Easter Petit Fours.

 

Ok please bear with me and these terrible blackberry photos (I NEED A CAMERA) but I had to share my latest petit fours! I still have to work on my decoration skills but that's more of a personal problem so I will share what I have so far...

Okay, let's start outside in and my personal favorite..the packaging! I found the candy boxes at Hobby Lobby in the candy/cake making isle. The grass and baby chicks (non edible) were in the Easter section and green ribbon in the fabric department. Hobby Lobby usually has EVERYTHING you want just not in the isle you expect it to be. I put the grass in the boxes, tied it up with my green plaid ribbon and stuck the foot of the chick  in the bow at the end. I suggest using super glue. I added one of my favorite calling cards for a final touch. I think I'm going to invest in cards for holidays, birthday and thank you's as well. Just a thought.

Petit Four Cake

1 box of white cake mix & ingredients it calls for (oil, water, & egg whites) and I sometimes add almond extract, few odds and ends to make it my own and a 9x13 cake pan.

I make my cake the day of but you can also do it the night before. Prepare cake batter according to instructions on back of box. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes. Turn 9 x 13 cake onto wax paper to cool completely. The cake should be right side up (not flipped).

Cut off edges (1”) around the entire perimeter of cake using a tightly serrated knife and top of cake making it completely flat. For these petit fours we are using egg shaped cookie cutters but usually you would use your serrated knife to cut cake into squares.  Using the oval cookie cutter cut out your cakes and place on the bakers rake as you complete. Flip the cakes upside down as you place them on the bakers rake so the bottom is now the top.

To  prepare  for  icing  place  some  sort of  foil, parchment  or  wax  paper  underneath cakes to catch the runoff icing.

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

2 large (60 grams) egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Directions:

Royal Icing  is   a  pure  white  icing  that  dries  to  a  smooth,  hard,  matte  finish.  In   the  bowl  of  your  kitchen  aid  mixer (or  with  a  hand  mixer),  beat  the  egg  whites  with  the  lemon  juice  until  combined  and  forms  peaks  (7  to  8 minutes).    Add  the  sifted  powdered  sugar  and  beat  on  low  speed  until  combined  and  smooth.   The  icing  needs  to  be  used immediately  or  transferred   to  an  airtight   container  as  royal  icing  hardens  when  exposed  to  air.  Cover  with  plastic  wrap   when  not  in  use. 

To  decorate  with  royal  icing  add  more  powered  sugar  to  the  recipe  and  a  small  amount  of  food  coloring.    Put thicker  icing   in  icing  bags  and  decorate  away.    Make  sure   the  initial  coating  of  frosting  has  dried  before  adding  a  second  layer.