Prepare and
Display Petit Fours
Petit Fours
• Petit Fours is mall
biscuits and cakes
tastefully
decorated.
• Any bite-size cake
and bread that is
attractively
decorated with a
variety of flavors
and stylized
decorations.
Characteristics of
Petit four
• Petit Fours are small.
• Since it is small it is delicate
and it is attractive.
• Size should be swallowed in
one or two mouthfuls.
• Petit fours can be made from a
large cake and sliced into bite-
size and decorated with
different designs and different
ingredients for the toppings.
Prepare Iced
Petit Fours
• Iced petit four are small,
bite-sized cakes coated
with fondant icing. Before
coating the fondant icing
the top of the sliced cake is
enhanced with marzipan or
any flavor to add more
taste to the cake. Then it is
covered with the prepared
fondant icing, and
typically this is finished
with intricate, stylized
piping.
Types or kinds of Petit
Fours Bases
• Remember the base for petit
fours can be marzipan (see
description of marzipan) and
sponge. A petit four base must
be strong enough to hold the
petit fours.
Cake
• It can be batter
type or sponge
type. Can be used
as a petit fours
base which is cut
into the desired
shape.
Shortbread
• mixture of flour, fat, and
sugar, enriched with egg
and has a short eating
quality. In other words, it
is named as short
because it contains a
high proportion of fat
than flour.
Pastry
• puff pastry (flaky light 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
acts as an adhesive
to hold the sheets of
sponge together.
Different
Flavors of
Filling of Iced
Petit Four
Jams
• are high in moisture it is
used to enhance flavor, add
moisture, and bind the
product. To use jam in petit
four blends it well until a
smooth consistency is
attained so that it will not
destroy or tear your sponge.
Ganache
•is a mixture of
chocolate and
cream. Can be a
type of frosting.
Careful in making
ganache because
this will agitate.
When you
experience this
worked quickly as it
will set
Butter Creams
•is made by creaming together
fats like butter, margarine, or
vegetable oil shortening and
sugar to the desired consistency
and lightness. Buttercreams
need to be chilled before
cutting. Buttercream can be
easily used for
•decorating. Remember this can
be easily damaged at room
temperature.
Design and
Display
Iced Petit
Four
• Petit fours are nice to be
decorated and displayed
but be sure that this is:
• Attractive and appetizing
• Nicely presented
• Appealing
Fresh Petit
Four
• Fresh petit four also called
petit fours or fresh and
moist, filled with pastry
cream and often topped
with fresh fruits miniature
or a pastry that is filled
with whipped cream or a
sweet cream.
• This type of petit fours is
created with mini pastries or
tartlets. The most common
types of mini pastries are fruit
tarts and cream puffs. Cream
puffs and éclairs(a pastry that
is filled with whipped cream or
sweet 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 naturally
glazed placed on
top to finish them
off but it is
assembled. Fresh
petit fours are
usually served
with tea or coffee.
(Note: Petit fours
with perishable
ingredients like
cream should be
placed in a
refrigerator.)
Prepare Marzipan Petit Fours
• Flavor and shape Quality
marzipan to produced mini-
sized fruits in accordance
with enterprise and client
requirements. Coat Marzipan
fruits to preserve desired
eating characteristics and
softened with egg whites,
pipe into shapes, and
sealed/browned with applied
heat, according to enterprise
practice.
Prepared and Display Marzipan based Petit
Fours
• Marzipan is a sweetened mixture
of ground almonds, liquid
glucose or egg whites, corn syrup
or sugar syrup, and either icing
or caster sugar. It is also known
as an almond paste. Marzipan is
a multi-purpose paste. Petit Fours
based on marzipan are attractive
and popular for their color and
appearance and it is toothsome in
taste.
Modeled Marzipan
• Marzipan can be presented in
a different manner. You can
use fruits, vegetables, flowers,
and even animals in shape.
Remember you have to store
marzipan if it is not used, wrap
it in plastic cling wrap and
place it in an airtight container.
For fruit marzipan, you can
form different fruit as you can.
The environment plays an important role in the
Things to
production and serving petit fours. If the item is
easily affected by the moistness, place it in a
container that should be held airtight, vacuum
Remember sealed if possible.
in Storing Freshness is the defining characteristics of a petit
fours, so make it by the time that is close to
and serving as possible.
Serving Caramelized petit fours may have a shelf life more
Petit Fours or less 1 to 2 weeks. Consider this that fresh petit
fours are kept shorter for a period of time, it
depends on the product.
Selection of fruits and Nuts
for Caramelized Petit Fours
• Caramelized sugar can be used to coat
petit fours before it is to be served.
Caramelized. Select fruit and nuts to be
used for the caramelized petit fours. For
nuts roasted nuts is preferable and
dried fruits with marzipan is best also
for caramelized petit fours.
• Any product that is coated with caramel needs to be dried.
If you used strawberry and grapes fruit, dipped this in
caramel but think of it that the life span is only a couple of
hours. So serve it immediately and consumed it within 30-
40 minutes. This is due to the moisture content of the fruit
that drips so the caramel falls off of the product.
Caramelized nuts and marzipan work better if the product
is dry to carry the caramel better. Caramel is a mixture of
sugar and water.
•
Display and Store Petit Fours
Kinds and Uses of Receptacles for Petit
Fours
• This is a very important aspect in the food business. You should not
only produce the best quality products that will cater to established
standards, but you should also be able to put up an aesthetic display
of petit four products, that is the culmination of the entire process of
production. Your presentation should create a huge impression on
customers making it appealing to them.
•
• Choosing the right container for the right type of petit fours, right
occasion and right customers should be your goal. A presentation that
is flawless, attractive, finely crafted and elegant. This can be achieved
with neat, hygienic, meticulous and creative handling of products
placed properly in containers that are not only appropriate but more
importantly makes the petit fours stand out.
Materials to be used in presenting petit
four products
1. Paper Plates - comes in a
variety of sizes and shapes,
designs, colors, textures and
material. There are paper plates
lined with wax and others are
lined with foil. Some plates fit the
size of a whole pie; some comes in
squares that can accommodate
petit fours or any other pastry
products.
2. Paper Cups – comes in different
sizes, color and texture. They are
fluted on the side and are
available in size fitted from petit
fours or any pastry products.
Nowadays, cakes and muffins are
easily presented and served in
paper cups.
3. Plates and Platters - are made
of either glass, ceramic or china
and metal. Plates are usually
round in shape, although the
square and rectangular ones are
becoming popular. Platters on the
other hand are oval and usually
bigger than plates. Plates and
Platters come in a solid plain
colors or with designs like flowers,
leaves, stars, fruits or vegetables.
4. Indigenous Containers –
include the locally available ones
like coconut shells, banana leaves,
corn husks, bamboo
rattan,coconut leaves and any
local products.
5. Pedestal – a based foundation
to elevate baked products to catch
attention and emphasize every
detail of the products. Multi-
tiered pedestals are good serving
several petit fours and other
products.
6. Ethnic Dishwares – are
authentic wares whose design and
material depicts the culture and
history of a certain race or
country. It tells something about
origin, period and culture
7. Cake Keepers – presenting petit
fours in a cake keeper comes in an
opaque or transparent container.
It keeps the products fresh and
easy to handle.
7. Trays – are round, oval or
rectangular in shape. Trays are
efficient containers in which can
accommodate a greater number
of individual baked products that
can be lined with paper doilies,
embroidered, printed or solid
cloth.
