Petit Fours are tiny, delicate French cakes and are generally served with or after tea/coffee. They usually consist of sponge cake, filled with jam or cream, and are finished off with icing or a glossy type of finish. Their small size makes them look very appealing to everyone. Petit fours are generally served at wedding receptions, afternoon tea, and other special occasions where both appearance and taste are equally important.
These elegant and tiny bite-sized delicacies have been served at the tables of culinary royalty for hundreds of years. They are derived from the French words meaning "small oven," which was used to create these dainty desserts. For more than 200 years, there has been a rich history of petit four(s) serving as elegant delineations of skillful craftsmanship, elegance, and precision.
In many different tries in my kitchen, I discovered that how well the glaze is prepared determines what it looks like once complete. Improper consistency causes the coat to become either patchy or translucent. When applied properly, you can transform your cake cubes into a polished finish in no time.
A petit four is a small pastry served in bite-sized pieces. The size of a typical petit four ranges from 20-40 mm (2-4 cm). They are in the form of small cakes, small cookies, and confections, and due to their small size, multiple types of petit fours can be served together at tea time or during an event.
The term "petit four" comes from the French meaning "small oven". Traditionally, when bakers and pastry chefs bake bread in a hot oven, they would use the cooler temperature of the oven to bake delicate and small, elaborately decorated sweets that needed slower cooking temperatures.
There are four types of petit fours:
Small layer cakes that are poured over with icing/fondant or chocolate coating. These are the traditional cubes that you see in pastry displays and will be the type of petit four that this recipe will be focused on.
Dry types of petit fours, e.g., macaroons, madeleines, and sablés. The dry type relies on the texture of the petit four itself and generally has no coating or icing.
Savoury types of petit fours, e.g., cheese puffs or tiny tarts, are served at receptions.
Fresh types of petit fours, typically filled with cream or fruit, usually need to be kept refrigerated.
The petit four glacé is distinguished from the other types of petit fours by having "sharp" edges, "smooth" glaze, and decorative toppings.
The cake base is what creates the structure for petit fours. Dense cakes create a better product than light sponge cakes.
Pound cake or almond sponge cake is ideal for this, as the crumb stays firm during the cutting and glazing process. In contrast to lighter cakes, such as chiffon or airy sponge cakes that will collapse easily, dense cakes will continue to support their structure and allow for easy cutting and glazing.
If cake crumbs get into the glaze, it creates a rough texture and a cloudy icing. A dense crumb will eliminate these problems and create clean edges after slicing.
Moisture also plays an important role in the finished product. If the cake layers are slightly firm, they will absorb the jam or buttercream filling while still providing structural support for the poured fondant glaze.
For the best results, make the cake a day in advance and chill it before assembly.
This dessert comes in many forms and flavors. Traditionally, petit fours have simple flavors and use a smooth (glossy) chocolate glaze over the top; however, some variations are very decorative.
Common examples of traditional petit fours include:
Decorations are relatively simple, as classic decorations for petit fours are typically buttercreamed piped dots, candied violets, ground pistachios, or drizzles of melted chocolate.
Pastry shops also offer colorful glazed style frosting (fondant) on a variety of different cakes, including; pastel colored frosted boxes for tea parties, wedding cake slices, birthday cake slices, or sprinkles, colored ( rainbow) frosted petit fours, on the dessert table, etc.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
The edges of the cake will be very buttery and have a light, golden color. You should allow the cake to cool completely before assembling it.
Refrigerate the assembled cake for about 30 minutes to help set the filling.
Create a professional finished product when you have even square edges from the precision of cutting your petit fours.
Freezing helps to avoid crumbling the cake when you are slicing, as well as keeping each layer intact when cutting.
Ingredients:
Preparing Fondant for Glazing:
Your glaze should flow like warm honey: if your glaze is flowing too quickly, it will create a thin, clear coating on your cakes.
Glazing Procedure:
Within several minutes, it will have formed a smooth, shiny coating.