I am making petite fours for the first time and want a good tasting frosting. I would prefer a recipe that I don't have to frost the cake first. Has anyone done that before? I have a friend that just buys the store bought small tubs of icing (betty crocker etc.) and heats it up in the microwave but the vanilla has a taste I don't like. Maybe it is because I have gotten used to some of the recipes off of this website, because I used to like that stuff. Anyway any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks,
Natt
Natt,
I'll be doing petit fours this weekend, too. Here are several recipes I've found that sound really good. I've used the chocolate cream glaze a lot (with the corn syrup) and love it. Plus the address to Baking 911 petit four info.
http://www.baking911.com/cakes/petits_fours.htm
Classic White Chocolate Ganache
Covers 1, 9-inch cake
White chocolate burns easily so take extra care when working with it. This ganache can be used as a glaze, while still warm, or whipped when cold. Either way this is delicious.
17 ounces chopped good quality white chocolate
8 fluid ounces whipping cream
Flavoring**
Butter (optional) 2 to 3 teaspoons (plus more, if needed)
Add chopped chocolate to a CLEAN, DRY stainless steel bowl.
Add cream to a pot and heat to boiling point. Immediately add hot cream to chocolate; stir very well until totally melted. Add in butter, 1 teaspoon at a time and stir. Keep adding until a smooth texture is attained.
Cool slightly at room temperature, pour over desired cake as a glaze until totally covered. Cool and repeat if necessary. Or: when mixture is cold and thickened, beat with an electric mixer to soft peaks, then beat the last few strokes by hand with a whisk until thick and firm. (Be careful not to over-whisk, or mixture will become grainy.)
**For flavored ganache, deduct 1 ounce of cream and add 1 1/2 ounces of rum or liqueur. Or, add in 1/4-teaspoon vanilla extract--or other flavoring
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
White Chocolate Ganache with Tahitian Vanilla Bean (or not)
7 ounces heavy whipping cream
1 ounce corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split (you can also use extract of course, or leave it out altogether)
13 ounces white chocolate
1-1/2 ounces unsalted butter
Combine the cream, corn syrup, and vanilla bean in pan, and bring to a boil. Chop white
chocolate, if not already in small pieces. When liquid boils, pour over chopped white chocolate
and mix to create a smooth ganache. Add the butter, remove vanilla bean if used, and
allow to cool
Petit Fours Icing
9 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Combine ingredients in top of double boiler and heat over boiling water just to lukewarm. (do not overheat icing or it will become dull.) Remove from heat, leaving icing over hot water to keep it thin. If desired, tint parts of icing delicate pastel colors with food color. If necessary, add hot water, just a few drops at a time, until of spreading consistency.
Fondant by Gale Gand
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup hot water
7 cups powdered sugar
6 drops lemon extract
Food coloring
To make the fondant: Whisk the corn syrup into the hot water until dissolved, then whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in lemon extract. Divide into smaller bowls and color with food coloring, adding color until you achieve desired shade.
To make the petit fours, cut the cold cake into small squares, rectangles, and circles using small cookie cutters. Place the cakes on a wire rack over a pan to catch the drippings, inverting them in order to have the golden layer on the bottom. If the fondant has become stiff, just whisk until smooth again. If the fondant is has not become to stiff, proceed to the next step. Either dip the cakes into the fondant and place on the rack to drain or ladle the fondant over the cakes, making sure all sides are coated. Once they are set, they should be coated again. Let dry, then with melted chocolate or colored fondant, pipe thin decorative lines or use silver dragees.
BASIC POURED FONDANT FOR CAKES AND COOKIES
2 pounds sifted powdered sugar (8 cups)
2/3 cup water
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons clear vanilla (You don't want the extract to color the fondant -- clear is available from cake decorating shops. Use almond extract if not available.)
Food color (optional)
In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except food color, on low heat, warm the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Add food color in very small amounts, one drop at a time. The color becomes dark very quickly.
Keep the icing warm, but use a thermometer to be sure it doesnt go above 100 degrees F.
It shouldnt be too thick, or it will not pour over the cookies or cakes smoothly. Simply use a teaspoon of water at a time until a thinner consistency is reached.
Note from source: This easy and shiny Fondant is perfect for decorating cookies, petit fours and even to glaze a cake with. It gives a shiny surface, when dried.
Source: Tami Smith
Chocolate Cream Glaze
3 (3-ounce bars) (255 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 liquid cup (232 grams) heavy cream
1 tablespoon (14 grams) Cognac (optional)
Break the chocolate into pieces and process in a food processor until very fine. Put in a heatproof bowl. Meanwhile heat the cream to a boiling point and pour over chocolate. Let sit for about 5 minutes then gently stir until smooth. If there are alot of air bubbles (air bubbles will be minimal if you use ultra-pasteurized heavy cream) pass through a fine strainer.
Stir in Cognac and allow to cool. When cool, a small amount of glaze should mound a bit when dropped from a spoon before smoothly disappearing. If glaze is too thin, gently stir in a small amount of melted chocolate. When consistency is correct, use at once or store and reheat (to reheat glaze use a double boiler, stirring gently).
When ready to glaze the cake, place the cake on a cardboard round the same size as the cake. Suspend the cake on a rack set on a baking sheet to catch excess glaze. Brush all the crumbs from the surface of the cake.
When frosting a cake, the glaze should be poured onto the center of the cake, allowing the excess to flow down the sides. Smooth quickly and evenly with a large metal spatula, moving it lightly back and forth across the top until smooth. If any spots on the sides remain unglazed, use a small metal spatula to lift up some glaze which has fallen onto the baking sheet and apply to uncovered area.
Lift cake from rack using a broad spatula and set on a serving plate or on a clean rack if planning to apply a second coat of glaze.
If you want to cover the cake more thickly and evenly, two coats of glaze can be applied. To do this, after the first coat is applied, refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes or until the glaze is firm. Apply a second coat of tepid glaze. You will need 1 1/2 times the glaze for a double coat.
Allow cake to set for at least 2 hours at room temperature. Refrigerating the cake will dull the glaze slightly.
Note: If planning to refrigerate the glazed cake, replace 2 tablespoons of the cream with corn syrup. This will keep the ganache from cracking and also adds sheen.
Store 3 days room temperature, 2 weeks refrigerated or 6 months frozen.
Adapted from Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
What brand of white chocolate do you use for dipping? I've used Lindt in my ganaches and it can get a bit expensive WAAH 
I do like Merkens white chocolate, too, but it seems I'd need a bunch for dipping.
Here's another recipe I used from one of my newest cake books for dipping my petit fours. I found I needed to thin it frequently to keep it from glopping up but it tasted really good (I used homemade white chocolate fondant as the base). I did find that a 2nd dipping looked better, but by 2AM I was too pooped to dip a gazillion petit fours for a 2nd cover.
Here's the recipe for the fondant icing from the book Pretty Party Cakes by Peggy Porschen. (It isn't just cakes... it also has cookie and cupcake ideas)
3 1/2 lbs ready made fondant
2/3 C sugar syrup
1 T lemon juice
1 T glucose
selection of food colors
Sugar syrup
1 1/4 C sugar
1 C water
Flavoring options: seeds from avanilla bean; finely grated lemon zest and Limoncello liqueur; Finely grated orange zest and Grand Marnier liqueur; peppermint liqueur.
Place sugar and water in a saucepan; stir well and bring to a boil; leave to cool.
When lukewarm, add flavorings. Store in refrigerator if not using immediately.
Fondant Icing
1. Unless freshly made, place the fondant in a large microwave-proof bowl, cover with hot water and leave to soften for 15 minutes.
2. Pour away the water and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Heat in the microwave for about 3 minutes at medium power. Stir to combine well, then heat for another minute.
4. For dipping cupcakes and fondant fancies, divide the fondant between small bowls and color each with different food colors, adding them a little drop at a time.
5. Before you start dipping, heat each bowl in the microwave for 10 to 20 sec. at ful heat. You want the fondant to be very warm (not boiling) to the touch.
6. Check the consistency of the fondant. If it feels thick and heavy when dipping, add a little more sugar syrup to thin it down until it runs smoothly.
For cupcakes she recommends brushing the top of the cupcakes with sugar syrup and brushing them with a bit of strained apricot jam (boil 1/3 C strained apricot jam with a bit of water) and then allow to dry. Dip the cupcake into the fondant icing and allow to set. Then repeat the dipping onc more time for an even coating.
Can you please email me the recipes you've given Natt at yahoo.com?
Natt,
I'll be doing petit fours this weekend, too. Here are several recipes I've found that sound really good. I've used the chocolate cream glaze a lot (with the corn syrup) and love it. Plus the address to Baking 911 petit four info.
/cakes/petits_fours.htm
Classic White Chocolate Ganache
Covers 1, 9-inch cake
White chocolate burns easily so take extra care when working with it. This ganache can be used as a glaze, while still warm, or whipped when cold. Either way this is delicious.
17 ounces chopped good quality white chocolate
8 fluid ounces whipping cream
Flavoring**
Butter (optional) 2 to 3 teaspoons (plus more, if needed)
Add chopped chocolate to a CLEAN, DRY stainless steel bowl.
Add cream to a pot and heat to boiling point. Immediately add hot cream to chocolate; stir very well until totally melted. Add in butter, 1 teaspoon at a time and stir. Keep adding until a smooth texture is attained.
Cool slightly at room temperature, pour over desired cake as a glaze until totally covered. Cool and repeat if necessary. Or: when mixture is cold and thickened, beat with an electric mixer to soft peaks, then beat the last few strokes by hand with a whisk until thick and firm. (Be careful not to over-whisk, or mixture will become grainy.)
**For flavored ganache, deduct 1 ounce of cream and add 1 1/2 ounces of rum or liqueur. Or, add in 1/4-teaspoon vanilla extract--or other flavoring
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
White Chocolate Ganache with Tahitian Vanilla Bean (or not)
7 ounces heavy whipping cream
1 ounce corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split (you can also use extract of course, or leave it out altogether)
13 ounces white chocolate
1-1/2 ounces unsalted butter
Combine the cream, corn syrup, and vanilla bean in pan, and bring to a boil. Chop white
chocolate, if not already in small pieces. When liquid boils, pour over chopped white chocolate
and mix to create a smooth ganache. Add the butter, remove vanilla bean if used, and
allow to cool
Petit Fours Icing
9 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Combine ingredients in top of double boiler and heat over boiling water just to lukewarm. (do not overheat icing or it will become dull.) Remove from heat, leaving icing over hot water to keep it thin. If desired, tint parts of icing delicate pastel colors with food color. If necessary, add hot water, just a few drops at a time, until of spreading consistency.
Fondant by Gale Gand
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup hot water
7 cups powdered sugar
6 drops lemon extract
Food coloring
To make the fondant: Whisk the corn syrup into the hot water until dissolved, then whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in lemon extract. Divide into smaller bowls and color with food coloring, adding color until you achieve desired shade.
To make the petit fours, cut the cold cake into small squares, rectangles, and circles using small cookie cutters. Place the cakes on a wire rack over a pan to catch the drippings, inverting them in order to have the golden layer on the bottom. If the fondant has become stiff, just whisk until smooth again. If the fondant is has not become to stiff, proceed to the next step. Either dip the cakes into the fondant and place on the rack to drain or ladle the fondant over the cakes, making sure all sides are coated. Once they are set, they should be coated again. Let dry, then with melted chocolate or colored fondant, pipe thin decorative lines or use silver dragees.
BASIC POURED FONDANT FOR CAKES AND COOKIES
2 pounds sifted powdered sugar (8 cups)
2/3 cup water
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons clear vanilla (You don't want the extract to color the fondant -- clear is available from cake decorating shops. Use almond extract if not available.)
Food color (optional)
In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except food color, on low heat, warm the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Add food color in very small amounts, one drop at a time. The color becomes dark very quickly.
Keep the icing warm, but use a thermometer to be sure it doesnt go above 100 degrees F.
It shouldnt be too thick, or it will not pour over the cookies or cakes smoothly. Simply use a teaspoon of water at a time until a thinner consistency is reached.
Note from source: This easy and shiny Fondant is perfect for decorating cookies, petit fours and even to glaze a cake with. It gives a shiny surface, when dried.
Source: Tami Smith
Chocolate Cream Glaze
3 (3-ounce bars) (255 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 liquid cup (232 grams) heavy cream
1 tablespoon (14 grams) Cognac (optional)
Break the chocolate into pieces and process in a food processor until very fine. Put in a heatproof bowl. Meanwhile heat the cream to a boiling point and pour over chocolate. Let sit for about 5 minutes then gently stir until smooth. If there are alot of air bubbles (air bubbles will be minimal if you use ultra-pasteurized heavy cream) pass through a fine strainer.
Stir in Cognac and allow to cool. When cool, a small amount of glaze should mound a bit when dropped from a spoon before smoothly disappearing. If glaze is too thin, gently stir in a small amount of melted chocolate. When consistency is correct, use at once or store and reheat (to reheat glaze use a double boiler, stirring gently).
When ready to glaze the cake, place the cake on a cardboard round the same size as the cake. Suspend the cake on a rack set on a baking sheet to catch excess glaze. Brush all the crumbs from the surface of the cake.
When frosting a cake, the glaze should be poured onto the center of the cake, allowing the excess to flow down the sides. Smooth quickly and evenly with a large metal spatula, moving it lightly back and forth across the top until smooth. If any spots on the sides remain unglazed, use a small metal spatula to lift up some glaze which has fallen onto the baking sheet and apply to uncovered area.
Lift cake from rack using a broad spatula and set on a serving plate or on a clean rack if planning to apply a second coat of glaze.
If you want to cover the cake more thickly and evenly, two coats of glaze can be applied. To do this, after the first coat is applied, refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes or until the glaze is firm. Apply a second coat of tepid glaze. You will need 1 1/2 times the glaze for a double coat.
Allow cake to set for at least 2 hours at room temperature. Refrigerating the cake will dull the glaze slightly.
Note: If planning to refrigerate the glazed cake, replace 2 tablespoons of the cream with corn syrup. This will keep the ganache from cracking and also adds sheen.
Store 3 days room temperature, 2 weeks refrigerated or 6 months frozen.
Adapted from Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Awesome thread, thanks for a sharing all those recipes.
Thanks for posting all the recipes!!! I can't wait to try some...
sorry, I am too dumb to figure out what the rest of that website address is
www.????.com/cakes/petits_fours.htm
Can someone please email me that address?
THANKS!!!
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