Apricot Petits Fours Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush three 12 1/2-by-9-inch rimmed baking sheets with butter. Line with parchment paper; set aside
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and almond paste, on medium speed, until well combined. Add the butter, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Add the flour, almond extract, and salt, and beat until just combined.
• Divide evenly between prepared baking sheets, smoothing batter with an offset spatula. Bake until just set, but not browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to wire racks to cool.
• Purée apricot jam in a food processor. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn one cake layer out onto lined baking sheet. Spread half of the apricot jam in an even layer over cake. Top with a second cake layer. Spread with remaining jam. Top with final layer. Place a piece of parchment paper over final layer, and top with a second baking sheet. Weigh down with two large cans. Transfer to refrigerator until cold, at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
• Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and a cooling rack; set aside. Remove cake from refrigerator and cut into desired shapes. Place on cooling rack; set aside.
• Place the fondant in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, until pourable. You should have about 4 cups. Tint to desired shade with food coloring. Spoon fondant over cakes, coating evenly. Let stand until set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper.
• Place melted chocolate in a small piping bag fitted with a very small plain tip. Pipe decorations onto cakes with chocolate. Let stand until set.

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.)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gently fold into batter., Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., Cut a thin slice off each side of cake. Cut cake into 1-1/4-in. squares. Place 1/2 in. apart on a rack in a 15x10x1-in. pan., In a large bowl, combine glaze ingredients. Beat on low speed just until blended; beat on high until smooth. Apply glaze evenly over tops and sides of cake squares, allowing excess to drip off. Let dry. Repeat if necessary to thoroughly coat squares. Let dry completely., For frosting, in a small bowl, cream the butter, shortening and vanilla. Beat in confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Place 1/2 cup each in two bowls; tint one pink and one green., Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert #104 tip. Fill with pink frosting; pipe a rosebud on each petit four. Insert #3 round tip into another pastry or plastic bag; fill with green frosting. Pipe a leaf under each rose.

Steps:

• Genoise:Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rack in lower third of oven. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment; butter and flour paper. Sift together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt; set aside. Pour melted butter into a large bowl; set aside.
• Combine remaining sugar, eggs, and yolks in bowl of electric mixer. Using whisk attachment, mix on medium-high until pale in color and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and orange zest.
• Detach bowl from mixer. Add one-third of flour mixture. With spatula, gently fold in until just incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture in two more additions. Add one-third of batter to butter; gently fold into butter until just combined. Fold in remaining batter. Divide into prepared pans. Bake until just golden and cake springs back when gently touched, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool in pans, running knife around edges occasionally. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate in pans overnight. Make this cake up to 1 week ahead and freeze.
• Orange Glaze:Melt butter in heatproof bowl over pan of simmering water. Add confectioners' sugar, milk, and orange juice; stir until smooth and pourable. Thin with milk a bit at a time if needed. Keep warm; use immediately.
• Royal Icing:In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle, mix meringue powder, sugar, and 7 to 8 tablespoons water on low. Mix until icing holds a line when a spatula is pulled through it, about 15 minutes. If making ahead, store in an airtight container; color just before using by adding coloring a bit at a time, stirring with spatula.
• Working with one cake at a time, invert genoise onto clean surface. With serrated knife, trim cake level; cut in half horizontally. With pastry brush, brush away crumbs. Spread half the marmalade over top of one half. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut one round from unglazed half, then move to glazed half and cut again. The two pieces will stick, creating a petit-four cake. Remove petit-four cake from cutter; set on wire rack over rimmed baking sheet. Continue, making 8 petit-four cakes from each cake.
• Place petit-four cake on fork; hold over pan of orange glaze. With ladle, pour glaze evenly over cake, repeating to cover all surfaces. Slide glazed cake onto rack. Continue to coat remainder. Let set, 5 minutes.
• Fit pastry bag with a #1 Ateco tip; fill bag with royal icing. Pipe dots over each petit four. Serve.