Bake

Spice Cake Petit Fours

by:
December 21, 2023
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Spice Cake Petit Fours
Photo by Food52
  • Prep time 5 hours
  • Cook time 35 minutes
  • makes 24 (medium) petit fours
Author Notes

I love a good spice cake—and this one is truly a pretty perfect two-bite treat. The cake features a blend of warm baking spices: heavy on the cinnamon, and my personal spice cake must: freshly grated nutmeg. The finished cake is cut in half horizontally to create two thin layers, which are sandwiched together with tangy cream cheese frosting. Then, the cakes are cut into little rectangles—slightly larger than the traditional petit four square shape (if you want them smaller, cut into 36 even pieces—or you can cut them even larger into 16 pieces).

The final cakes are glazed with poured fondant—a favorite icing in my book, that is ladled or poured over the cake to smoothly coat the surface and sides of the cake. The icing not only adds a touch of sweetness to the outside of the cake, it also helps to seal the moisture of the cake inside. These cakes are admittedly a bit of a baking project (but such a fun one) and the magic of this icing means they keep extremely well—staying fresh for up to 2 weeks. I like to subtly tint this icing naturally using the same spices in the cake—you can always go heavier with the spices to intensify the color (and flavor) of the icing, or add a drop or two of food coloring to deepen the color, if you prefer. Since these are just a little larger, it’s fun to finish the surface with piped decorations (a classic petit four look). —Erin Jeanne McDowell

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the cake:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks/226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (298 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 large (170 grams) eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla bean paste, or 1 ½ teaspoons (7 grams) vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups (271 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (2 grams) ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon (<1 gram) freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup (121 grams) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (60 grams) water, at room temperature
  • —
  • For the filling & frosting:
  • 4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups (226 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla extract
  • —
  • For the poured fondant icing:
  • 8 cups (2 pounds/907 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup (165 grams) light corn syrup
  • 2/3 cup (161 grams) water
  • 3/4 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon (<1 gram) ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon (<1 gram) ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon (<1 gram) ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon (<1 gram) freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 gram) vanilla extract
  • Food coloring, for tinting (optional)
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C with an oven rack in the center. Grease and flour a 9x9-inch/23x23-cm pan.
  2. *Make the cake*: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add the eggs gradually, scraping well after they are incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix on low speed to combine, 1 to 2 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the milk and water to combine. Add half of the milk and water and mix to combine, 1 minute more. Repeat this process, mixing until the ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. The cake will not spring back when you touch it in the middle, but that’s ok! Cool the cake for 10 to 15 minutes inside the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
  6. While the cake cools, make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt and mix on medium speed to combine. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a ½ inch/12 mm opening cut from the tip.
  7. When the cake is cool, cut it in half horizontally with a serrated knife into two even layers. Separate the layers, and pipe an even layer of frosting on top of the bottom layer. Use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting into an even layer, then press the top cake layer on top.
  8. Pipe the remaining frosting onto the surface of the cake, then use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting into an even layer on top of the cake (use this as an opportunity to help even out any ripples or marks in the surface of the cake to make a flat, even surface). Refrigerate or freeze the cake until it is thoroughly chilled, at least 30 minutes—the colder the cake is, the easier and cleaner it will cut!
  9. While the cake chills, make the poured fondant: Fill a medium pot with about 2 inches/5 cm of water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a medium, heat-safe bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, corn syrup, water, spices, and vanilla to combine. Place the bowl over the pot of water and heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. You want the icing to be fluid, but not too warm—if you have a thermometer, make sure it doesn’t go over 100°F/38°C. Add the food coloring, if desired. Let cool to room temperature.
  10. When the cake is chilled, cut the edges off to create flat edges (about ¼ inch/6 mm off of each side). Then use a sharp knife to cut the cakes into 24 even pieces. I do this by cutting 6 even rows, then cutting each of these rows into 4 even pieces.
  11. Transfer the cut petit fours to a cooling rack on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a ladle to pour icing over each cake. The icing should easily fall down the sides of the cake. If the icing seems too thin, it may be too hot—let it cool for a few minutes at room temperature. If the icing gets too thick, you can re-warm it up slightly. You can reuse the icing that falls onto the baking sheet, just lift up the parchment and squeeze it back into the bowl and keep glazing until all of the cakes are covered.
  12. Let sit for at least 30 minutes until the icing is set before serving.
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Erin Jeanne McDowell
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

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