Tag Archives: petit fours

Almond Raspberry Triangles

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Almond Raspberry TrianglesAlmond Raspberry Triangles were one of the most popular petit fours in our petit four box.  Whether they are cut full size into squares or smaller triangles, this really easy to make bar is an unusual combination of flavors.  My son referred to it as a “sleeper”.  It is not the fanciest bar or petit four but certainly one of the best.

The base of these Almond Raspberry Triangles is shortbread that is pressed into the pan and topped with raspberry.  The crowning glory is a mixture of almonds, eggs. Amaretto, vanilla, almond extracts and butter that are quickly processed together and poured over the baked base. Continue reading →

Orange Almond Teacake

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Orange Almond TeacakeThis Orange Almond Teacake is made from the same recipe as the Orange Almond Madeleines. In fact the madeleines. which we used as a petit four we thought of after we did the cake.  They are not only a wonderful addition to a petit four tray but can also be arranged as a flower for presentation.  Orange Almond Madelienes for Orange Almond Teacake

What makes this recipe a bit different from the original is the use of my almond paste in this Orange Almond Teacake.  A teacake is usually a simple, one layer, uniced cake.  While originally eaten with a cup of tea, coffee or nothing is fine in the states.  The almond paste in this cake keeps it moist for days.  The crumb of this cake is very close, not exactly dense but not exactly light either. Continue reading →

Individual Wedding Cakes

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Mini Wedding CakeThese amazing individual wedding cakes are so much easier and elegant than the smaller ones that are covered in buttercream or fondant. Most individual wedding cakes are so small they consist mostly of buttercream and/or fondant.

I designed and my bakery produced about 175 of these little wedding cakes for a luncheon involving the media, wedding planners, florists and others associated in producing weddings.  We did this white cake filled with raspberry buttercream and a chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache.  To say they were a hit was an understatement.  There are any number of combinations of these two cakes and filings that can be used.

I am including the chocolate cake layer recipe also so you can make a chocolate version of the individual wedding cakes.

I found this petit four cake layer a very long time ago in a newsletter about chocolate.  It is the perfect layer for a petit four.  It stays perfectly flat and tastes wonderful.  It also cuts beautifully without crumbs when cold but should be served at room temperature.  These three layer cakes are nothing more than unfinished petit fours cut in 1,2 and 3 inch squares that are stacked together.  You can see at this point just how doable these miniature wedding cakes become. Continue reading →

L’Opéra Petit Fours

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

L'Opera Petit FourL’Opéra Petit Fours, a combination of chocolate and coffee flavors, are very much a lesson in component parts.  Many pastries consist of several recipes combined to make the whole.  Rearranging which and how the component parts are combined, endless pastries can be made.

There are two types of petit fours – petit four glacé which are those covered in fondant and petit four sec which are small pastries that can be picked up.  L’Opera Petit Fours belong to the petit four sec variety.  At the shop, we made petit four sec as I consider them to be so much more flavorful and beautiful.

L’Opéra Petit Fours are also the best petit four I have ever tasted.  As with much in food, that level cannot be achieved in a quickie recipe.  But most of the component parts can be executed days ahead of time making the final assembly very easy and relatively fast to accomplish.  I recently made 140 of these for a function where four additional petit fours were offered.  These not only disappeared first, but they were also the most talked about. Continue reading →

Orange Almond Madeleines – A Petit Four

BY HELEN S. FLETCHER, ON
COPYRIGHT, HELEN S. FLETCHER, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PHOTOS BY PASTRIES LIKE A PRO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Finished PhotoMadeleines were said to be the favorite of Proust. These shell shaped petit fours  were originally made of sponge cake and to me, rather tasteless.  They dried out quickly while sitting on display and lacked any definitive flavor.

However, the Orange Almond Madeleines and the fudgey Chocolate Madeleines we made at the bakery are a special treat that lasts on display or in a tin and can be frozen for later use.  These were a very popular petit four.  Orange and almond is a favorite flavor combination than never fails to deliver in the taste department.

There are two kinds of petit fours, petit four sec which is any small one or two bite cake, tart, or other pick up dessert.  Petit four glace are the fondant covered little cakes.  At the bakery, we  made the petit four sec and had a box of assorted ones that were very popular. Continue reading →