French Genoise for Petits Fours – a delicious recipe with eggs, sugar, flour, sweet butter, vanilla, apricot. Easy to follow and perfect for any occasion.
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Set oven at 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour ANY 1 of the following for your needs: two 9-inch layer-cake tins three 7-inch layer-cake tins one 11 x 16 jelly-roll pan for petite fours two shallow 10-inch layer-cake tins NOTE: For petits fours you must use ONE 11 x 16 jelly-roll pan.
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You must use 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour if you are making petite fours.
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FOR THE CAKE: In a large bowl combine eggs and sugar.
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Stir for a minute, or until they are just combined.
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Set bowl over a saucepan containing 1 or 2 inches of hot water.
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Water in pan should not touch bowl; nor should it ever be allowed to boil.
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Place saucepan containing bowl over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until eggs are lukewarm.
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Heating the eggs help them whip to greater volume.
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It is not necessary to beat them continuously as they are warming.
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They should, however, be lightly stirred 3 or 4 times to prevent them from cooking at bottom of bowl.
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When eggs feel lukewarm to your finger and look like a bright yellow syrup, remove bowl from heat.
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Begin to beat, preferably with an electric mixer.
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Beat at high speed for 10 to 15 minutes, scraping sides of bowl with a rubber spatula when necessary, until syrup becomes light, fluffy, and cool.
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It will almost triple in bulk and look much like whipped cream.
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It is the air beaten into the eggs that gives genoise its lightness.
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Sprinkle flour, a little at a time, on top of the whipped eggs.
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Fold in gently, adding slightly cooled, clarified butter and vanilla.
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Folding can be done with electric mixer turned to lowest speed, or by hand.
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Best done by hand.
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Be especially careful not to overmix.
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Pour batter into prepared pans, of your choice above.
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Bake in preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until cakes pull away from sides of pans and are golden brown and springy when touched lightly on top.
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Remove from pans immediately and cool on cake rack.
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Almost all petits fours freeze well before they are iced.
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Not all petits fours require an icing glazed with fondant.
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This is tricky to make and use.
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Traditionally, petits fours are served in small, individual paper cases.
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FOR THE PETITS FOURS: To make the little iced geometric cakes most people think of as petits fours, bake a sheet of genoise for petits fours in an 11 x 16 jelly-roll pan.
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The baked sheets of cake should not be more than 3/4 inch high.
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If possible, bake the cake a day ahead so it can be cut more easily.
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Cut the cake in half, making 2 layers, each 8 x 11.
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Spread 1 layer with a thin layer of apricot or raspberry jam.If desired, any butter cream may be substituted for jam.
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Place second layer on top of first.
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If butter cream is used, chill cake slightly.
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Brush top with hot apricot glaze.
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Trim off all crisp edges.
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Allow glaze to dry for a few minutes.
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Then, using a long knife with a serrated edge, cut cake into even 1-inch shapes; cubes, rectangles, triangles, etc.
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A ruler may be used for making cakes of equal size.
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Rounds can be cut with a cooky cutter, although there is much waste.
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Wipe knife edge off with a damp sponge after each slice.
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Place 1/3 of the little cakes on a cake rack, leaving some space between them.
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Set rack in a shallow pan.
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Warm the fondant or mock fondant.
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Flavor it with vanilla or a liqueur.
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When lukewarm, spoon or pour plenty of icing in the center of each cake so that it will run down and coat sides.
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Excess will drip into pan under rack.
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Scrape up drippings and return them to pan of vanilla fondant.
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Add coffee to flavor fondant.
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Reheat what is now coffee fondant to lukewarm.
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If necessary, thin it with a little syrup or water.
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Arrange another third of the cakes on a second cake rack.
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Place rack in shallow pan.
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Cover tops and sides of the little cakes with coffee fondant.
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Scrape icing up and return in to pan.
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Flavor remaining coffee fondant with chocolate.
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The chocolate flavor and color will now dominate.
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Place remaining cakes on a third rack and cover with chocolate fondant.
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Allow all the cakes to dry about 10 minutes.
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Loosen from racks with a spatula.
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Place each in a tiny paper case and, if desired, decorate.
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Simple decorations can be very beautiful: crushed bits of crystalized violets or green pistachio nuts; or prepare ad additional 1/2 cup of fondant, coloring it as you like.
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It should be a little thicker than the fondant used for pouring.
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Fill a paper cornucopia with the colored fondant and cut a tiny hole in the pointed end.
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Make dots, lines.
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scrolls; a variety of patterns can be improvised.
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Each little cake needs no more than the tiniest bit of decorations.
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FOR THE APRICOT GLAZE: Heat apricot jam in a saucepan until it is boiling.
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Stir in preferred flavoring.
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Use glaze while it is hot.
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Mock Fondant: Much easier to make than real fondant, and more quickly prepared, this recipe provides an excellent substitute if you have on hand a jar of the basic simple syrup, which keeps almost indefinitely.
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For best results, pour mock fondant over cake which has first been lightly brushed with hot apricot glaze.
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BASIC SIMPLE SYRUP: 2 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cup white corn syrup 1 1/4 cups water Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan.
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Stir over low heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
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When it looks clear, wash down sides of saucepan with a brush dipped in cold water.
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Place lid on saucepan for 5 minutes so that steam will further dissolve any sugar crystals.
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Remove lid.
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Raise heat.
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Boil for 5 minutes without stirring.
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Cool syrup, pour into jars, and cover tightly.
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Store for future use.
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Note: if sugar has not been thoroughly dissolved, the syrup, after a week or even less, may form large crystals in the bottom of the jar.
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The presence of crystals will not hurt the syrup, but it is wasteful, because the more crystals the less syrup you will have.
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MOCK FONDANT: 1/2 cup cooled basic simple syrup 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately) 1 teaspoon egg white 1 teaspoon melted butter Place syrup in a saucepan.
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Add enough sifted confectioners' sugar to make a fairly stiff paste.
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It should be a bit too thick to pour or spread by itself.
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Place saucepan over low heat and warm, stirring constantly till fondant is lukewarm.
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Be careful not to overheat, or the icing will not be shiny.
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Beat in a teaspoon each of egg white and melted butter.
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If icing is still too thick, add additional syrup or flavoring liquid to thin it.
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If it becomes too thin, add more confectioners' sugar.
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This is enough mock fondant for the top of a 9-inch layer cake.
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Flavor with any one of the following, or any flavor of your choice: 1 ounce melted unsweetened chocolate 1 tablespoon extra-strong coffee 2 tablespoons rum 2 tablespoons any liqueur 1 teaspoon vanilla.
* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.
No additional tips available.
No specific allergen information. Please check the ingredient list for possible allergens.
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Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes 4 servings. You can adjust the portion size directly on this page.
You need 17 ingredients. The key ingredients include: 6 lg. eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup sifted flour (1 1/2 cups for petite fours), 1/2 cup sweet butter, melted and clarified, and more.
Yes, French Genoise for Petits Fours falls under the General category and is a great choice for this type of meal.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently before serving.