Petit Fours
I have for a long time wanted to try out some Petit Fours from Martha Stewart made with pound cake and Petit Four icing. So yesterday I went into the kitchen to bake a basic vanilla pound cake (I used another pound cake recipe than the one from MS). I wanted to try out the Petit Four icing from MS but since I did not have any light corn syrup in the house, I decided to try out a package of instant fondant icing mix to see how that is to work with. To get the small Petit Fours I used the trick cutting the pound cake into 1″ thick slices and with a round circle cutter you cut out the small cakes.
Then you place the small cakes on a wire rack with a baking tray underneath to collect any leftover icing. I had my mixed instant fondant icing heated and ready. Use a ladle to pour the icing over the small cakes in a circular movement. Here it is important that you quickly pour enough icing over the cakes because you want to seal the cakes completely with the icing. If the icing is too thick at this stage you will have problems with it harden before it have covered the small cakes all the way to the bottom.
I must say that the instant fondant icing mix was ok to work with but I still want to try out the Petit Four icing recipe on MS because it just looks soo smooth and pourable. When the Petit Fours are all done with the icing, you can cut them loose by using a small sharp knife and with slightly wet fingers transfer them to cupcake paper cases. Now your Petit Fours are ready to be decorated. I used some gum paste Hydrangea and some Primrose flowers for my Petit Fours.
Store your Petit Fours in a card board box that is not completely airthight or the icing can get sticky. The refrigerator will melt the icing.
Happy baking
Louise
1. Michelle
June 4th, 2009 12:04 am
These look just beautiful. Nicely done.
2. ButterYum
June 4th, 2009 12:20 am
Totally adorable. I love them!
3. Mara
June 4th, 2009 12:51 am
Louise, I have always wanted to try these out as well. I have always felt intimidated because they look so perfect. But now that you have shown how easy it can be. I think I may take the challenge on. Thanks for all you do and the inspiration. Keep it up
4. Martha
June 4th, 2009 1:39 am
They’re so pretty! I love petit fours.
5. Taylor
June 4th, 2009 2:10 am
I can’t wait to try this!! They are beautiful and easy… how’s it get better than that??
6. anncoo
June 4th, 2009 2:50 am
This is so beautiful, really admired your skill!
7. Isadora
June 4th, 2009 2:51 am
That’s so beautiful! I’ve always wanted to try to make petit fours!!
8. yelda
June 4th, 2009 3:51 am
They look great! I love the colour of the icing..
9. SweetThingsTO
June 4th, 2009 6:16 am
Wow – these are just gorgeous. Thank you for sharing!
10. Alice
June 4th, 2009 7:47 am
They are beautiful! Thank you for posting this, I have yet to make these, but these are on my “must do” list=)
11. Monka
June 4th, 2009 11:12 am
What a simple and wonderful idea! Thank you!
12. Brenda
June 4th, 2009 1:15 pm
They look beautiful! I love your website. You always give such good information and it is so easy to follow. Thanks so much!
13. Melena
June 4th, 2009 1:34 pm
Thanks Louise for your wonderful tutorial. May I clarify one point that confuses me. Why is it that the refrigerator will melt the icing? Thanks!
14. betty
June 4th, 2009 1:38 pm
They are so pretty! Thank you for sharing.
15. kathrin
June 4th, 2009 1:41 pm
They look gorgeous! Makes me want to race into the kitchen and start baking!
16. Paula
June 4th, 2009 2:01 pm
Your cakes can cupcakes are just beautiful! Is that flower cutter and impression from Sunflower?
Paula
17. Linda Cronkite
June 4th, 2009 2:05 pm
Yummy…..thank you for the instructions. I have always loved them.
18. Ladybug Luggage
June 4th, 2009 2:28 pm
I will try these, simple, easy and elegant! Thanks for sharing!!!
19. Kati
June 4th, 2009 2:46 pm
Beautiful job!! I am making some of these tomorrow-I hope mine come out as pretty as yours. They are for a little girl who is having an alice in wonderland party!! Great job!!
20. Sil BsAs
June 4th, 2009 2:49 pm
They look great… as everything you do, really.
But how do they taste?
21. Florence
June 4th, 2009 2:50 pm
I will tray them today. I just just looking for something like this for a Dora party. They will look just beautifull on the table. Thanks again for sharing.
22. tammy
June 4th, 2009 2:52 pm
These are so prettty! Thanks for sharing your technique. I have also been wanting to try these out.
23. Margarita Albaladejo
June 4th, 2009 2:52 pm
Simply gorgeous, I also felt intimidated to try them, but I guess that following your instructions it will be easier to try. However yours are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing
24. Jena Marie
June 4th, 2009 3:10 pm
Ooh, thank you so much for posting your petit fours! I made them awhile back and they turned out pretty good, but I’ve been looking for a better icing to use.. so I will definitely have to try Martha’s! These will look so cute for my graduation party!
Thanks again
-Jena Marie
25. Pily
June 4th, 2009 3:17 pm
Totally adorable. I love them!
26. Bridget
June 4th, 2009 3:20 pm
Could you tell how you reconstituted your dried fondant mix? I bought some but there were no directions included!
27. Melinda
June 4th, 2009 3:27 pm
how do u make instant fondant that is runny like that?
28. sugar dimples
June 4th, 2009 3:29 pm
Lovely!!
29. lyzzie
June 4th, 2009 3:57 pm
Hi, they are beatiful! my questions the flowers are fondant
I loved your work tanks for the send
30. LynHitchins
June 4th, 2009 3:59 pm
Wow, they are so lovely I am looking forward to making these.
31. Becky
June 4th, 2009 4:15 pm
Petit fours are my favorite, and I’ve never been able to make them quite right. They make them in my hometown of New Orleans unlike any I’ve had anywhere else. Most petit fours you buy in stores have icing that tastes very waxy.
How did the “instant fondant” icing taste??? Did you have to pour the icing on them only once or more than once?
Yours are just gorgeous and inspiring, as always. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the green and purple, too!
32. Marsha
June 4th, 2009 4:36 pm
These are beautiful! Your step by step instructions make even the most daunting task “do-able”. Thanks so much for that. I just love your work!
33. lilakakes
June 4th, 2009 5:57 pm
you do such awesome work!!!!!
34. Rita
June 4th, 2009 6:00 pm
They are so beautiful…
35. bon-bon-bun
June 4th, 2009 6:08 pm
Adorable =) They look delicious, will have to try them soon!
36. Maggie
June 4th, 2009 6:09 pm
Thanks for always giving us such wonderful ideas. Are you able to share your pound cake recipe with us? The one I have is is not dense enough to cut our without crushing the cakes.
37. Naomi
June 4th, 2009 6:19 pm
I absolutely love your work! I’ve been subscribed to your blog for a while now, and one that I’ve noticed in particular is the gorgeous little gum paste flowers that you make (like the primroses in this entry). Your work is very clean, delicate, and beautiful– I’m looking forward to your next entry!
38. Jenn
June 4th, 2009 6:59 pm
How do you suppose we could get a tiny bit of filling in them…..:)
39. katyrzinia
June 4th, 2009 7:35 pm
I am so enthralled by the delicate appearance of these small cakes.
I am sure they taste as wonderful as they look but would it work also if a bit of buttercream was inserted through the pound cake for a small filling surprise?
katyrzinia
40. Dhanya
June 4th, 2009 7:44 pm
Wow ,Awesome petit fours. Luv it:)
41. Jessie
June 4th, 2009 8:27 pm
Very beautiful and elegant. You do such great work.
42. Ruth
June 4th, 2009 8:30 pm
Great tutorial!
Thank you!
Now I have ti find this poured fondant icing mix…
43. dpotter
June 4th, 2009 10:21 pm
these are so cute….. can they be made a few days in advance of a party and what do you do with the left over icing?
44. Nakia
June 4th, 2009 10:52 pm
I tried these at Christmas time. I ended up being in a rush b/c my guests arrived early so mine weren’t nearly as pretty or uniform but they tasted sooo good. BTW for a short cut, I used Entemans (sp?) store bought pound cake.
45. Michelle Donaldson
June 5th, 2009 12:09 am
Louise! Perfect timing! I just had a request from a bride for these and hadn’t done them before! Was getting ready to look up some tutorials but now I don’t need to! These are beautiful! Thanks for all your sharing!
M
46. Alicakes
June 5th, 2009 1:58 am
Sooo Pretty!
47. Stephanie
June 5th, 2009 4:40 am
I am going to try these for an open house coming up later this month. Sure hope it goes as smoothly as your demo makes it sound! LOL They look great btw
48. paula
June 5th, 2009 1:09 pm
hermosos Louise!!!!!!!!!!!
te felicito!
49. aribian girl
June 5th, 2009 2:07 pm
They are so beautiful thank u
50. Sharlaine
June 5th, 2009 3:18 pm
Absolutely beautiful, I have the ready mix and will try it after seeing yours, very delicate, I find it interesting that there was no need to seal it with a frosting before pouring the fondant, do you ever have a difficulty with crumbs and is that why you use a pound cake?
51. Didi
June 5th, 2009 6:30 pm
O these are gorgeous!
52. Kalli
June 5th, 2009 9:45 pm
Those are so cute! I think I might try to make some like this. Anyway I just wanted to say I love your blog! Your very talented! I left you something on my blog.
http://mycreativebits.blogspot.com/2009/06/c-rystal-from-kizz-designs-passed-on.html
53. Louise
June 6th, 2009 12:28 am
Melena: I remember that I read in some book (cant remember wich) but I think that it will have something to do with the “moisture” in the refrigerator that will dissovle the fondant icing. Also such small cakes will go dry in the refrigerator.
Paula: well the Hydrangea is from sunflower, it comes with cutter and mold. But the primrose is just the cutter used with the 5 petal blossom veiner also from Sunflower and many other places.
Sil BsAs: Well the pound cake could have been a little more moist I must say but they taste sweet because of the fondant icing. I did not add any flavour to my fondant icing but you can. And you could also have used a syrup to moisten/flavour your pound cake before you sliced it. Its not a treat that you eat 5-10 petit fours. 2 is enough for me… with a nice cup of tea.
Bridget: mine says 500 grams of instant fondant mix to 50 ml of cold water. It is very important that you dont ad all the water at once. You need to mix it into a very stiff dough that you then melt in a doble boiler.
Thin it with syrup or water to pouring consistensy.
Melinda: I just bought a bag of instant poured fondant mix. mix it with water and then heat it. Pls see my reply for bridget.
lyzzie. the flowers are made out of a mix of fondant and gum paste.
Becky: Well these tasted sugary sweet
I did not add any flavouring to my fondant icing but you can if you like only remember to use a clear flavouring. to keep it all white. On Martha they even add a little extra white food coloring.
I only added the icing once. that was more than enough.
Maggie: the pound cake I used was just a typical pound cake. There are so many different recipes, that I have another one that I want to try out.
Jenn: if you would like a filling then I would use a spread of jam and nothing else. It will be very fiddly to cut and assemble such small cakes. I think that it would be better to bake a square pound cake, level it, fill it and then cut out the round cakes.
Ruth: You can get the fondant instant mix from GSA. there is a link in the post.
dpotter: Well you could only I would then soak the pound cake with syrup to make sure that it is moist.
Because there tend to comes some cake crumbs in the icing I dont save the rest of it.
Sharlaine: To avoid crumbs and messy icing you have to use a good firm cake. You never use frosting underneath when covering with fondant icing. It will just ruin the icing. Normally I brush my cupcakes before I use fondant icing but here the cakes are too small.
54. Louise
June 6th, 2009 12:31 am
Kalli: Thank you
55. Cindy
June 6th, 2009 3:39 am
Would it be possible to use a combination of chocolate or white chocolate candy melts with paramont crystals? Has anyone tried that?
Also, I have used a boxed cake mix but instead of adding oil, I would use a stick or two of butter and 4-6 eggs (for a fast and easy pound cake, in case you are in a hurry). The results are a heavy, firm, yet moist cake that’s very easy to work with, cutting or sculpting. Besides having visual proof, try breaking a piece near your ear – you can actually HEAR how moist it is.
56. Christine
June 6th, 2009 2:41 pm
These are Gorgeous, I made some petite fours just last week for a party, but was so excited they worked out that I forgot to photograph them. I wish I read this before I made them. Your icing is so much more dense than mine turned out. I used a pound cake also and used jam between layers then used a heart shape cutter. You can’t use to much jam as the layers will slide. I put them on the table at the party and went to help the host, when I got back , they were all gone, I didn’t even get to try them. I will try your recipe next time. Thanks so much for your great site.
57. camellia
June 7th, 2009 2:22 am
these are gorgeous. thank you so much for all your beautiful and delightful tutorials. I got the 5 petal blossom cutter and veiner from sugar from your recommendation and will be getting in touch with kath to order the hydrangea cutter and mould after seeing how beautiful they turn out. thank you again for giving so many of us the inspiration to go forth and conquer our fears of big (giant) roses!!!!
58. Purple Dots Cupcake
June 7th, 2009 4:42 pm
Wow your petit fours are gorgeous! I love your choice of colors =).
59. Dutch girl loves2bake
June 8th, 2009 12:08 pm
Oh my these are so cute!! I defentily going to try these out! When i do i will link you in my blog! xxx
60. Ana G
June 8th, 2009 1:45 pm
Beautiful but time consuming!
Is it possible to bake and cut the mini cakes a few days in advance an then freeze to decorate later?
If so ao long can they last in the freezer
61. Rosa
June 8th, 2009 3:45 pm
Just amazing! I will try too.
62. CherryFizz
June 8th, 2009 4:26 pm
They look so cute! Almost to cute too eat ^^ Thanks for sharing
Greetings from the Netherlands!
63. elma
June 9th, 2009 8:41 am
i love your petit fours, they’re gorgeous! great color combination…i have a question its not related to the above post, but anyway, whats the difference of meringue powder and egg albumen powder? can they be interchangable used? thanks,
64. Ana G
June 9th, 2009 3:46 pm
Beautiful but time cunsuming!
Is it possible to bake and cut the mini cakes a few days in advance and then freeze to decorate later?
If so how long do they last in the freezer?
65. Amy
June 9th, 2009 5:49 pm
I recently made petits fours too. I was looking at Martha’s recipe but there were a few things I couldn’t get my hands on so went with a gorgeous chocolate recipe instead. They were a massive hit. They didn’t look as pretty as yours though but still quite attractive
66. Kaylee Mitchison
June 10th, 2009 1:49 am
Beautiful! You make it look so easy! haha i tried this style of cake before and it was so messy! Great job!
67. Louise
June 12th, 2009 4:44 pm
Ana G: I guess that you could only I would be a little concern about them drying out. So I would freeze the whole cake as I think it will last/not dry or having freezer burns is the best. I have store whole cakes for up to months.
elma: Meringue powder contains beside dried egg whites also cornstarch and gum. Dried egg albumen powder is just dried eggs whole or whites. You use both products where you want to replace raw eggs. The dried egg albumen is especially good to royal icing string work, collars ect.
68. Alessandra
June 13th, 2009 2:58 am
Each photo is prettier than the previous, so inspiring, thank you!
69. Slutty-asian-cake-lover
June 14th, 2009 9:03 am
OMG UR CAKES ARE SO HOT RIGHT NOW.
70. latifa
June 14th, 2009 11:52 am
love the idea:)
71. masz73
June 15th, 2009 6:17 am
hello, Thanks for sharing your technique and i will link you in my blog
72. Maya
June 15th, 2009 7:12 pm
Thank you so much for all your tutorials. I have been wanting to make these little gems and now I know that it is not too difficult. Thanks again!
73. mamazieza
June 16th, 2009 3:04 pm
Louise.. I really luv the petit four.. it is sooo sweet… how i wish i can do like what you did.. hehehe
74. Zal
June 23rd, 2009 2:30 pm
Hi Louise,
I have always adore all your works. I have tried making these petit fours. Whenever I poured the fondant over the cakes, it doesn’t seems to stick or have good coverage on the sides.
How did you get yours nicely done? Do you have to apply anything on the sides of each cakes?
Looking forward to your reply.
75. MC
June 25th, 2009 10:19 pm
Thanks for showing part of the process, I think the pictures are pretty helpful! It makes me feel like maybe I could give something like that a shot!
76. Louise
June 26th, 2009 11:34 pm
Zal: you need too ladel (use a big one) the glaze in a circular movement to get it to run down the sides.
77. Anna
July 7th, 2009 6:30 pm
Hi Louise! Your flowers are so pretty! What did you use to get the veining details for the primrose and hydrangeas? Do you have a suggested cutter and veiner for both flowers?
78. Louise
July 19th, 2009 11:11 pm
Anna: For the Primrose see here: http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/my-favorite-sugar-flower-cutters-and-veiners
and here: http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-make-a-sugar-flower
The Hydrangea is made with a set of cutters and veiner and that was from Sunflower Sugar Art
79. Flor
July 21st, 2009 6:38 pm
Louise,
and where to get it. Thanks.
Hi..what is the name of the round cutter
80. Louise
July 24th, 2009 11:47 pm
Flor: You can use any kind of round cutter. Ateco have some great sets with many different sizes. Most cake decorating supply stores stocks them.
81. Flor
July 26th, 2009 5:27 pm
Louise,
best deal-I got 50% off coupon yeheyyy.
Thank you…I was just thinking of whether to buy the wilton imprints a couple of days ago now I will definitely buy it
82. liam
September 9th, 2009 7:12 pm
even though im a kid and studing food tech at school for gcse i thought that these would be great thats y im using them in my project.They look ausum and thanks for giving me the ida .
83. Raainah
October 18th, 2009 1:14 am
Simply beautiful!
84. Blender Benefits
December 21st, 2009 4:00 pm
These are shockingly beautiful. I would love to be able to make these.
85. Rosemry Janisse
March 22nd, 2010 3:51 am
I have used MS poured fondant recipe and find if to be one of the best. That is about the only thing I use of hers.