Petit fours

After 7 years of blogging, with plenty of home baking throughout that time, it amazes me that there are always still things I've wanted to make and find myself finally doing for the first time.  

This time, I'm finally making petit fours (or petits fours, or "fancies", as the Brits call them). Really, they're nothing more complicated than small bites of iced almond cake but made ever more attractive - and, yes, just a bit fancy - by their petite size.  I've always been drawn to pretty little things, particularly in pastel colors, and I've always adored these little cakes that look like miniature presents all on their own.  I recently made them right before Easter and they are perfect for celebrating spring, or for a wedding or baby shower, a tea party, or, thinking slightly ahead, for Mother's Day.  

These petite cakes are great for any celebration...including a 7th blogging anniversary!  Yes, it's now 7 years since I started this little blog and I have a healthy roster of favorite recipes, and lots of memories and learning, to show for it.  I've slowed down the pace of my blogging quite a bit in the last year or so but I am cooking and baking as much - if not more - than ever.  It's nice to spend time baking family favorites and to try recipes on a whim without documenting every endeavor.  No matter how much or how little I blog here going forward, I hope to be baking and cooking - trying new things and learning along the way - for a long time to come.  

Now back to the petite cakes.  As you might know, I favor small batch baking and as simple a process as possible so that's the approach I took here.  After looking and saving many petit four recipes through the years, I settled on a recipe from Martha Stewart that I've had my eye on for a long time.  I made a few adjustments by dividing the recipe in half and using apricot preserves as a filling instead of cherry.  

It starts with a moist almond sponge cake.  Once baked in a single layer, the cake is sliced crosswise to be stacked into 2 layers.  I filled the center with smooth apricot preserves, reminiscent of one of our favorite things - Italian tri-color (or rainbow) cookies.

Some petit four recipes call for frosting.  A layer of frosting on top of the cake can provide a smoother surface for the glaze to rest on but I think this version without it is simpler and I like the sharp flavor from the jam filling.  These petit fours are coated with a basic glaze of confectioners' sugar and milk.  I really like this simple 2-ingredient glaze from Martha Stewart that doesn't require corn syrup, and you can tint it to whatever color you like; I went with white and a pale pink.  There's plenty of room for customization in not only the jam filling you use but also the color and design you choose for your glaze.  I topped some of the cakes with ready-made sugar flowers.

And now because this is me, the resident chocoholic, I could not resist coating some of my petit fours in chocolate!  They might not be quite as visually appealing but they sure taste amazing; I used (one of) my favorite 70% dark chocolate and the combination of almond cake, apricot jam, and dark chocolate is, as always, stellar.  

So here's to great times in the kitchen and at the table!  Let's celebrate as often as possible and may there always be some form of cake involved!

Moist and fragrant almond cake

I tend to hoard my favorite almond paste and only reluctantly pop open a can when I think I have a really worthwhile recipe to use it in.  Two of my favorite ways to use almond paste is in those delectable Italian tri-color cookies and to make almond macaroons.  I love the stuff but it's not cheap and I want to use it for a good cause where it's worth every ounce.  This almond cake I recently made qualifies.  It is so moist and fragrant, rich with almond flavor thanks to that paste. 

I was drawn to this recipe because I love almonds and, well, cake.  This is a somewhat rustic, "everyday", kind of cake, which I can never get enough of.  It's simple, one-layered, with no need for frosting.  You can call it a "finger-cake," one you simply eat with your hands or consider it a tea cake and enjoy it a bit more delicately in the afternoon along with a cup of tea (that's how I prefer it).  I made a little whipped cream to go with this almond cake but I don't think it needs it since it's plenty moist on its own.  Suggested accompaniments also include some fresh fruit or ice cream.  Ice cream goes with everything. 

This cake is one of David Lebovitz's favorite; I love his recipes and if this is a favorite of his, I knew it would be good.  And I thought it was excellent.  I made a slight modification to the recipe by reducing the amount of butter in the recipe because I really wanted the almond flavor to shine and I was trying to cut down on the fat a little bit.  With all the baking I've been doing regularly, I also decided to make a mini, 6-inch, test version.  This way, I also have more almond paste left.  I told you I hoard that stuff!

Luckily, the cake turned out terrifically moist.  I was a little worried that reducing the amount of butter (I used 6 tablespoons as opposed to 8 for half the recipe) might be risky.  David mentioned that the recipe had been re-worked and already contained less butter than the original, but 2 sticks of butter (for a full size cake) is still quite a bit for an everyday cake.  I saw a couple of comments on his website from people who had dialed the butter done further and since there was so much talk about the cake being so moist, I had a feeling it would work.

The fun part about making this rich almond butter cake is I got to make up the batter in a food processor, a first for me.  As much as I dislike having to wash that piece of equipment, it's neat to do things a little differently.  The cake rises pretty significantly while baking but luckily did not overflow.  It has a tight crumb and the best way to describe it is moist, and full of almond flavor.  And with the almond paste, it's far heartier and denser than say, a light chiffon cake.  It's buttery, even with the little bit less I used, and rich.  I would say it's almost like an almond pound cake.  I would love to bake it in a loaf pan next time but a round cake always seems a bit more special.

All in all, this is one great everyday cake.  I'm glad I cracked open that almond paste.