Petit Fours Recipe Demonstration - Joyofbaking.com

Summary

Stephanie Jaworski from Joy of Baking teaches viewers how to create elegant petit fours. The process involves making a dense almond cake layered with apricot and raspberry preserves, then coating it with a white chocolate glaze. The petit fours are decorated with royal icing, resulting in a sophisticated dessert with a light, not overly sweet flavor. Stephanie provides detailed instructions for each step, from baking the cake to decorating the finished treats.

Takeaways

• 🍰 Stephanie Jaworski is demonstrating how to make petit fours, a type of small cake dessert.
• 🔥 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) for baking the cakes.
• 🧈 The baking pan should be 12.5 by 7.5 inches (32 by 44 cm) and lined with butter and parchment paper.
• 🍰 The cake consists of three layers with almond paste, apricot preserve, and raspberry preserve in between.
• 🍯 Almond paste can be found in grocery stores and can be stored in the freezer for several months.
• 🥚 The cake batter includes ingredients like almond paste, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, eggs, flour, and salt.
• 🕒 Bake the cake for approximately 15 to 18 minutes until it's firm and a toothpick comes out clean.
• 🔪 Once cooled, the cake should be cut into thirds and the edges trimmed for a better stacking effect.
• 🍓 The preserves are used as a flavor layer and as a glue to hold the cake layers together.
• 🍫 The petit fours are coated with a white chocolate glaze, which sets well in the fridge.
• 🎨 Decorate the top of the cakes with royal icing, which can be colored and piped into various designs.

Q & A

What are petit fours?

Petit fours are small, elegant cakes that are typically made with three layers of cake sandwiched together with preserves and coated with a glaze or icing.

What type of preserves are used in the petit fours recipe described in the script?

The recipe uses apricot and raspberry preserves to sandwich the layers of cake.

What is the purpose of the almond paste in the cake batter?

Almond paste, which is a mixture of ground blanched almonds and sugar, is added to the cake batter to give the petit fours a distinct almond flavor and a grainy texture.

How should the oven be preheated for baking the petit fours cake?

The oven should be preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).

What is the size of the sheet pan recommended for baking the petit fours cake?

The recommended sheet pan size is twelve and a half by seven and a half inches or 32 by 44 centimeters.

Why is parchment paper used when preparing the cake pan?

Parchment paper is used to line the bottom of the pan to prevent the cake from sticking.

What is the role of the white chocolate glaze in the petit fours recipe?

The white chocolate glaze is used to coat the cake, giving it a smooth and glossy finish.

What is the reason for chilling the assembled cake before cutting it into shapes?

Chilling the assembled cake helps it to firm up, making it easier to cut into shapes without the layers separating or the cake falling apart.

What is the purpose of the royal icing used for decorating the petit fours?

Royal icing is used to decorate the tops of the petit fours with various designs, such as dots or squiggles, and it dries hard to provide a decorative finish.

How long can the completed petit fours be stored in the fridge?

The completed petit fours can be stored in the fridge for at least a week or up to ten days.

What is the reason for using a round cookie cutter for the petit fours instead of a square one?

A round cookie cutter is preferred because the glaze flows more easily over the rounded shapes compared to the corners of square shapes.