Tea Cake Recipes - Petit-Four Fancies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup/150 g all purpose/plain flour

• 1 cup/150 g cornstarch/corn flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 6 large eggs, separated

• 3/4 cup/150 g granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp vanilla sugar

• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1-2 tbsp dark rum

• 2 tsp finely grated orange zest

• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

• 2/3-3/4 cup/220-240 g apricot preserves or jam

• 3 1/3 cups/500 g confectioners'/icing sugar

• 3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• Chopped nuts, sweets, sugar flowers and petals, chocolate flakes, candied fruits and peel, colored sugar crystals, silver balls

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5. Line two 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23-cm) baking pans with parchment paper.

2. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Beat the egg yolks and granulated and vanilla sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high until pale and thick.

3. Mix in the dry ingredients. With mixer at high speed, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Use a large rubber spatula to fold the beaten whites into the batter.

4. Spoon half the mixture into a separate bowl. Mix in the cocoa powder and rum. Mix the orange and lemon zest into the remaining mixture.

5. Spoon one mixture evenly into each of the prepared pans. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

6. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper dusted with confectioners' sugar. Use 1-inch (2.5-cm) cookie cutters to cut out pairs of shapes from each cake.

7. Stick the cake shapes together in pairs with the preserves. Mix the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl to make a spread able icing.

8. Spoon the icing over the shapes, letting it run down the sides. Decorate with a combination of the nuts, candies, and marzipan fruits.