a pale gold, about 15 minutes. Remove and let cake cool completely
Make Fondant
- Add water, corn syrup and sugar to a sauce pan, in this order. Using your hand, stir sugar gently until dissolved in water
- Heat the sugar, water and corn syrup over medium. Once bubbles begin to form, increase the heat to high. Do not stir the syrup
- Insert a candy thermometer, clipping it to the side of the pot and wait till the mixture reaches soft-ball stage (240°), about 3 minutes. The finished syrup should be clear
- Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a food processor that has been fitted with the blade attachment
- Immediately clean the candy thermometer
- Insert the cleaned thermometer into the syrup mixture and clip it onto the side of the food processor
- Allow the syrup to cool, undisturbed in the food processor to 140° (this will take about 20-30 minutes)
- Once cooled, add any coloring or flavoring (vanilla, almond extract, etc.) and process on high for 2 minutes until the syrup changes from a glassy mixture to an opaque paste. For immediate use, transfer to a heat-proof bowl and keep glaze at around 95º (but more than 100º). For later use, transfer to an airtight container
Slice & Layer Cake
- Once the cake has cooled, loosen the edges of the cake with a serrated knife. Using a ruler, measure and cut the cake into three equal pieces (about 6" in width each for an 18" pan)
- Transfer one piece of cake to your work surface (keeping the parchment on the bottom). Spread a thin and even layer of jam over the cake, being sure to reach all the edges
- Place another piece of cake over the first with the parchment facing upward. Remove parchment and add jam. Finish by adding the third layer of cake, also removing the parchment
- At this point the cake can be used immediately, or kept well-covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (or the freezer for up to 4 weeks)
- Using a ruler and serrated knife (dipped in warm water for cutting clean edges), cut the cake into even squares, using the width of the ruler as a guide (about 1-¼" to 1-½" each). As you remove the squares, lift them from the parchment still lining the bottom of the cake
Thin Fondant Glaze & Decorate
- In a small saucepan, dissolve 1 cup sugar in ½ cup water over medium heat (about 1 minute)
- Meanwhile, reheat the bowl of fondant over a double boiler until it begins to soften and is pliable. Remove fondant from heat
- Using a ladle, add the heated syrup to the fondant, about 2 tbsp at a time. Mix with a spatula, continuing to add more of the syrup as needed, until the desired consistency is reached (thin enough for the glaze to drip over the cakes — you'll generally need to add about 6-8 tbsp total)
- Tip bowl so fondant pools to one end. Using a fork or skewer, dip each Petit Four into the fondant, one side at a time, until fully coated. Release the glazed Petit Four from the fork or skewer from underneath and place it on a cooling rack that is set over a sheet tray. Repeat until all cakes are glazed
- While fondant is still warm on the cakes, add desired decorations to the tops. Watch Linda's Gum Paste Flowers & Sugared Flowers videos for ideas
- Allow the Petit Fours to dry for at least an hour before placing on a plate or in small paper cups for serving