Perfect Petit Fours
Bite-sized vanilla butter cake with raspberry filling, cream cheese frosting, and a silky almond white chocolate glaze. Perfect for weddings, showers, birthdays, and any celebration that deserves something a little extra special.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2¾ cups sugar
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup shortening (Crisco)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
For the cream cheese frosting:
- ½ cup salted butter (1 stick), room temperature
- ¼ cup Crisco shortening
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1.5 lbs powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
For the filling:
- Homemade raspberry filling, or store-bought raspberry jam
For the petit four icing:
- 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (6 oz) chopped white chocolate or almond bark
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 13×18-inch half sheet pan with parchment paper and spray the edges with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, and shortening until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and evaporated milk to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in the sour cream.
- Pour batter onto the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake 25–35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Check at 25 minutes. Cool completely.
Make the cream cheese frosting:
- Cream the butter and Crisco together on low speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add vanilla and cream cheese; mix until very smooth.
- Gradually add powdered sugar until combined. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency.
Assemble the cake:
- Flip the cooled cake onto parchment paper. Peel off the baked-on parchment.
- Torte (split horizontally) the cake into two thin layers using a cake leveler or long serrated knife. Slide a flexible cutting board under the top layer and lift it off onto a separate sheet of parchment.
- Spread a thin layer of raspberry filling on the cut side of the bottom layer. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting on top of the filling.
- Place the top cake layer back on, cut-side down, aligning the edges.
- Spread a smooth, even layer of cream cheese frosting over the entire top of the assembled cake. Level it carefully - the smoother the top, the smoother the final icing.
- Trim all four edges of the cake with a sharp knife.
- Freeze the cake for 30–60 minutes.
Make the petit four icing:
- Set up a double boiler: bring a pot of water to a gentle boil, then set a large glass bowl on top.
- In the glass bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, water, corn syrup, almond extract, and vanilla extract until smooth. The icing should be thin enough to drizzle but not so thin it runs off completely. It's ready at approximately 92°F.
- Add the chopped white chocolate or almond bark and stir until fully melted and smooth. Keep warm over low heat.
Ice the petit fours:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Place a wire cooling rack on top.
- Remove the frozen cake from the freezer. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1 to 1.25-inch squares.
- Work in small batches of 10–12 squares at a time, keeping the rest in the freezer.
- Ice each square using the skewer dipping method (insert a skewer into the side, dip in icing, place on rack, twist skewer out) or the ladling method (place squares on rack and ladle icing over the top and sides).
- Add any sprinkles or decorations before the icing sets. Decorations that don't need to stick (painted accents, fondant pieces) can be added after the icing is firm.
- Let the icing set fully (just a few minutes, since the cake is cold), then transfer to candy cups or a serving platter.
Notes
- Do NOT skip the freezing step - frozen cake cuts cleanly and dips perfectly.
- Use almond bark or white chocolate bars, not white chocolate chips, for the icing.
- Spread the raspberry filling in a thin, even layer - a thick layer makes the cake slide.
- Make homemade raspberry filling 1–2 days ahead to save time on baking day.
- No Agbay? Cut the cake into four sections before torting for easier handling.
- The iced petit fours can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.