Perfect for that special occasion, these petit fours taste as good as they look.
The recipes for the cake and frosting are adapted from those in my Nana's Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, published in 1953. They are still delicious today. Egg whites beaten and folded in just before baking make this white cake so soft and fluffy.
White Cake:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk (best to use whole, but 2% works fine)
6 large egg whites
additional 1/4 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13x9 pan - spray with
Pam for Baking or butter, then parchment, then spray the parchment.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Beat butter in mixer at medium speed for a minute, then beat in 1 cup of sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and beat.
4. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk (about 3 rounds). After each addition, beat until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy (I use a hand mixer for this). Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the mixture forms soft peaks. Fold egg whites into batter using a large rubber spatula (I add them in 2 steps - makes it a bit easier) until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. (Note: Mine take about 25 minutes, although the original recipe calls for 40 minutes. My oven is super hot, but I recommend being conservative and start checking at 20-25 minutes.)
7. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cool, either eat it as is (delicious!), frost with your favorite frosting or read on to make petit fours!
Petit Fours Frosting
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Approx. 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Candy thermometer
Candy decorations, tiny icing flowers, nuts, etc.
1. Cook sugar, cream of tartar and hot water in a small/medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, then cook until temperature on candy thermometer reaches 226 degrees Farenheit (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
2. Let mixture cool until temperature reaches 110 degrees Farenheit (about an hour).
3. Add vanilla and stir to combine.
4. Add confectioners' sugar until frosting is a good consistency for pouring but not super runny (about 2 cups). If you aren't sure, use a little less and do a few petit fours to test it, adding more sugar if needed.
Note: This recipe probably makes enough frosting to do about 3/4 of your petit fours. If your family is like ours, you will already have eaten about 1/4 of the white cake before frosting so it's not a problem... :)
Assembling the Petit Fours
1. Trim off the edges of your 9x13 cake and slice into whatever size shapes you would like. I prefer rectangles that are 1 1/4 inch x 2 1/4 inch. You can also use cookie cutters for fun shapes if you like.
2. I like to trim off the tops of my cake pieces so there is a fresh, flat white surface on top. I think they look better this way and you don't need to worry about any golden cake top showing through the frosting. Use a serrated bread knife.
3. Place cakes on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet (to catch drips). Leave an inch or two between so that you have room to frost the sides.
4. Use a spoon to pour the frosting on top of each cake. Some will drizzle down the sides, but may not cover completely so you may have to use your spoon to smear some extra onto the sides. I've also found it's best if I let the frosting sit on the cake for a minute and then go back and do an extra layer on the top - it makes the top nice and smooth.
5. Once you have frosted the entire petit four, let frosting dry about a minute and then put on the decoration of your choice - tiny icing flowers, small piece of candy, nuts - or wait until dry and pipe icing flower or other decoration on.
6. Experiment with different frosting consistency, techniques, etc. Your last petit four will definitely look better than the first! Enjoy!
