Petit fours, also called mignardises, are a long storied tradition in French pastry-making. At first glance, they might seem out of reach for the home cook and more in the realm of professional bakers. But you can try making them for yourself with Lemon Berry Petit Fours For Beginners! Delicate and sweet, lemon berry petit fours are beautiful bite-size mini cakes. They’re ideal for weddings, parties, tea time, bridal and baby showers and more. Delicious and classy, Lemon Berry Petit Fours For Beginners makes the process easy for even first-time bakers. Get ready to open a little cafe in your kitchen!
Ingredients
For the cakes:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 (8 ounce) block full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the vanilla buttercream and jam filling:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam
- 1/4 cup lemon curd
For the white chocolate topping:
- 2 (4 ounce bars) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons canola, vegetable, or coconut oil
- optional garnishes, including white sixlets, mint leaves, edible flowers, berries, and sprinkles, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease a 12×17-inch half sheet pan, then line it with parchment paper. The pan size is imperative: this batter won’t fit into anything smaller. Likewise, the cake would be too thin if baked in larger pans.
Step 3 –Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the 1 1/2 cups of the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Step 4 –Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Step 5 –Add the cream cheese and beat on high speed until completely smooth and combined, about 1 minute.
Step 6 –Add the 2 cups of the granulated sugar and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
Step 7 –Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined and creamy.
Step 8 –Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Step 9 –On low speed, beat the eggs into the cream mixture, 1 at a time, allowing each egg to fully mix in before adding the next. Be careful not to overmix after the eggs have been added.
Step 10 –Once the 6th egg is combined into the mixture, stop the mixer and add the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 11 –Beat on medium speed until just combined, being careful again not to overmix.
Step 12 –Fold in the lemon juice.
Step 13 –Using a rubber spatula or sturdy whisk, give the batter a final turn to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter should be thick and creamy.
Step 14 –Pour or spoon batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Step 15 –Carefully bang the pan on the counter once or twice to bring up any air bubbles.
Step 16 –Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out completely clean, about 25-30 minutes.
Step 17 –Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool inside the pan. The cake will shrink down from the sides.
Step 18 –Once cool, invert the cake onto a cutting board or on the counter with the long side facing you.
Step 19 –With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the cake in half horizontally.
Step 20 –Cut each long rectangle into 3 smaller rectangles. You should have 6 rectangles.
Step 21 –Very carefully and slowly slice each in half, as if you were making a 1 layer cake a 2 layer cake. You should now have 12 very thin rectangles.
Step 22 –With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the 3/4 cup of the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
Step 23 –Add the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.
Step 24 –Beat the mixture on low speed for 30 seconds.
Step 25 –Increase the mixing speed to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
Step 26 –Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if the frosting is too thin or another tablespoon of heavy cream if the frosting is too thick. Add salt to taste if the frosting is too sweet.
Step 27 –With a sharp knife, trim the ends off the cake rectangles that touched the pan. They’re a little harder and uneven, which would create lopsided petit fours.
Step 28 –Spread the vanilla buttercream in a thick even layer on 4 of the rectangles.
Step 29 –Spread both the lemon curd and raspberry jam on 4 of the rectangles. The remaining 4 rectangles are plain because they are the tops. Go a little lighter on the raspberry jam and lemon curd compared to the vanilla buttercream. If there’s too much, it creates a big mess when cutting the petit fours.
Step 30 –Place the lemon curd and raspberry jam rectangles on top of the vanilla buttercream rectangles.
Step 31 –Layer the plain rectangles on top.
Step 32 –Loosely cover each rectangle and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour. They must be chilled before cutting into tiny petit fours.
Step 33 –Once cold, slice each cake rectangle into 12 little squares.
Step 34 –Arrange the squares on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator or freezer as you melt the white chocolate.
Step 35 –Melt the white chocolate and oil together in a double boiler or in the microwave in 20 second increments, stopping and stirring after each until smooth and melted. If it seems too thick, add another drop of oil to thin out.
Step 36 –Spoon or drizzle the white chocolate mixture over the petit fours.
Step 37 –Top with the garnishes of your choice.
Step 38 –Cover and store the petit fours in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or serve immediately!