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Overhead view of rows of petit fours with little yellow and pink roses on top.
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Petit Fours

These Petit Fours are delicate French bite-sized desserts perfect for any occasion, from bridal showers to an afternoon tea party. Here's how you can easily make a batch for a crowd.
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 28 minutes
Freeze Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 28 minutes
Servings 75 cakes
Calories 183kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • Mixer
  • Baking Sheet
  • Serrated Knife

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
  • 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cups butter room temperature (339g)
  • 2 ¼ cups sugar (450g)
  • 8 oz cream cheese room temperature (226g)
  • 5 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla (10mL)
  • ½ cup milk room temperature (120mL)

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

  • ¾ cup butter room temperature (170g)
  • 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp milk or cream room temperature (15mL)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 jar raspberry jam

For the Coating:

  • 8 oz white chocolate chopped (226g)
  • ¼ cup corn syrup (60mL)
  • 3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar (420g)
  • ⅓ cup hot water more if needed (80mL)

Instructions

For the Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and line a half baking sheet (12”x17”) with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, whisk together and set aside.
  • Cream the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer. Add the sugar and then mix on high until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the cream cheese and mix until combined.
  • Drop the eggs in one at a time while mixing on medium speed, scrape the bowl down at least once, and then mix in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three batches alternating with the milk, mixing until almost combined. Finish batter off with a spatula, folding in any unmixed bits of flour or butter.
  • Pour into a lined baking sheet and smooth into an even layer. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any larger air bubbles, and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until the center is springy to the touch. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, peel paper off, and set aside to cool completely.

For the Buttercream:

  • While the cake cools, cream the room temperature butter and salt, then add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla while mixing on low. Scrape the bowl down as needed, then drizzle in the milk or cream a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. If you want to decorate the petit fours with buttercream flowers, you may want to add an extra 1/4 cup of butter and a cup of powdered sugar to the frosting recipe.

For the Assembly

  • Cut the cake into two rectangles (this helps the pieces be more manageable to cut and handle), then cut each down the middle with a serrated knife. Open the cake and spread a thin layer of the buttercream on one half and a very thin layer of raspberry jam (you can use any jam or lemon curd for the filling) on the other. Sandwich the cake layers together, so you have two-layer cakes with raspberry jam and buttercream in the middle. Place onto a baking sheet, then cover and freeze for about 30 minutes or until firm.
  • Cut the edges of the frozen cake, then cut into 1.25-1.5 inch cubes and place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Return to the freezer to chill while you make the coating.

For the Coating and Decorating:

  • While the petit fours freeze, melt the chopped white chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally. While the chocolate melts, sift the confectioners’ sugar into a large bowl and then add the hot water and corn syrup, folding together with a spatula until combined. Stir in the melted white chocolate until smooth if the consistency of the fondant is a bit thick, you can mix in more hot water a teaspoon at a time.
  • Remove the cake cubes from the freezer, place one on a fork then dip the bottom into the fondant. Lift and spoon more fondant over the top until the sides are coated. Tap the fork on the bowl's edge to remove excess fondant, then return to the wire cooling rack (still over a baking sheet) to set. Repeat the process for the remaining cubes. The petit fours will take an hour or two to set.
  • Decorate with a drizzle of melted white chocolate, icing, or you can use the remaining buttercream to pipe little roses on top using a small petal tip (102) and leaf tip (349).

Video

Notes

  • I make a cutting guide for the cake by marking a piece of paper at 1.25-inch intervals. Use the guide to make little cuts to help you slice perfect, uniform squares.
  • You can fill the petit fours with jam, lemon curd, marzipan, or even caramel. Just make sure you use any filling sparingly, as the layers will slide around and weep if overfilled.
  • If you don't want to make a large quantity of petit fours, then wrap and freeze the extra cake. You can make more, or enjoy the cake as is later.
  • Freezing the cake really helps get clean cuts; if you are not confident cutting the cake down the middle to make the layers, then freeze the cake first. 
  • Do not skip transferring the petit fours that you are not currently coating into the freezer. Since the cake can slip and slide around when at room temperature, it's much easier to coat a petit four when it has just come out of the freezer.
  • If you are not using a scale to measure your flour, be sure to fluff your flour with a spoon before spooning it into your cups and leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the cup.
  • Make sure your butter, eggs, milk, and cream cheese are at room temperature to ensure everything is mixed and bakes evenly.
  • Do not add all of the wet and dry ingredients together at once for the cake batter. When you alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients into the creamed butter, it ensures that the batter can be mixed evenly without accidentally over-mixing. 
  • When melting the white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water, you must not allow any water to go inside the bowl. The chocolate will seize and not melt smoothly.
  • I used white chocolate bars for melting. White chocolate chips do not melt as smoothly. White chocolate also burns in the microwave so take the extra step and use the double boiler method of melting your chocolate.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 233IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg