Petits fours
An assortment of bite-sized little cakes. The name "petits fours" always refers to a mix of small cakes built on the same base but set apart by different fillings or decorations. They're tiny enough to pop in your mouth in a single bite.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
For these petits fours I went with a chocolate sponge cake. For it you'll need: eggs, sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, and a little vegetable oil to grease the pan.
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Step 2:
Every ingredient should be at room temperature. Carefully separate the eggs into whites and yolks. Beat the yolks with a mixer together with half the sugar until you have a dense, pale mass (5-7 minutes).
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Step 3:
In a clean, dry bowl, beat the whites. Start on low speed until soft peaks form, then increase the speed and beat in the remaining sugar a little at a time. Add the salt to help stabilize the whites. Beat to stiff peaks — the whites should stay put even when you turn the bowl upside down.
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Step 4:
Add half the beaten whites to the yolks. Fold them in gently with a spatula, working from the bottom up.
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Step 5:
Mix the flour with the cocoa and sift it. Add half of the sifted flour-cocoa mixture and fold it in gently from the bottom up. Sifting it straight in aerates it more, which helps the sponge rise better.
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Step 6:
Fold in the rest of the whites the same way, then the remaining flour and cocoa, mixing gently until you have an airy, uniform batter.
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Step 7:
Pour the batter into a pan lined on the bottom with oiled parchment. Don't grease the sides — that way the sponge can rise by gripping the edges. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 30 minutes. Don't open the oven for the first 20 minutes, or the sponge may collapse.
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Step 8:
Cool the finished sponge and turn it out of the pan. It's best to let it rest 6 to 8 hours so it crumbles less when you slice it. Cut the sponge horizontally into 3 equal layers.
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Step 9:
I stacked the two bottom layers on top of each other and cut them into strips. The strips become the square petits fours; the trimmed-off side pieces go toward the round ones.
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Step 10:
For the cream you'll need: egg yolk, sugar, milk, butter, cognac, cocoa, and vanilla. For the glaze: chocolate and butter. For filling and decorating I used jam, juice, peanuts, and shredded coconut.
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Step 11:
For the cream, combine the yolk and milk in a saucepan and stir until smooth.
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Step 12:
Add the sugar and stir.
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Step 13:
Over low heat, cook the mixture until it thickens, stirring constantly so the yolk doesn't curdle. Chill the resulting milk syrup well so the finished cream will be more stable.
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Step 14:
Beat the room-temperature butter with the vanilla sugar until fluffy. Add the cooled syrup a tablespoon or two at a time, beating as you go.
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Step 15:
Add the cognac at the very end of beating. You should end up with a smooth buttercream.
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Step 16:
I soaked the bottom strips of sponge with juice (I used grape). I spread on buttercream, topped with the upper strips, and added another layer of cream. I tinted a little of the cream with cocoa and piped it on top with a pastry bag.
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Step 17:
From the top sponge layer I trimmed off the crown and cut out rounds with a circular cutter, using the side trimmings from the other two layers as well. I spread half the rounds with jam (blackcurrant) and capped them with the other half of the sponge circles.
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Step 18:
For the glaze, break the chocolate into pieces and melt it with the butter over low heat. Stir constantly until smooth, then let the glaze cool slightly.
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Step 19:
Coat the tops of the round petits fours with the glaze.
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Step 20:
Let the glaze set a little, then decorate with shredded coconut and chopped roasted nuts. Use whatever decorations and fillings you like. Chill the finished petits fours for 1 to 2 hours so the cream and glaze firm up and the cakes soak through. Enjoy with a cup of tea!
- Petits fours can also be made from shortcrust or choux pastry. There are even savory versions filled with pate, fish, cheese, and the like — those are usually served as mini tartlets. They're great for banquets or a buffet, where everyone can pick a favorite or sample a few. We're big fans of sponge cakes in our house, so I chose a sponge base. They turned out to be just the thing — I suddenly needed to set up a kids' table, and the children loved them, especially the glazed ones, which disappeared first. The grown-ups didn't mind a miniature dessert either; for them, though, it really was gone in one bite.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Whole cow's milk - 68 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.5% fat content - 64 kcal/100g
- Milk 3.2% fat content - 60 kcal/100g
- Milk 1.5% fat content - 47 kcal/100g
- Concentrated milk 7.5% fat content - 140 kcal/100g
- Milk 2.5% fat content - 54 kcal/100g
- Chicken egg - 157 kcal/100g
- Egg white - 45 kcal/100g
- Egg powder - 542 kcal/100g
- Egg yolk - 352 kcal/100g
- Ostrich egg - 118 kcal/100g
- Raw peanuts with shell - 564 kcal/100g
- Raw peanuts without shells - 568 kcal/100g
- Boiled peanuts - 376 kcal/100g
- Roasted peanuts with shell - 582 kcal/100g
- Roasted and salted peanuts - 585 kcal/100g
- Peanuts - 568 kcal/100g
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Butter 82% - 734 kcal/100g
- Amateur unsalted butter - 709 kcal/100g
- Unsalted peasant butter - 661 kcal/100g
- Peasant salted butter - 652 kcal/100g
- Melted butter - 869 kcal/100g
- Vegetable oil - 873 kcal/100g
- Cocoa powder - 374 kcal/100g
- Ordinary cognac 'three stars' - 239 kcal/100g
- Cognac - 239 kcal/100g
- Juice - 36 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Wheat flour - 325 kcal/100g
- Coconut chips - 592 kcal/100g
- Egg yolks - 352 kcal/100g
- Chocolate 70 % - 539 kcal/100g
- Dark chocolate - 539 kcal/100g
- Vanilla sugar - 379 kcal/100g
- Any jam - 271 kcal/100g
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