Gingery Watermelon Petit Fours Recipes

PETIT FOURS

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Liberally spray an 18-by13-inch sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Stack the lined sheet pan inside a second sheet pan, to avoid extra browning when baking.
• In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse together the almond paste, granulated sugar and honey. Pulse until well combined. Open the food processor and scrape the sides and bottom with a metal spoon to check that the almond paste is completely incorporated. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition.
• Add the eggs one by one, pulsing until each is completely incorporated. After the last addition, scrape down the bowl and then pulse until the batter is completely smooth and slightly fluffy. Pulse in the flour mixture until blended.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared sheet pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when gently poked, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
• While the cakes are cooling, color the Royal Icing in the colors of your choosing and add each color to a pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip. Pipe tiny flowers on a piece of parchment by making small closed spirals in one color, then add leaves to either side in the other color. Set aside to set up and harden, about 1 hour.
• Remove the cake from the sheet pan and cut in half widthwise. Spread the jam on top of one half and top with the second half. Freeze for 10 minutes to set.
• Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into 1-inch squares. Place onto a parchment-covered sheet pan and freeze for at least 1 hour.
• For the coating icing: In the meantime, add the white chocolate chips to a heatproof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water (the bowl should sit above and not touch the water). Heat, stirring, until melted and smooth.
• Sift the confectioners' sugar into a separate large bowl. Stir in the hot water and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate. If the icing is too thick (it should be pourable), add more hot water 1 teaspoon at a time. Use while warm; you can reheat it in the microwave if necessary as you are working.
• Put the little cakes on a wire rack fitted inside a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Coat the cakes with the icing using a spoon and small offset spatula, or add icing to a pastry bag, snip the corner and use to coat each cake. Top each with a hardened royal icing decoration. Allow the icing to set up before transferring to a serving platter.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment, add the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder and beat to combine. Beat in 4 tablespoons of warm water to combine. Raise the paddle head to check the consistency of the icing; the icing should be thick and smooth but not dripping from the paddle. Add more water until the desired consistency is reached. (You can add slightly more water to achieve a flooding consistency icing to completely cover cookies. Use a stiffer consistency to pipe decorations and details.)

OMBRé PETITS FOURS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut 3 pieces of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray, line it with 1 piece of parchment, and spray the parchment. Reserve the other 2 parchment pieces.
• Prepare the cake mix batter according to the package directions. Transfer the batter to a large liquid measuring cup and then divide it equally among 3 bowls. Use red food coloring to tint each bowl a different shade of pink: about 4 drops for lightest color, 8 for medium, and 16 for the darkest.
• Pour the darkest batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it with an offset spatula. Shake the pan vigorously and tap it against the counter a few times to even out the batter and release any air bubbles. Bake until set and the edges are starting to pull away from the pan, about 9 minutes. Cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Invert the cake onto a large cutting board and spread it with 1/3 cup of the jam.
• Meanwhile, cool the baking pan under running water, dry well, and prepare as before with cooking spray, another piece of parchment, and more spray. Repeat the baking and cooling steps with the medium-colored batter. When completely cool, flip the cake directly onto the first cake -- it's okay if the edges don't line up perfectly -- and spread with the remaining 1/3 cup jam.
• Cool the pan once again and repeat with the lightest batter. When cool, flip directly on top of the layered cake.
• Put the white chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream to just shy of a boil in the microwave. Pour over the chips and let stand for 30 seconds before stirring until smooth. Refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes. Beat the frosting with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and slightly whipped, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• Trim the edges of the cake and cut into 24 squares. Pipe each square with frosting to cover. Sprinkle with the freeze-dried strawberries.

SHEET PAN PETIT FOURS

Steps:

• For the cake: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment. Set aside.
• Beat the eggs, sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until the mixture is pale and very thick (enough to hold a wake from the whisk), about 10 minutes (see Cook's Note). Reduce the speed to medium-high and drizzle in the butter and vanilla until just combined, about 10 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and add the sifted flour all at once. Beat until just combined, about 5 seconds. Gently fold the batter once or twice using a rubber spatula, then scrape it into the prepared sheet pan. Spread it evenly using the spatula, using broad, gentle strokes to keep the batter airy.
• Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the top is lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in the sheet pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• Punch out about 80 mini cakes using a 1 1/2-inch-diameter round cookie cutter. (Store the scraps in an airtight container and enjoy as a snack.)
• For the ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place the white chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer and pour the hot cream over it. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth using a heatproof rubber spatula. Mix in enough food coloring until the desired color is achieved. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until cooled, about 20 minutes. Return to the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Put the ganache in a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe 1 heaping teaspoon of ganache onto half the cake rounds. Top each with the remaining cake rounds. Pipe the top of each cake with 1 heaping teaspoon of ganache, then top with a pinch of sprinkles.
• Serve immediately or store in an airtight container up to 1 day.

FONDANT GLAZED PETIT FOURS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment cream the butter until smooth. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar and mix. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix well.
• Sift the flour 3 times with the baking powder (this is to lighten the cakes). Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix. Add 1/2 of the milk to the butter mixture and mix. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix. Add the remaining milk and mix. Add the remaining flour and mix until smooth. Fold in the egg whites.
• Pour the batter into a parchment lined jellyroll pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until firm to the touch 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan then chill.
• To make the fondant: Whisk the corn syrup into the hot water until dissolved, then whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in lemon extract. Divide into smaller bowls and color with food coloring, adding color until you achieve desired shade.
• To make the petit fours, cut the cold cake into small squares, rectangles, and circles using small cookie cutters. Place the cakes on a wire rack over a pan to catch the drippings, inverting them in order to have the golden layer on the bottom. If the fondant has become stiff, just whisk until smooth again. If the fondant is has not become to stiff, proceed to the next step. Either dip the cakes into the fondant and place on the rack to drain or ladle the fondant over the cakes, making sure all sides are coated. Once they are set, they should be coated again. Let dry, then with melted chocolate or colored fondant, pipe thin decorative lines or use silver dragees.
• Notes about the recipe: There are many options for these darling little cakes. You can split the cake in half horizontally and spread it with jam, you can spread jam on the top and stick down a thin layer of rolled marzipan or do the simplest plain version like I did here. You can also tint the fondant different pastel colors.

PETITS FOURS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks using an electric mixer. Add sugar, and beat until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. If you have a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. Sift the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture, and fold in by hand along with the milk. Stir just until the batter is mixed, then fold in the melted butter until smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When finished, invert the cake pan onto a sheet of waxed paper, and cool completely. This will give you nice even petits fours.
• Cut the cooled cake into small squares, rectangles or triangles, and arrange the pieces in rows on a wire rack or glazing screen with plenty of space between rows. (See Cook's Notes for flavoring suggestions). Set the rack over a shallow pan or waxed paper to catch the drips.
• Spoon or pour warmed petit four icing over the small cakes. The drippings may be scraped off of the pan or paper, and reheated for use again. Allow the petits fours to set until completely dry. Lift the cakes from the rack with a metal spatula, and trim the bottom edges with a sharp knife. Set into small muffin papers for easy handling. Decorate as desired.