Petit Fours

Derived from the French for "small oven," these small, iced cakes are a nice addition to any tea party. As much as I'd love for mine to look like this ...

... I just don't like cake well enough to put the work into it. Instead, I start with a secret ingredient --

Cut them into fourths (Flip them over and use a chef's knife to keep the manufacturer's icing from cracking on the top.)

Dip the cut edges into a white, poured fondant.

And decorate. These matched our 2010 retro, brown/teal theme, but I typically pipe a buttercream leaf and small flower on each.

Fondant Recipe:

3 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c water

1 T. light corn syrup

1 tsp. almond extract

Place sugar in saucepan. In a small bowl, combing water and corn syrup. Mix well. Add to sugar and stir well until mixed. Place over low heat (never exceed 100 º). When mixture is completely smooth and heated through, remove from heat and stir in flavor and color. Briefly reheat the icing as it cools, so it will continue to stick to the cake. (You'll know when it's time.)

Place on waxed paper or parchment to cool.

NOTE: For some reason, I had to add a little more water to make it work this year.

Each package makes 40 little cakes.