This document provides instructions for preparing different types of petit fours. It defines petit fours as small pastries that can be eaten in one or two bites. The document then details how to prepare iced petit fours with cake, jam, buttercream and fondant glaze. It also explains how to make fresh petit fours using mini pastries filled with cream or fruit. Finally, it discusses caramelizing nuts and dried fruits to make petit fours and the proper storage methods to maintain freshness.

1. Lesson 2:
PREPARE
AND
DISPLAY
PETIT FOUR

2. LEARNING OUTCOME
01 PREPARE ICED PETIT FOUR
02 PREPARE FRESH PETIT FOUR
03 PREPARE MARZIPAN PETIT FOUR
04 PREPARE CARAMELIZED PETIT FOUR
05 DISPLAY PETIT FOUR
06 STORE PETIT FOUR

3. Petit Fours
The term “petit fours” refers to
confections such as miniature
cookies, tartlets, and cakes that may
accompany an afternoon coffee or
tea or that are served after a meal.
Petit fours are light, delicate, crisp,
and refreshing. The common
defining characteristic of petit fours
is that they can be eaten in one or
two bites. Petit fours, which means
small ovens in French, refers to the
tradition of baking small pastries in a
slow oven after large pastries have
been removed and oven temperatur
e is reduced.

4. Petit Fours refer to:
• Small biscuits and cakes tastefully decorated
• Sweetmeat and cakes designed to be served
as dessert with after dinner coffee or cocktails.
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: PREPARE ICED PETIT FOUR

5. • Petit Fours should be small.
• They are often made into different shapes.
• They are delicate, crisp, fresh, attractive, light,
and designed to be swallowed in just one or two
mouthfuls.
• It is prepared from a variety of ingredients.
• They are usually small pieces that have been
baked. While the emphasis is on small, non-baked
confectionery items like caramelized and glaze
fruits, marzipan shapes, other small sweet
delicacies are also served as Petit Fours.

6. Iced petit four are small, bite-sized cakes with a thin
coating of glaze, typically fondant, which is applied at
the end of the production process.
Assembled in large sheets and cut after setting up, petit
fours glaze contain thin layers of cake alternating with
jam and/or butter cream. The top of the cake is adorned
with a thin layer of marzipan to add flavor, as well as a
smooth surface for the glaze to settle on.
Marzipan is made from almond paste, a cooked sugar
syrup, and sometimes glucose and/or egg white. After
the cake is cut, it can be enrobed in fondant, or
sometimes dipped in chocolate. Petit fours glazes are
typically finished with intricate, stylized piping.
Iced petit four

7. The base for petit four can be marzipan and
sponge. A petit four base must :
1. Cake can be baked in shallow trays then
topped with soft topping then cut to shap
e desired similar to sponge sheets strong
enough to hold the petit fours
Types or kinds of petit four bases:

8. • Shortbread mixture of flour, fat and sugar, enri
ched with egg and has a short eating quality
• Pastry puff pastry can make a suitable base
for petit fours when a sweet filling is used.
• Sponge baked in thin sheets and layered
together with filling which act as an to hold th
e sheets of sponge together.

11. Fresh Petit Four
• Fresh petit fours also called petit fours fraise or fresh are moist
, filled with pastry cream and often topped with fresh fruits
miniature éclairs, and cream puff.
• This type of petit four is created with mini pastries. The most
common types of mini pastries are fruit tarts, éclairs or cream
puffs.
• Cream puffs and éclairs are filled with butter cream or pastry
cream, while fruit tarts are made with custard and fresh fruits
on top. Some fresh petit fours are made with marzipan and
look like truffles. Fresh petit fours are not typically glazed, but
some éclairs and cream puff have a chocolate glaze placed on
top to finish them off.

13. • Caramelized sugar can be used to coat petit fo
urs before they are served.
• Caramelized petit fours are mainly roasted nut
s and dried fruits with marzipan.
• Any product that is coated with caramel needs
to be dried.
• Strawberry and grapes can be dipped in caram
el but only have a life span of a couple of hours
.
• The product is best consumed within 30-40 min
utes is best.
Prepare Caramelized Petit Four

15. • The main problem here is the moisture from the
inside of the fruit weeps out and the hard caramel
falls off of the product.
• Caramelized nuts and marzipan work better if the
product is dry to carry the caramel better.

16. Storage plays an important role in the production and se
rving of petit fours. The environmental and individual ch
aracteristics of each item needs to be taken into consider
ation. If the item is susceptible to humidity, it should be h
eld airtight, vacuum sealed when possible. To maintain it
s freshness which is a defining characteristics of a petit fo
urs, it is produce as close to serving as possible. Carameli
zed petit four may have a shelf life of roughly 1 to 2 week
s. Fresh petit fours are kept for shorter periods of time, w
hich varies by product. Freezing is a good option for man
y of the bases and dough which can be made up ahead o
f time and held until ready to bake or assemble.

17. THANK
YOU