Valentine’s Day Raspberry Petit Fours Recipe

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, which means I’ve been busy crafting and baking in preparation for the love-filled holiday.  This year, my kids are off from school which means I’ve had to ensure all of my treats and gifts for them are prepped and ready beforehand. Along with a small toy, I’ve traditionally baked heart-shaped cookies as a simple way to show them I love them. This year, I decided to change it up a bit by making an easy Raspberry Petit Fours Recipe.

My travels have inspired several of my ideas, including this recipe which has its origins in France.  I remember visiting several French Patisseries serving beautiful hand-made desserts like petit fours and decided I would try my hand at these small confectioneries. In France, there are three types of petit fours and I chose to recreate the one typically referenced which is the Glacé.  These tiny cakes are iced or decorated with fondant or icing and you’ll often see them adorned with candies or frosted flowers.

For this recipe, I infused both the cake and the poured fondant with fresh raspberry puree (reduce 1 cup of fresh raspberries and 1 cup of water over medium heat for approximately 20-30 minutes) to add flavor and color.  I sliced each tea cake and spread a small layer of fresh raspberry preserves in place of traditional icing.

As the poured fondant was drying, I topped each petit four with a single Red Velvet M&M, which are currently exclusive and available at Walmart for a limited time ($2.88)

Everything you’ll need for this Raspberry Petit Fours Recipe, including the heart-shaped cookie cutter I used, can be found in the grocery section of your local Walmart.

Print

Raspberry Poured Fondant Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons organic corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons of fresh raspberry puree
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Heat sugar, water and corn syrup to 238°F/114°C
2. Pour into the food processor fitted with the steel blade
3. Wash the candy thermometer well and reinsert into the syrup
4. Let the syrup cool undisturbed in the bowl to 140°F/60°C (approximately 30 minutes but be sure to watch the thermometer as room temperature may speed this up)
5. Remove the thermometer
6. Add raspberry puree and almond extract
7. Process 2 to 3 minutes until the syrup completely converts to an opaque paste
8. When completely cooled, store sealed at room temperature and use within 24 hours. May be refrigerated for later use

While the cake is baking, you can begin preparing the icing/fondant.  I used the Poured Fondant Recipe from The New Pastry Cook and tinted it with 2 teaspoons of fresh raspberry puree.  Fondant can be tricky to make which is why most people prefer to use store-bought varieties. However, I wanted to use Organic Corn Syrup and natural food colorings so I opted to make it myself.  Here is author Helen S. Fletcher’s recipe, adapted for my Raspberry Petit Fours Recipe.

Print

Raspberry Poured Fondant Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons organic corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons of fresh raspberry puree
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Heat sugar, water and corn syrup to 238°F/114°C
2. Pour into the food processor fitted with the steel blade
3. Wash the candy thermometer well and reinsert into the syrup
4. Let the syrup cool undisturbed in the bowl to 140°F/60°C (approximately 30 minutes but be sure to watch the thermometer as room temperature may speed this up)
5. Remove the thermometer
6. Add raspberry puree and almond extract
7. Process 2 to 3 minutes until the syrup completely converts to an opaque paste
8. When completely cooled, store sealed at room temperature and use within 24 hours. May be refrigerated for later use

To assemble petit fours:

• Use a small, heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts (I was able to cut out approximately 24 hearts).
• Slice each heart lengthwise using a serrated knife.
• Spread a thin layer of raspberry preserves on one side of each heart and reassemble.
• Pour 2 layers of fondant over petit fours, allowing each layer to dry in between.
• Top each petit four with a single Red Velvet M&M.
• Display in mini Valentine’s-themed muffin cups if desired.

This recipe is simple enough to recreate despite the number of steps if given sufficient time.  You can easily reduce the time and work involved by using store-bought fondant and even store-bought pound cake.

Overall these little tea cakes were a hit in our home!  If you’re planning to gift these or take them to a party, be sure to double the recipe because they’re small and will likely be consumed quickly!

What is your favorite treat to bake for Valentine’s Day?

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.

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