Easy Homemade Petit Fours

Angled view of plate of glazed petit fours topped with pansy flowers.

5 from 2 votes

These tiny tea cakes are the perfect bite-sized dessert for a bridal shower or tea party. This easy petit four recipe uses a moist cream cheese pound cake, layers of blackberry jam and lemon curd filling, and a simple vanilla glaze.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Chill Time1 30

Total Time3

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Servings:

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Allison Ferraro

Equipment

Parchment paper
9x13 metal pan
Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
serrated knife
Small icing spatula
double boiler

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Pound Cake:

1 ½ cups sifted cake flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Fillings:

½ cup blackberry preserves
½ cup lemon curd, homemade or store bought

Vanilla Glaze:

3 ⅜ cups confectioners' sugar
4 ½ Tablespoons whole milk
1 ½ Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Topping:

edible flowers (such as pansies or violas)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the cake.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly spray a 9x13 metal pan with cooking spray before lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk to combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat butter, cream cheese, and oil on high speed for 2 minutes.
Add sugar and continue to beat on high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. The mixture should be pale and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla and beat on high speed until well blended.
With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix just until combined.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and gently spread it evenly around the pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until edges just begin to turn golden and your finger does not leave an indent when very gently pressed into the center. Allow the cake to cool completely, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Slice and assemble the cakes.

Using a serrated knife, trim the edges off of the cake. Then cut the cake into thirds widthwise and in half lengthwise. You should now have 6 smaller squares of cake.
Carefully slice each square of cake in half horizontally to create two equal and thinner squares of cake. You should now have 12 thin squares of cake.
Spread a very thin layer of blackberry jam onto 8 of the cake squares (about 1 scant Tablespoon of jam per square). Spread a very thin layer of lemon curd on top of the blackberry jam on the same 8 cake squares (about 1 scant Tablespoon of curd per square).
Place 4 of the jam and curd topped cake squares on top of the other 4 topped cake squares. Then place the 4 remaining plain cake squares on top of each. You should now have 4 squares of cake, each with 3 layers of cake and two layers of filling.
Refrigerate the cakes for 30 minutes.
Cut each of the chilled cakes in thirds lengthwise and again in thirds widthwise. Each square will be cut into 9 smaller squares for a total of 36 tea cakes.
Freeze the tea cakes for 30 minutes.

Glaze the cakes.

In the bowl of a double boiler, whisk to combine confectioners' sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla.
Heat water in the bottom of the double boiler over medium heat, stirring the glaze periodically as it heats. Continue heating until the glaze is smooth and pourable. The glaze should run easily off of a spoon while still coating the spoon.
Place a cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet. Place the frozen cakes onto the cooling rack.
Keeping the glaze over the heat of the double boiler, carefully spoon a bit of glaze over each petit four so that the top of the cake is covered and just a bit of glaze drips down the sides.
Allow the glaze to set, then top with edible flowers (if using).

Notes

Storage: Seal in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you've chosen a filling that requires refrigeration or want to store for up to 5 days, store petit fours in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freezing: Store petit fours in the freezer for up to 2 months sealed in an airtight container. Allow petit fours to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

Chilling the cake before slicing helps to create clean cuts, so don't skip the chilling steps.

Be sure to spread the filling in a very thin layer. A filling that's too thick will cause the cake layers to slide around when the cake is stacked

Nutrition