Recipe Background
These beginner-friendly lemon berry petit fours boast perfect layers.
Graduating culinary school felt like waking up in a new world where every ingredient held potential magic. To celebrate, I decided to recreate the delicate lemon berry petit fours that had mesmerized me at my first formal culinary event. It seemed fitting—balancing skill and whimsy, they embodied exactly what I hoped my culinary career would become. I still remember lining a 12x17-inch pan with meticulous care, knowing the cake wouldn't fit otherwise. Adding a touch of fresh lemon juice brought brightness to the thick batter, reminding me of those first days at school, full of zest and possibility.
The technique required was more intricate than it seemed; slicing into dainty rectangles without crumbling the edges was a lesson in patience I had honed overtime. A humble rubber spatula became my best culinary ally that day, helping fold the batter to its perfect creamy consistency. Applying the vanilla buttercream, lemon curd, and raspberry jam was akin to painting—each layer similar but so different in personality. It was tempting to hurry, wanting to see the final artwork, but chilling them thoroughly promised precision in every slice.
Finally, as I melted white chocolate to cascade over each square, a rush of nostalgia hit. I recalled nights spent in the school's tiny kitchen, covered in flour, learning to perfect tempering chocolate—a skill now entrusted with making these petit fours gala-worthy. As I served them at my graduation dinner, they were met with smiles and sounds of delight, filling me with a quiet pride. Every bite was a testament to how far I'd come, each delicate square a celebration of a journey just begun.
Ingredients
For the cakes:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 (8 ounce) block full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the vanilla buttercream and jam filling:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam
- 1/4 cup lemon curd
For the white chocolate topping:
- 2 (4 ounce bars) white chocolate coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons canola vegetable, or coconut oil
- optional garnishes including white sixlets, mint leaves, edible flowers, berries, and sprinkles, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease a 12x17-inch half sheet pan, then line it with parchment paper. The pan size is imperative: this batter won’t fit into anything smaller. Likewise, the cake would be too thin if baked in larger pans.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the 1 1/2 cups of the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the cream cheese and beat on high speed until completely smooth and combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the 2 cups of the granulated sugar and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- On low speed, beat the eggs into the cream mixture, 1 at a time, allowing each egg to fully mix in before adding the next. Be careful not to overmix after the eggs have been added.
- Once the 6th egg is combined into the mixture, stop the mixer and add the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat on medium speed until just combined, being careful again not to overmix.
- Fold in the lemon juice.
- Using a rubber spatula or sturdy whisk, give the batter a final turn to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter should be thick and creamy.
- Pour or spoon batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Carefully bang the pan on the counter once or twice to bring up any air bubbles.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out completely clean, about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool inside the pan. The cake will shrink down from the sides.
- Once cool, invert the cake onto a cutting board or on the counter with the long side facing you.
- With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the cake in half horizontally.
- Cut each long rectangle into 3 smaller rectangles. You should have 6 rectangles.
- Very carefully and slowly slice each in half, as if you were making a 1 layer cake a 2 layer cake. You should now have 12 very thin rectangles.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the 3/4 cup of the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.
- Beat the mixture on low speed for 30 seconds.
- Increase the mixing speed to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.
- Add up to 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar if the frosting is too thin or another tablespoon of heavy cream if the frosting is too thick. Add salt to taste if the frosting is too sweet.
- With a sharp knife, trim the ends off the cake rectangles that touched the pan. They’re a little harder and uneven, which would create lopsided petit fours.
- Spread the vanilla buttercream in a thick even layer on 4 of the rectangles.
- Spread both the lemon curd and raspberry jam on 4 of the rectangles. The remaining 4 rectangles are plain because they are the tops. Go a little lighter on the raspberry jam and lemon curd compared to the vanilla buttercream. If there’s too much, it creates a big mess when cutting the petit fours.
- Place the lemon curd and raspberry jam rectangles on top of the vanilla buttercream rectangles.
- Layer the plain rectangles on top.
- Loosely cover each rectangle and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour. They must be chilled before cutting into tiny petit fours.
- Once cold, slice each cake rectangle into 12 little squares.
- Arrange the squares on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator or freezer as you melt the white chocolate.
- Melt the white chocolate and oil together in a double boiler or in the microwave in 20 second increments, stopping and stirring after each until smooth and melted. If it seems too thick, add another drop of oil to thin out.
- Spoon or drizzle the white chocolate mixture over the petit fours.
- Top with the garnishes of your choice.
- Cover and store the petit fours in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or serve immediately!
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