Petit Four Cake, Tea Travels, Ellen Easton, Cake Recipe, Tea Recipe, Afternoon Tea

Tea Travels!™ ... Reva's Rose Petit Four Cake
By Ellen Easton and Reva Paul©2007 All Rights Reserved

Photo By Ellen Easton© - All Rights Reserved

Afternoon tea for one or many always has room for a pretty petit four. The cake and filling can be of any variety of your preference. Check out more of Ellen Easton's articles and recipes called Tea Travels™.

Petit Four Cake

If you do not wish to bake your own cake, any flavored pound or sponge cake, once chilled or frozen, can be easily cut into shapes. Slice the shape in half if a filling is desired.

Delicious and easy fillings can be as simple as adding Nutella or fruit preserves in-between the layers.

Once assembled, your petit four is ready to ice either in a fondant, butter cream, glaze, ganche or cream cheese base frosting. Decorate the top of your petit four with sprinkles, dragee, flaked coconut, edible flowers or a design of whimsy.

Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature *
1/4 cup milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract **
2 tablespoons of rose water or rose extract
1 pound box powdered (confectioners) sugar
Pastel food coloring (to color icing)

* Use vegetable shortening when pure white icing is needed.

** Suggest using Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, milk, vanilla extract, rose water or rose extract, and powdered sugar; and mix at a low speed until smooth. NOTE: If stiffer icing is needed or the weather is very warm, add a little extra sugar.

To create pastel colors, divide icing into a separate bowls for each desired color. Using a toothpick, add one drop of color at a time and mix until desired color is reached.

With a warmed flat knife, ice each individual Petit Four and decorate.

Alternative: To create a chocolate buttercream frosting add 2 tablespoons of dark cocoa to the above recipe.

Yields 3 cups.

ELLEN EASTON, author of AFTERNOON TEA...TIPS,TERMS and TRADITIONS and Good $ense For $uccess™, is a consultant to leading hotels and tearooms, including The PLAZA and LADY MENDL’s, is a speaker and designer of related products to the hotel, food service, retail and special event industries.

REVA PAUL, an internationally acclaimed confectionery artist, hand decorated holiday themes, floral sugars and mints are available by special order for teas, weddings and special events. Wholesale/Retail - Bulk & Gift boxed. Prices on request.(212) 722-7981

TEA TRAVELS™, Wishing You Happy TEA TRAVELS!™ and Good $ense For $uccess™ are the trade marked property of Ellen Easton/RED WAGON PRESS. (212) 722-7981