Delicate wreaths of petals crown delightfully dainty Lemon Petit Fours, bite-size portions of moist cake spread with frosting and covered in pearly white glaze.
Lemon Petit Fours
Makes approximately 40
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 8 ounces sour cream, room temperature
- Buttercream:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- Glaze:
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- For cake: Preheat oven to 325. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting excess extend over sides of pan.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon zest and lemon extract.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Using excess parchment as handles, remove from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack.
- For buttercream: In a medium bowl, beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until combined. Add vanilla bean paste, salt, and cream, beating until smooth and lightened in color.
- Using a long serrated knife, trim ¼ inch from all sides of cake and remove rounded top. Spread buttercream over top of cake.
- Freeze for 1 hour. Cut cake into 1¼-inch squares, and return to freezer.
- For glaze: In a large glass bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup water, corn syrup, and lemon extract. Add white chocolate chips; stir until melted. Microwave in 10-second intervals, if needed, to fully melt white chocolate. (Before each petit four is dipped, glaze will need to be stirred again, as it can form a thin crust very quickly.)
- Cover working surface with plastic wrap cut to the same size as a wire rack; place cooling rack atop four cans set at corners of plastic. Remove 4 petit fours at a time. Insert a short wooden skewer halfway through the bottom of each. Dip into warmed glaze, letting excess drip off. Thread open ends of each skewer through rack, bringing petit fours to rest on rack. (This will allow any excess to drip freely and ensures clean bottom edges once dry.) Repeat with remaining petit fours, periodically reheating glaze to keep thin.
- While glaze is still wet, place individual lavender petals in a wreath on top of each petit four. Let set until dry, about 1 hour, before removing with a small offset spatula and transferring to a serving tray.
