Square Pumpkin Cake Petits Fours With Honey Chocolate Glaze Recipes

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.

PETIT FOURS

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.)

PRETTY PETITS FOURS

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.

CHOCOLATE-GLAZED HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease two 8x3-inch loaf pans.
• Mix 4 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, honey, eggs, oil, coffee, jam, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and baking soda together in a bowl until smooth; spread evenly into the prepared loaf pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove cake from pans and cool on a wire rack.
• Mix 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa powder, water, and 1 teaspoon flour together, stirring constantly, in a saucepan over low heat until mixture is smooth and thick, about 8 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and add margarine and brandy; whisk until glaze is thickened. Refrigerate glaze until cooled, at least 15 minutes.
• Spread glaze over cooled cakes.

CHEESECAKE PETIT FOURS WITH CREAMY STRAWBERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• Place cheesecake in freezer until partially frozen, about 3 to 4 hours.
• Using your cookie cutters, press out mini cheesecakes and place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. To smooth the sides of the cheesecake, you may dip a small knife into hot water. Place cakes in the refrigerator.
• In a medium saucepan, heat jam, sugar, cream cheese, and lemon juice over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are fully combined. Once dissolved, whisk ingredients to combine. Let mixture come to a rapid boil and continue cooking for 5 minutes; the mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes and then strain. Pour glaze over cheesecakes and let set. For a professional look, transfer glaze to a squeeze bottle and pipe a star shape over cheesecakes.
• Place icing in a large resealable plastic bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe icing over cheesecakes. Garnish with strawberries and mint.

PETITS FOURS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks using an electric mixer. Add sugar, and beat until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. If you have a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. Sift the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture, and fold in by hand along with the milk. Stir just until the batter is mixed, then fold in the melted butter until smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When finished, invert the cake pan onto a sheet of waxed paper, and cool completely. This will give you nice even petits fours.
• Cut the cooled cake into small squares, rectangles or triangles, and arrange the pieces in rows on a wire rack or glazing screen with plenty of space between rows. (See Cook's Notes for flavoring suggestions). Set the rack over a shallow pan or waxed paper to catch the drips.
• Spoon or pour warmed petit four icing over the small cakes. The drippings may be scraped off of the pan or paper, and reheated for use again. Allow the petits fours to set until completely dry. Lift the cakes from the rack with a metal spatula, and trim the bottom edges with a sharp knife. Set into small muffin papers for easy handling. Decorate as desired.

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.