I have been trying everything to create pretty little petit fours. I purchased the $70 pan from the fat daddios line that bakes 16 little cakes at one time and because of the separators claims to limit crumbs. I was never so disappointed. Maybe I am not doing something right but I may as well had baked a sheet cake and cut to size. I was expecting the top and sides to brown pretty like a regular cake. Unless I am missing something, and I'm open to suggestions, I would not recommend this product.
Thank you for posting this. I really wanted to by that pan and was thinking really hard about it. What happpened to the cakes? You didn't really describe what they looked like. Did the pan come with directions? Sorry for all the questions but maybe it will help you figure out what went wrong or hopefully someone else can chime in. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. 
Well - I used the liquid no stick stuff and coated the insides of the tubes really well. I filled approximately 1/2 full and then baked. After cooling and turning out of teh tubes the sides didn't have a "crust" they were very crumbly. Now the top crusted like a cake but the sides did not and they were flimsy - some broke in half. It was not pretty!
I (sadly) know only from trial and error (more of the latter) that FD pans are VERY temperature sensitive. Could that maybe be an issue? The recommend on their other pans to bake at 325 and even that doesn't work for me. What I have done and found GREAT (and I do mean night and day difference!) is that I bake at 300 and then half way thru I will crank it up to 325. It makes a wonderful even bake for me that way. Oh and I don't use any kink of bake-even strips.
I don't know if that helps, but maybe a temp adjustment might work. Hmmmmmmmmmm...I see cake balls in your future! 
I didnt see the petit four under fat daddio..i did see a set under Silverwood cake pans. are those the ones? i was thinking of getting them
I think personally that WASC is too soft. You really need a pound cake type recipe so the cakes will not fall over. The other thing you can do is use "a cake ball" recipe mix it and place it in a pan the height you want. Say 1 1/2 inch or more with parchment on the bottom and sides freeze and then pull out of pan, use small cutters for rounds and other or just slice square or in diamonds and ice or cover in ganache. They work well too.
This works for me.
Good Luck.
ok, what type of frosting/or pourable fondant do you use for your petit fours? Thanks for the post about the pan. I agree maybe the pound cake would work better or a nice stable lemon or chocolate.
I can see where the sides would not form a crust, becaue the are not exposed to the outside air of the oven. They are insulated by more cake, KWIM?
but then again, whats is the purpose if they do not give you a crust?
You know I was thinking it would cook like a muffin - it is sealed with a little crust and not exposed to outside air. Too good to be true. I've used rolled fondant and pourable fondant (recipe here). I've cut cake then froze cake and even tried mini-muffins. Petit fours and me - not a good combination.
Don't give up on the petit fours. I had to make them for the first time in June and everyone liked them so much that I keep ending up making more.
When I make petit fours, I bake a 9X13 with WASC, level and cut the sides off, torte it (yes, it's very thin, I slide the top off onto a cookie sheet that has no edge) put a layer of buttercream in and another one on top, lay waxed paper on top of the buttercream and press it smooth, then wrap the whole thing up and freeze it overnight.
Then I cut it up with deep cookie cutters http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=02-0400 or with a knife and put the cut pieces back in the freezer until I'm ready for them.
I've only done petit fours with rolled fondant. I put it on while they're still frozen. They get sticky but dry out in a couple of hours.
[quote="Texas_Rose"]
Then I cut it up with deep cookie cutters http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=02-0400 or with a knife and put the cut pieces back in the freezer until I'm ready for them. [quote]
Thank you for the reference to this website. It is a great source.
I use pourable ganache 1 part chocolate 1 part heavy whip cream. (Just a bit tepid or luke warm- works great on a frozen cake.)
Or you can use any icing that is based with milk and icing sugar. The key is to keep your icing somewhat tepid or luke warm so it pours a bit easier. You really have to try it a couple of time to get the right thicknes for yourself. I use a small "louche" (gravy spoon) to pour my icing on top of each Petit Four on a grid and I start by doing the sides and then I pour 1 more time from the top middle and it works great for me.
Good Luck.
I gave my petit four pan away...darn thing.
I do mine a lot like these other ladies have stated.
The larger cake torted (I tend to do 3 layers) and filled, then frozen before cutting and then icing.
I have used royal, poured fondant and ganache on them, and like all three very much. I tend to use royal the most though.
I also have 30 small (1.5"x1.5") square molds that are meant to be placed on a cookie sheet and then filled and baked. It works okay, and better than the petit four pan for sure, but can be a hassle too.
Ladies fellow CC'rs I am curious could these be a possibility by simply making a sheet cake torte and filled then slicing with a deep square cookie cutter. Then freeze for firmness and then glaze or ice?
Has anyone tried this method? Or should I go bake and let you all know hee hee
sweettoothmom in my experience you need to torte and freeze then cut and you can then spread on a grid and refreeze a bit until your icing is ready and then go for it. Cutting unfrozen and then freezing may give you droopy petit fours.
I have been reading up on French sites about their traditional petits fours. I wish I could make really fasts translations of these awesom recipes.
Anyhow - Theyre are many that once torted and cut they cover in apricot jelly and then in marzipan and then they cover with icing or ganache. I have had these and they are so good. It's just a whole lot of work.
Going to search some more.
Good Luck.
ok, I know the following web site is in french, but I have had these little maccaroons and they are do good.
http://www.750g.com/fiche_de_cuisine.2.123.4371.htm
found this one also which is both in English and French:
http://www.chipsbooks.com/artpetit.htm
how about this one:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Petits.fours.wmt.jpg/800px-Petits.fours.wmt.jpg
This one is just a general image search on google, but what colors and ideas...:
http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&q=petits+fours
Ok, I have to stop or I will head upstairs and start baking.
Good Luck.
sweettoothmom in my experience you need to torte and freeze then cut and you can then spread on a grid and refreeze a bit until your icing is ready and then go for it. Cutting unfrozen and then freezing may give you droopy petit fours.
That's what I do too, torte, fill, freeze, then cut and freeze again.
And guard my freezer because everyone in the house wants to carve tiny slivers of frozen filled cake to eat 
i have the silverwood round pans like this and they are a pain too! sides come out crumbly and messy and sometimes batter leaks out of the bottom of the circles. i'm just not sure they are worth the time to use them. the only way i've been able to get them to look decent is to cover them in fondant.
ashley
I coat the sides twice, 1 before the top and then again as I do the tops an then the sides look much better.
If you get a chance to check out my last post above you will see that many of the petits fours have extra's on the sides and those hide all kinds of little issues.
Good Luck.
Thank you everyone for the input on the process! I just love you all so very much!!!!
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