Ladieeees, here comes something sweet and pink!
Guys, (you’re really here? I’m flattered…) here comes something very delicious.
Get ready for my first (and a little frustrating) try on small ovens. As petits fours translates.

I made these for my godmother’s birthday-party, which took place yesterday at a Greek restaurant. She just turned 70! I can hardly believe how fast time goes by… Wow, I sound like 70 myself. But I really mean it.
As the whole day and this morning were basically just a big feast (I’m having a hard time trying to move right now), who could possibly think of bringing additional food?!
Hm. I guess I’ll never learn.
Anyway, clever me served them before dessert, when there was still some room left (inside everyone’s belly).

First, you’re gonna make a veeery yummy and fluffy sponge cake with marzipan and orange zest, which is later filled with jam, pressed overnight and decorated.

Melt the marzipan together with some warm water, add egg yolks and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the orange zest.

Mix egg whites and salt, beat and slowly add sugar until you get nice stiff peaks. Carefully fold it in.

Mix flour, starch and baking powder in a bowl, then fold into the batter.

Pour the batter into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes at 200°C.

Take that wonderful fragrant cake out of the oven, put it onto a plate, let it cool and tear off the paper.
Now, if you can resist taking a bite, you’ve earned my respect. Or there’s something stuck in your nose and you can’t smell it.
If you can’t resist, you’ll have an idea of what these beauties will taste like when they’re done, which is thrice as good as now.

Cut the cake into three pieces and spread each one with jam, I used raspberry on two of them and apricot on one.

Then pile them like a layer cake.

Roll out the marzipan (on powdered sugar, otherwise everything will stick) and place it on top.

You’re almost done for today! Wrap everything in plastic wrap, put some books beneath and on top and let them press the cake together for 24 hours. Make sure the books are even, or you’re petits fours won’t be.
Also make sure to only use cook- and baking-books, the result will be much better.

Hello again! It should be 24 hours later now. If not yet, please wait. You really have to be patient.

If you were, you should get something like this.

And you should also do something like this. We all know you have to make sure everything’s allright with the cake. I mean, no one could know, it’s 24 hours later.

Prepare your favorite sugar icing and spread it all over. I know mine looks like liquid bubble gum, but it’s just powdered sugar and raspberry jelly.

Whee, and now it’s time to get serious!
Cut the cake into squares or hearts or whatever shape you have in mind. (Do squares. Believe me.)
If you’re an expert in decorating with royal icing, congratulations.
If you’re not, like me, but you still want to try it, fine. You’ll need patience again. And you should practice a bit on parchment paper or leftover cake pieces. If you’re perfectionist, you should brace yourself for losing about a third of the petits fours (as they won’t match your expectations).
Prepare your favorite royal icing and pipe it onto the petits fours.

I didn’t document this step. I was a little distracted by malfunctioning piping tips and ugly petits fours.
In the end, I was fairly content with the result. Anyway, I dearly hope you get something prettier and more creative than mine.