“Come one, come all to a beautiful show!
It’s gonna be awesome and… some other stuff
Do-dee-dee-dee, do-dee-dee-dee, do-dee-dee-do-dee…
Some other musical stuff!”
Seemed like an appropriate way to start off this little blog o’ mine.
Welcome to my blog, all ye 2 people at this point who might be reading it! I had a mishmash of a blog on my professional/work website but it was more ramblings and random postings than it was posts so I figured I’d give it a real go on here. Before I get to the tasty stuff, the 50 cent tour:
I am a computer artist type person for my day job. Its hard to explain to people who don’t do what I do and my usual explanation is “I make…like…CG cartoon movies and stuff.” Sort of, but that’s what I do. Before that, I worked at a few restaurants in high school and in college, I was a wedding cake decorator when I wasn’t in school. I worked at a really amazing shop and everything. After college though I got a job in my field and went to baking in my spare time. Now, those random bakings will be here for you to see and hopefully learn from. So what did I chose to make first to start off this thing??
I made petit fours.
I adore petit fours. Growing up, we had a chain of local bakeries called McKenzie’s and they, among other things, made phenomenal petit fours. My grandma would get them for me every now and then. I thought they were so cute with the little flower on top. They always seem like a dessert you exclusively get from a bakery rather than make yourself. I’d say I wonder why that is, but anyone who has made them can tell you: They’re a pain in the butt to make! I actually recently remember reading a great Bakerella post about her attempts at it and almost accepting defeat at the hands of the petit fours. It takes a few steps to complete and is hella messy, but once you hunker down and commit to them, it isn’t so bad.
There’s all sorts of ways people make petit fours. I believe traditionally they have a layer of jam in them and marzipan plays a hefty role from time to time but I make them they way I had them growing up- spongy white cake and buttercream covered in white glaze and of course, the little rosebud. I didn’t get any photos making them, but let’s go through basic steps shall we?
1. Make the cake. I use a jellyroll pan, but any pan will work.
2. Make your buttercream and ice the top of the cake. Easy enough.
Now here’s where my petit fours differ from other techniques I’ve seen:
3. Pop the cake in the freezer. You want that cake basically frozen before you take it out to cut.
4. Cut the cake. Get a standard metal ruler to do this. And put that bread knife away! You want a good, thin pizza cutter (seriously.) Line it up with the ruler and slice the cake. You want perfect cubes of cake and frosting. The width of the ruler should be the perfect size to go by. Put those suckers back in the freezer while you make the glaze.
5. Make your glaze. There’s a standard petit four icing recipe on the net and it actually is the best I’ve tried. I’ll include it below. You will have to keep popping it in the microwave to keep it hot and thin. The minute it starts to cool, it thickens something horrible.
6. Glaze the cake cubes. Do NOT follow the whole “put it on a rack and pour the glaze over them” stuff. Yuck. What a mess. If you have frozen your cake like I told you (and you did, didn’t you?) You can take a wooden skewer and stick it right in the bottom of the cube, dip and then lift it off the skewer with a fork. Voila- perfect glazed petit four, no dumping a hot bowl of glaze all over your counter! Put them to set on a cooling rack and fancy them up with a rosebud. You’re done and you now have a whole kitchen covered in glaze to clean up!
Got it? Good. Really any cake, buttercream combo will work. You can make them chocolate and just add a bit of melted chocolate or cocoa powder to your glaze. I was in a hurry throwing these together for a wonderful New Year’s Eve party me and the hubby went to, so I took the easy suped up cake mix way out. So if you’ve got a free afternoon to spend and the patience, here’s the recipes I used:
White Almond Sour Cream Cake
not sure who originally made this recipe. It’s all over the place! For 1 jellyroll pan worth of cake, half the recipe.
- 2 (18 ounce) boxes white cake mix (Moist Deluxe Duncan Hines ALWAYS. Trust me on this.)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 2/3 cups water, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons real vanilla
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 cups sour cream, room temperature
- 8 large egg whites, room temperature
I’d normally give you the steps and additions for this recipe but it really is my half asleep, need to make a cake for in the morning type recipe cause it’s that easy. Dump it all in a bowl or your mixer and mix it up til its combined. Easy. (I was in a hurry! I promise, you’ll get from scratch cakes later on!)
Bake at 325F until a toothpick comes out clean (say 50 minutes)
Basic Buttercream Recipe
- 3 sticks room temperature butter
- about 6 cups powdered sugar (more or less. This isn’t an exact science for good buttercreams)
- extract of your choice (mine is always almond)
- possibly a little water
Dump your butter into your mixer. Let it mix on medium for a bit til it lightens a touch and looks good and smooth.
Add your extract or flavoring.
Turn off the mixer with each powdered sugar addition! Add powdered sugar in 2 cup increments and then slowly let it incorporate until it reaches the texture and sweetness you’d like. I find 6 cups is about right for me. If its a little too thick, add a few drops of water at a time til its a touch thinner.
Petit Four Glaze
(another recipe I can’t find the source of. It’s all over the internet)
- 9 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (about 2 pounds)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Combine ingredients. Nuke it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Stir. It should be noticeably warm to the touch. If desired, tint parts of icing with food color. Rewarm it for 30 second bursts as needed to keep it just at a hot temperature.
I know this is my first of these posts, so hang in there. I promise I’ll get more frequent with posting, prettier with the pictures, and more eloquent (well, maybe not, but I’ll try!)
Doug Hogan
Jan 7th, 2010Since you were the first ever person to post on my blog when I started it all those years ago, I figured it only fitting to be the first to comment on yours! And even though I know you’re going to make me either A)Fat, or B)Loose a foot due to diabetis…I love you so much and all the tasty treats that you make. So here’s to you and your first post, and all the ones that will follow! I love you.
Andrew
Jan 8th, 2010I’m number two! Wait, let me rephrase, I’m the second reader you referenced! These look awesome, and I know they are, I’ve PHYSICALLY EATEN your Petite Fours and loved every single bite. However I think the mess wouldn’t be worth the work, but then again I’ve only recently acquired the role of “Suzie Homemaker”. I have followed many of Jess’ recipes to the T and they have all been delicious. I’m looking forward to more of these posts…even if they are only put here by my constant nagging and heckling.
P.S.-HI DOUG!
Jeffrey
Jan 28th, 2010I remember these growing up with McKenzie’s and always remember these at weddings receptions. Oh these are great and delicious and I appreciate the post on these beauties. I was searching trying to find how to make these out of memory and a sweet tooth and found your post. Truly wonderful. Thank you and I will have to try these myself! =) Jeffrey
jessicahogan
Jan 28th, 2010They’re really not hard to make at all if you’re patient. I try to make them as close to McKenzie’s as I can! We got them from the cool parents on kids birthdays at school! Sure do miss that place…
Nancy
Feb 18th, 2010These look beautiful! Well done!
Jennifer
Feb 23rd, 2010Thank you so much for this post. I too grew up on the McKenzie’s Petit fours and have been looking for a recipe ever since I left Louisiana. While many places make them, to me there is no replacement for the McKenzie taste. Thanks again!
Delicious Things » The (Now) Infamous Joker Cupcakes
May 20th, 2010[...] recipe I used for the cupcakes was the same as I used here for petit fours. I know it’s mostly from a box but its fast, its consistent and its easy. For times when [...]
Dayne
May 26th, 2010I have been looking for a mcKenzies petit four recipe four six years now. I’ve had good petit fours since mcKenzies but never as good. Tasteedonuts in lakeview bought a few of mcKenzies recipes and started selling the products as “original mcKenzies” products. They only started with buttermilk drops, brownies, jelly rolls and a few other things. I signed up for their call list for them to let me know when they when they put the petit fours in production. After months I got the phone call. Drove out to 45 minutes to lakeview to find out these things were not mcKenzies petit fours. Not even close. They dropped the ball big time. I haven’t been able to fing a recipe that gets the fondant/glaze right. Yours looks close. But mckenzies sets up almost dry and crunchy. I give it a whirl. Thanks for the post.
Jessica
May 26th, 2010DOn’t get me started on Tastee Donuts. Nothing they sell will be McKenzie’s. They started doing king cake and everyone I know ran to get them and just was left with “ehh…” Not the same. These petit fours are as close to the petit fours I remember form there. I LOVED them. The glaze is the trickiest part but you get a feel for it and it will get hard on you like theirs did.
I need to bake up some turtles soon. No one ever made them remotely close to how they were htere and I think mine are pretty darn close!
Angie
May 28th, 2010I too am a McKenzie’s addict and have missed those wonderful sweets ever since leaving New Orleans 35 years ago!!! The turtles, the upside down cakes, buttermilk drops, coconut maccaroons, coffee cake and those amazing melt in your mouth petit fours which are my alltime favorite dessert. I can’t wait to try and make them. Thanks a bunch.
Keely Guillot
Jun 1st, 2010I can’t wait to try these. I remember Mckenzies bakery and miss these so much. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Jeannie
Aug 13th, 2010I will wait and wait and wait for the pineapple upside down muffins. If you could get that great orleans parish Catholic school roll-out cookie dough recipe I will adore you forever and even be tempted to give you my Creole banana pudding recipe. Don’t scoff, it’s not made with vanilla wafers, not even Jack’s….
Jennifurla
Aug 27th, 2010stunning!