RECIPES Pastel Petits Fours
Dainty and sophisticated , these cakes are a real showstopper . And since they ’ re made from store-bought pound cake , they ’ re surprisingly easy to prepare . You can decorate the tops with sprinkles , coloured sugar , or candy flowers .
Ingredients :
1 ( 16-ounce ) pound cake 9 cups powdered sugar Light corn syrup 1 cup Water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract Liquid food colouring
Decorations , such as sprinkles , coloured sugar , and candy flowers
Cut the entire cake into 1-inch-thick
1 slices . Then use 1-inch-wide cookie cutters or a knife to cut round , square , and diamond shapes from each slice . Place the cake pieces on a wire rack set on a waxed paper – lined cookie sheet .
In a large saucepan over medium
2 heat , mix together the powdered sugar , corn syrup , cup water , and vanilla and almond extracts until the mixture is smooth and creamy , about 5 minutes . Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes . As the icing cools , it may start to stiffen ; if so , stir in a spoonful of water to keep the icing smooth and flowing . Divide the icing equally between two or three small bowls . Stir food colouring , a drop at a time , into each bowl until the icing is the desired shade .
3Working with one piece of cake at a time , spoon on the icing to cover it completely , then add sprinkles , coloured sugar , or a candy flower before the icing sets . Let the cakes stand , uncovered , until the icing is dry , about 30 minutes . Store them in an airtight container for up to three days . Makes about 30 cakes . SOURCE : Adapted from “ Pink Princess Tea Parties ” by Barbara Beery ( Gibbs Smith , $ 14.99 ).
Tea Sandwiches
Any sandwich can be a tea sandwich , as long as it ’ s sliced into neat , nearly bite-size pieces . For extra fanciness , use a cookie cutter to punch out shapes from your sandwich bread .
Though you can use almost any sandwich recipe for a tea sandwich , here are some of our favorites to get you started :
• Spread wheat bread with honey-walnut cream cheese ( made by combining 1 package of softened cream cheese with \ cup of chopped walnuts and 2 tablespoons of honey ). Top with sliced pears and a second slice of bread .
• Cover white bread with herbed cream cheese , tomato slices and minced black olives .
• Top thin slices of baguette with Nutella and sliced bananas .
• Fill mini pita breads with hummus and slices of cucumber and tomato .
• Sandwich sliced turkey and provolone between two pieces of wheat bread spread with basil pesto
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