Valentine Petits Fours
Petits Fours require careful planning in order to maintain one's sanity during their assembly. This is not a task that you want to undertake the day before your special event. What is great about this recipe is that each component can be prepared well in advance so your final dipping and decorating can be easily completed the day before or day of your special event.
Ingredients
| — | chiffon cake | |
| — | simple syrup | |
| — | buttercream | |
| — | high quality seedless preserves/jam | |
| — | marzipan | |
| — | chocolate melts mixed with unflavored oil | |
| 12 + 4 ounces | sugar (for custard) | |
| 4 cups | 960 ml | whole milk |
| 2 ounces | 57 g | corn starch |
| 12 ounces | 340 g | butter (3 sticks) |
| 1 1/4 cup | 300 ml | custard |
| 2 oz / 1.5 oz / 3 Tbsp | optional: chocolate OR preserves OR vanilla |
Instructions
What you'll need:
- Chiffon Cake; baked in layers of about 1/4 inch thick for approximately 5 minutes {easy trick – line baking sheet with parchment paper sprayed with cooking oil, pour batter, top with second sheet of parchment paper sprayed with cooking oil – freeze until ready to use to make removing parchment a snap}
- Simple Syrup
- Buttercream {recipe for amazing milk custard buttercream to follow}
- High quality, seedless preserves/jam
- Marzipan; rolled thin so that you can read a newspaper through it
- Chocolate melts; mixed with enough high quality unflavored oil to reach desired dipping consistency
Petits Fours Assembly: Layering from the bottom up
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Cake brushed with simple syrup
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Thin layer of buttercream
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Cake brushed with simple syrup
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Thin layer of jam
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Thin layer of buttercream
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Cake brushed with simple syrup
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Thin layer of buttercream
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Marzipan
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Freeze overnight, leaving the unsightly edges intact to preserve cake.
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Using a hot knife, trim edges and cut to desired shapes.
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Return to freezer until ready to dip.
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Dip in prepared chocolate melts and transfer to parchment paper; chocolate will set quickly thanks to the frozen cake.
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Trim excess chocolate 'foot' with sharp knife.
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Place in small baking cups to avoid fingerprints when picking up.
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Decorate with marzipan, chocolate gum paste or piped chocolate.
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Share with loved ones!
Milk Custard Buttercream Recipe
Custard Preparation (makes 5 cups): Put 12 ounces sugar in pan on stove with milk; stir well. Combine 4 ounces sugar in bowl with corn starch. Heat milk mixture on high until it comes to a boil; stir occasionally. When milk mixture gets warm, add 3/4 cups to corn starch mixture; make a slurry. As milk comes to a boil, whisk in corn starch mixture. Whisk mixture over heat until it thickens. Pour onto sheet pan and store in refrigerator until cool.
Buttercream Preparation: Soften butter and whip on high with whisk attachment. Once butter has significant volume, add custard slowly. Add desired flavor.