Pumpkin Petit Fours Recipes

MARZIPAN PUMPKIN PETITS FOURS

Steps:

• Make the cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat nonstick mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk the sugars and eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in butter until combined completely. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until no trace of flour remains (batter may be lumpy).
• Scoop batter into tins, filling cups 1/2 full. Bake until testers inserted in the centers come out clean, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool. (Cupcakes can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days.)
• Make the frosting: Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, spices, and vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Assemble the pumpkins: Cut tops from 2 cupcakes, and reserve bottoms for another use. Using a small offset spatula, spread 1 teaspoon frosting on the cut side of 1 cupcake top. Sandwich with other cupcake top, creating a round pumpkin shape. Spread 2 teaspoons frosting smoothly on sides of cupcake sandwich, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and frosting. Refrigerate until very firm, at least 3 hours (or overnight).
• Knead together equal amounts fondant and marzipan, adding orange or brown food coloring until desired color is reached. (Reserve some fondant and marzipan to make white pumpkins if desired.) Dust a surface lightly with confectioners' sugar, and roll fondant mixture to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out circles.
• Place 1 pumpkin cake in center of 1 fondant circle. Bring sides of circle over cake, smoothing out folds, and press to enclose. Flip pumpkin over, and using a toothpick, make vertical grooves along sides. Poke a hole on top for a stem, and insert a chocolate stick. Repeat with remaining cakes and fondant. Using a clean, dry pastry brush or paintbrush, brush pumpkins with luster and pearl dusts if desired. These pumpkins will keep at room temperature up to 1 day.

PUMPKIN PETIT FOURS

Steps:

• First prepare the cake recipe and grease a sheet pan (12" x 18") lined with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• All ingredients are to be at room temperature before mixing:
• Cream the vegan butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy approximately 5 minutes.
• Add the plant milk slowly while continuing to mix on medium-low speed, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure an even mix.
• Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, spices and egg replacer and add to the creaming mixture while mixing on low speed just until incorporated.
• Add the pumpkin last mix well.
• Spread into the prepared pan and bake immediately in the preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
• While the cake is cooling, prepare the buttercream as per the recipe on that blog post, add the spices and pumpkin at the last stage of mixing, whip well to combine.
• Prepare the vegan ganache and set it aside to cool, but remains pour able.
• Once the cake has cooled completely flip it out onto a cutting board, peel off the parchment paper and cut it in half down the center (like a book fold) so you now have 2 layers
• Spread the pumpkin buttercream over one cake layer and then place the other cake layer on top.
• Pour ganache over the top (no need to cover the sides, as we are to cut the edges to expose the layers on each petit four as shown in the pictures)
• Cut the rough edges (yes you are supposed to eat those!! Quality control!!)
• Cut into perfect 1"x1" bite sized squares
• Transfer to a serving platter and add a spot of ganache (in a parchment paper cone) on each one.

OMBRé PETITS FOURS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut 3 pieces of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray, line it with 1 piece of parchment, and spray the parchment. Reserve the other 2 parchment pieces.
• Prepare the cake mix batter according to the package directions. Transfer the batter to a large liquid measuring cup and then divide it equally among 3 bowls. Use red food coloring to tint each bowl a different shade of pink: about 4 drops for lightest color, 8 for medium, and 16 for the darkest.
• Pour the darkest batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it with an offset spatula. Shake the pan vigorously and tap it against the counter a few times to even out the batter and release any air bubbles. Bake until set and the edges are starting to pull away from the pan, about 9 minutes. Cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Invert the cake onto a large cutting board and spread it with 1/3 cup of the jam.
• Meanwhile, cool the baking pan under running water, dry well, and prepare as before with cooking spray, another piece of parchment, and more spray. Repeat the baking and cooling steps with the medium-colored batter. When completely cool, flip the cake directly onto the first cake -- it's okay if the edges don't line up perfectly -- and spread with the remaining 1/3 cup jam.
• Cool the pan once again and repeat with the lightest batter. When cool, flip directly on top of the layered cake.
• Put the white chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream to just shy of a boil in the microwave. Pour over the chips and let stand for 30 seconds before stirring until smooth. Refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes. Beat the frosting with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and slightly whipped, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• Trim the edges of the cake and cut into 24 squares. Pipe each square with frosting to cover. Sprinkle with the freeze-dried strawberries.

SQUARE PUMPKIN-CAKE PETITS FOURS WITH HONEY-CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Make the petits fours: Preheat oven to 350. Butter 2 rimmed baking sheets. Line with parchment, butter and flour parchment, and tap out excess.
• Whisk flour, turbinado sugar, baking powder, cloves, allspice, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk pumpkin, cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
• Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and yolk, beating well after each addition, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with pumpkin mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Raise speed to medium, and beat until well combined. Divide batter evenly between sheets.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in sheets on wire racks for 30 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes, invert cakes onto racks, and remove parchment. Let cool. Invert cakes onto parchment-lined baking sheets, cover each with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
• Make the glaze: Place chocolate in a food processor. Bring cream, honey, and vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer in a small saucepan, whisking until combined. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes. Return cream mixture to a simmer, then pour through a fine sieve over chocolate. Process until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and whisk in butter. Cover with plastic until ready to use. (Stir gently before glazing cakes.)
• To assemble: Cut each cake horizontally into thirds to create thin layers. Spread 1/3 cup glaze on top of 1 cake layer, and gently press a second cake layer on top. Repeat layering once to create a 3-tiered cake. Repeat with remaining layers to create a second cake. Pour remaining glaze on top of cakes. Refrigerate until very firm, about 1 1/2 hours (or overnight).
• Using a serrated knife, trim each cake into a 5-by-11 1/4-inch rectangle, reserving trimmings for another use. Cut each rectangle into 1 1/4-inch squares, wiping knife clean frequently. Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder.

PUMPKIN PIE PETIT FOURS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease and line 4 x 4" cake sandwich pans with baking parchment.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spice.
• In the medium bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar and pumpkin puree until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and mix together well.
• Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 15 minutes until firm to the touch and a skewer, when inserted into the center, comes out clean.
• Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• To make the frosting-beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla and finally beat in the cream cheese, a little at a time.
• Split the sponges in half. Spread half of the frosting over the bottom half of each cake. Place on the top half and press down firmly. Cut each into 8 wedges and place in the freezer for 1 hour.
• Heat the candy melts in the microwave until melted, adding a little shortening to get a smooth, fluid, dipping consistency.
• Dip the cake wedges into the candy melts and leave on a wire rack to set. Finally, fill the piping bag with the rest of the frosting and decorate the pies. Sprinkle with the non pareils.

PUMPKIN-CHEESECAKE PETITS FOURS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place butter and softened cream cheese in a small microwave safe bowl. Melt in microwave on medium setting stirring every 15 seconds until melted. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, add cookie mix, melted butter and cream cheese mixture, egg, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and cake flour. Stir until dough forms. Sift together 2 tablespoons each of cocoa powder and cake flour to use for dusting board and rolling pin. Roll out dough 1/8-inch thick. Using cutters slightly bigger than petits fours molds, stamp out cookies. Fit cookies into molds and cut off excess. Bake in batches for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from molds. Cool completely on wire racks.
• To make the filling, scoop out into separate bowls the pie fillings of the thawed cheesecake and baked pumpkin pie. Be careful not to get any of the crusts. Discard the crusts. Add heavy cream and beat each filling with a wire whisk to smooth out consistency.
• To assemble, using pastry bags or zip-top bag with a star tip, hold the bag on its side and spoon in half of the cheesecake filling. Then spoon half of the pumpkin filling on the other side. Test the frosting by squeezing the bag until both fillings come out. Fill 2 more pastry bags or zip-top bags, 1 with the remaining cheesecake filling and the other with the pumpkin filling. Add fillings to petits fours.
• To make the chocolate icing, remove lid and foil seal from chocolate icing. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Pour into small zip-top bag. Snip off tiny opening in corner of bag. Drizzle over petits fours. Garnish with an espresso bean.