Sushi 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.)

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.

SUSHI PETIT FOURS

Steps:

• Use a 1.5- to 2-inch round cutter to cut out circles of cake and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Dip the cutter into a small bowl of hot water between cutting to clean it off.) Pipe a small amount of buttercream, about 1/2 inch, on top of half the cake rounds, then sandwich with the remaining cake rounds. Partially freeze the filled cakes, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, lightly dust a clean work surface with cornstarch. Roll out a sheet of dark green fondant (the color of sushi seaweed wrap) 1/8 inch thick so that it is large enough to fit a piece of wafer paper. (If you are rolling out the fondant in batches, keep any unused fondant wrapped in plastic to prevent it from drying out.) Placed the rolled fondant on a piece of parchment paper.
• Brush the fondant with piping gel and place the wafer paper, texture side-up, over top. Using your fingers, lightly brush the top of the wafer paper to remove any air bubbles as you press it into the fondant. Using a pizza cutter, trim the excess fondant around the wafer paper. (If you don't have wafer paper you can skip and just use green fondant.) Mix together the vodka and green gel food color in a small bowl and brush it lightly over the wafer paper so that it wrinkles for a seaweed look. Let dry completely until it is dry to the touch and no longer looks shiny.
• Cut strips of wafer paper fondant that are a 1/4-inch higher than your cake rounds and long enough to wrap around each cake circle. Flip over the fondant strips so that the wafer paper is facing down and pipe a line of buttercream about two-thirds of the way up each strip. Place a cake round on each strip and roll it up, lining up the bottom of the cake round with one side of the fondant strip. Trim away any overlap and add buttercream if needed to seal. Wipe away any buttercream that comes out at the seam. If the fondant begins to stick to your hands, lightly dust your fingers with cornstarch.
• Use the gummy candy or circus peanuts to cut a few pieces of fish that are about 3/4 inches wide. Gently push a few fish in the center of each sushi cake. Pour white sprinkles into the space between the gummy candy and the seaweed fondant to create the rice and gently press to ensure they are in line with the top of the seaweed.