Dressed to Impress, Chocolate Pomegranate Petit Fours are a show-off treat for your Valentine!
Every time I see Petit Fours I think of Alice in Wonderland, gingerly nibbling bite-sized cakes that made her shoot up to towering heights or shrink down to the size of a mouse.
What’s more, I remember how delightful the petit fours sounded, and recall thinking I would be willing to go through any challenge Alice had to face, to get my hands on them.
Petit Fours are in fact, a labor of love. It’s not that they are hard to make; it’s that there is so much WAITING involved. …I don’t like to wait on my dessert.
I can hear my mother’s voice ringing, “Good things come to those who wait.”
Impatience is the reason most people don’t make Petit Fours; they buy them at a bakery. However fresh homemade petit fours are a mystifying treat, with flavor combinations you don’t often find at a bakery, like chocolate pomegranate!
So here is the process for making these insanely tasty Chocolate Pomegranate Petit Fours. Again, not hard, just lots of waiting around:
Bake the cake and place in the freezer. Wait…
Make the Whipped Pomegranate Cream. Spread on cake. Freeze and wait…
Make the Whipped Chocolate Cream. Spread on pomegranate filling. Freeze and wait…
Trim the cake edges and cut into perfect 1 inch squares. Freeze and wait…
Make the Pomegranate Poured Fondant. Coat each Petit Four. Place on a rack to dry.
Why all the freezing and waiting? The cream layers and the cake need to be rock-hard before blanketing them in warm poured fondant, otherwise the cream will melt and the tender cake will crumble into the poured fondant bowl creating a huge mess.
Yet these little beauties are worth the wait. Mom was right. At this moment, I’m surrounded by little pearly pink “good things” layered with velvety chocolate and perky pomegranate.
If you are of the patient sect, you will be quite pleased with the finished product.
Chocolate + Pomegranate = Exquisite Yum.
PS ~ The color of the pomegranate juice is so concentrated; there is no need for artificial coloring!
Recipe: Chocolate Pomegranate Petit Fours
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- 1 Tb. instant coffee granules
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup scalding hot water
- For the Cake:
For the Pomegranate Cream:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- ¼ cup flour
For the Chocolate Cream:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 Tb. flour
- 1 Tb. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled to room temp.
For the Pomegranate Poured Fondant:
- 1 cup plain shortening
- 6-8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
Instructions
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9X13 pan with parchment paper and thoroughly grease the sides. Sift (or whisk) all dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Beat together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, and whisk for two minutes. Once well combined pour in the hot water and mix well. Pour into the cake pan and tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any large bubbles.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes, then flip out on a plastic board. Remove the parchment paper. If the cake looks even, place in the freezer. If the top is rounded, Carefully flip the cake over (using another cookie sheet) and trim the top with a serrated knife, then freeze.
- For the Whipped Pomegranate Cream: Add the Pom Juice and flour to a small sauce pan. Whisk until there are no lumps. Then heat over medium, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Whisk and cook a few more minutes until it thickens into a paste. Remove from heat and place pan in the fridge to cool. Beat the butter and sugar in a clean mixing bowl, for 5-7 minutes, until fluffy and glossy.
- Once cooled, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until light and fluffy 5 minutes.
- Spread the pomegranate cream evenly over the cake and return to the freezer.
- For the Whipped Chocolate Cream: Add the milk, flour, and cocoa powder to a small sauce pan. Whisk until there are no lumps. Then heat over medium, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Whisk and cook a few more minutes until it thickens into a paste. Remove from heat and place pan in the fridge to cool. Beat the butter and sugar in a clean mixing bowl, for 5-7 minutes, until fluffy and glossy. Once cooled, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Pour in the vanilla and the cooled melted chocolate and beat until light and fluffy 5 minutes.
- Spread evenly over the top of the pomegranate cream. Return to the freezer.
- Once frozen, trim the edges of the cake until very smooth. The cake will be about 8X12 inches after trimming. Then carefully cut the cake into 1 inch squares, 96 total. You may want to use a clean ruler to mark the top of the chocolate cream to make the pieces even. Return the cake squares to the freezer.
- For the Pomegranate Poured Fondant: Place the shortening and half the pomegranate juice in a large bowl. Microwave until the shortening has melted. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar to the mix and whisk until smooth. Add a little more juice and another cup of powdered sugar, whisk. The fondant should be smooth and glossy, thin enough to pour but thick enough to coat well, a little thicker than school glue. If you see shortening dots on the top, add more powdered sugar. It may take all the juice and as much as 8 cups of powdered sugar to even out–but not always. Rewarm and whisk before dipping the petit fours. The fondant needs to stay warm.
- Before dipping, dust the bottoms of each petit four, so that crumbs don’t fall in the poured fondant.
- Place a petit four on a fork over the fondant bowl. Using a large spoon, scoop fondant over the top covering completely on all sides, then use another fork to carefully transfer to a drying rack. Repeat with all, rewarm the fondant if needed.
Preparation time: 1 hour(s) 10 minute(s) active time
Cooking time: 35 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): up to 96 – 1 inch petit fours
AMENDMENT 2-11-12: I’ve noticed in the comments that several people have tried this recipe and have struggled with the poured fondant. I pride myself on offering tried-and-true recipes that anyone can make at home, and I HATE that this has caused a few of you some kitchen hardship. Here is a video clip I found, that is very similar to how I make my poured fondant. If you have never made petit fours, please take a look at this before starting, and also watch “Step 3″ that covers dipping, listed after this clip! This is still a recipe worth making, but if you are new to petit fours, proceed with caution.
More Valentine Sweets for your Sweetie:
Chocolate and Roses Truffle Spoons
Pistachio Cupcakes with Pink Champagne Frosting
Valentine Heart Lollipops ~ Add a Pinch
Lace Heart Cookies ~ Sweet Sugar Belle
Triple Chocolate Cherry M&M Cookies ~ TidyMom
Valentine Confetti ~ Nest of Posies
You’re right – I would never have the patience to make these! Although yours are so gorgeous and look so delicious that I would pay top dollar for them. They’re stunning, Sommer!
Oh good grief, those are adorable and very impressive – I would lose my mind about mid-way through the process! Kudos!
I just baked a cake with a lot of “cooling and waiting” to apply more layers. Yes, you have to be very patient which isn’t my strength either.
How about you send some west in a little small pink box? The Petit Fours look amazing. I love the color and I am sure the flavor combo goes really well.
Petit fours are definitely time consuming, but so worth it! These are gorgeous! The layers look perfect & I love the color!
These are lovely!
Just gorgeous! I need some of your patience!
too good!! Wow!
So pretty! Almost too pretty to eat!
Oh gee, these are just the cutest!
These are gorgeous! I think it highly unlikely I’d have the patience though. I’ve always hated that saying
Those are so pretty!
Oh my you are a food artist! These are so beautiful and I can almost smell the lovely flavor. Very pretty – great job. Can I give you my address so you can send some over? Thanks!
These look amazing, Sommer. Perfect, beautiful and delicious!
These are absolutely beautiful. I think I would die with all the waiting but like you say the wait would be worth it. I am totally knocked out by these. Lovely!
Your patience definitely paid off. These are beyond gorgeous!
Wow! They are soooo pretty! Pretty little cakes, and yummy too, we bet!
Very pretty little cakes, I just pinned into my pink and chocolate board,lol!
They certainly are a labor of love, but when done right, they are SO worth it! So cute!
These are beautiful and I bet taste magnificent. Perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Ha! I am terrified of petit fours! You have the patience of a saint, but your mom was right! Worth the wait!
Gorgeous! I’m waiting for my boys to get older so I can finally have time to make things like these
Absolutely wicked!! Pinned it
These are SO gorgeous!!
OMG you are so talented, do you need my address to send them to me?
Absolutely gorgeous! Love them.
These are so cute! I made my first petit fours on Friday, and I am definitely going to try it again…with this recipe.
These are beautiful! And *healthy?*
These are gorgeous!
These are gorgeous!! I love that they are made without food coloring, too. I would never be patient enough to bake these, but I sure can admire them and wish I was eating one right this second!
Those are beautiful, but I know that I do not have the patience to make them.
Wow, these petit fours are pretty darn adorable! I love the combination of chocolate and pomegranate.
Oh, these are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat, Sommer! Both beautiful and deletable!
Gorgeous! I would love to try to make this. I am not a patient person. About how long long does it take to freeze per layer?
I’d say it takes 30-60 minutes per layer, to make sure they are really set. …But definitely worth it!
Ok, thanks. I will have to plan for a day of baking and reading only. Patience isn’t one of my strength, but it is certainly worth trying for.
These petit fours are soo cute! I love the colors and layering. Yum!
Absolutely amazing!! They look gorgeous and so tempting
Totally droolworthy stuff sommers- slurp !
These are absolutely adorable! I just love how pretty they look!
Girl, these are beyond stunning!! They will be pinned everywhere I am sure of it!!
Wow those are beautiful! This is the prefect Valentine’s Day treat.
When complete, should these be refrigerated?
Like most cakes, it’s best to keep them in the fridge. But they can sit out throughout the day for events.
Thankyou!
These look so delicious! And so cute and pink – love them!
So cute, love the deep color!!
So pretty!
Just awesome!
these are simply gorgeous!
Amazing combo! Getting ready to make some petit fours, as such, for cupcake toppers (heart shaped). Great tips on dipping… that is the part I hate the most!
My name is Sommer too… same spelling even… not “the sommer”.
Our sweethearts are always worth the effort–these are beautiful, worthy of a date night or special occasion.
I think of Alice and Wonderland too! Yours look absolutely AMAZING! I have never made Petit Fours before and I may just do that soon as I have tons of pomegranate juice in my fridge!
Oh my gosh! I need to make these! Thanks for a great recipe.
Those look AMAZING! I love the vivid color…and so amazing that you didn’t use artificial food coloring. And the flavors, chocolate and pomegranate, sound amazing together.
I did ice cream petitie fours long time ago and they were delicious – but a lot of work. These look amazing and so good – and just adorable !!
Sommer, these look AMAZING. Gorgeous and so perfect for Valentine’s Day!!!
These are just too darling. And sound delicious!! I’m in the mood for love now ;D
Simply exquisite ! I am NOT of the patient sect, but I sure do admire those who are!
Recipe
Um, yes — I’ll take a few
Looks delicious.
These are just gorgeous. The perfect elegant Valentine”s day treat. So worth the wait.
These are so beautiful Sommer! Such a sweet little treat for Valentine’s day!
These look gorgeous!! love the colours!
oh, I so wish I were not too lazy to make petit fours. I love them and these look amazing!
Just attempted to make them – disaster. The icing is disgustingly sweet and since it has to be warm, it immediately breaks down the butter-based layers of cream. You cannot make these look anywhere near what the pictures do, and if you actually make the icing as thick as described it will tear apart your cakes. The cakes were in the freezer for over 12 hours before I even attempted to frost them, so they were indeed “rock hard”, but that still didn’t help. Even if I did manage to salvage them at this point, I wouldn’t eat them because of how insanely sweet the icing is. It actually kind of ruins the whole thing.
Oh Jillian, I’m so sorry you had trouble! With mine, the fact that the interior cream layers are less sweet balanced out the sweetness of the frosting. I hate that they didn’t work out for you.
I made these this weekend! As Jillian says, the frosting is sweet; I added more pomegranate juice to thin it out, and it helped a bit. I actually liked them without the fondant, BUT, they looks so darling all pretty in pink. I posted some photos of mine here:
http://spooypress.blogspot.com/2012/02/day3.html
They were a hit! everyone loved them. I brought the extras to work, even some un-fondant ones, and they’re gone already! I think I will make this into a cake and use whipped cream instead of the fondant…I am in LOVE with this recipe. Thank you so much!
Aisleen, I’m so glad you liked them and your photos look GREAT!
Yes, the poured fondant is sweet, but every poured fondant I’ve ever experimented with (or tasted) was equally sweet, being made of almost all powdered sugar. I love that you’re making your own twist to the recipe.
Thanks so much! Yes, I agree with you on the fondant. Its just pure sugar, every recipe I’ve made has been equally as sweet. Its not overpowering to me, but I can see why some feel it to be TOO sweet. I’m excited to try it as a cake, I will post photos of that once its done as well! Thanks again!
I made these yesterday/this morning and thought I would share my 2 cents! They didn’t look very pretty, but it was my first time making petit fours. I had a lot of trouble with the fork/spoon fondant method so i just held them at the base and dipped them upside down, then turned them over to dry. The biggest problem I had was the cake layer – it was so light and fluffy, it could not handle the heavy layers of cream on top. When I cut it into squares, they ended up sliding and becoming lopsided in the freezer overnight. Also, the fondant did not seem to want to stick to the cake. If I made them again, I might try using a brownie base. I was worried they would be too sweet, so for the chocolate layer I ended up using unsweetened chocolate instead of dark and it turned out to be the most delicious frosting and I will probably use the recipe again just for regular cupcakes!
All in all, they turned out delicious but horrifically ugly. I don’t know if people will be wowed, but I hope they eat them anyway!
Thanks for sharing Rachel,
I’m sorry yours turned out ugly!! Honestly, I’ve never posted a recipe that caused so much trouble to my readers. Then again, I generally don’t post recipes with so many layers/steps. I apologize, and will make sure to post goodies that are a little more user-friendly in the future. I’m glad you still liked the way they tasted.
These guys are waiting in my freezer right now for step 10. Can’t wait!
I made these the weekend before Valentine’s for my husband. Since I have a small child, I was unable to donate a large amount of time at once, so I took my time w/these. I started Friday and ended Sunday. It was time consuming, but because I wasn’t in a rush to finish, I didn’t mind and was able to get a good freeze on all of the layers.
I too had problems cutting and especially dipping (but i’m not a good dipper at all). My pieces weren’t even, but I didn’t care. My poured fondant turned out pretty thick, I tried dipping a few, got fed up, and put the fondant in a ziploc, cut the edge and ended up drizzling.
Now on to the flavor. These were the BEST things I’ve ever tasted! So good, so creamy, so wonderful!! The flavors go so well together!! Everyone that tried them, loved them. They were also good without the poured fondant, but I liked them with.
I think I will make this for my son’s bday, but in cake form and instead of a poured fondant, do you think a buttercream would work? Do you have any good recipes for a buttercream (I’d probably do a pomegranate flavored one, but I’ve never made buttercream icing.
Thanks for this recipe, I LOVED IT!!!!
In the recipe, under Chocolate Cream, you list “2 Tb. cup flour” Is that 2 T + 1 cup of flour?
Sorry about that. It’s 2 Tb. flour, I’ll fix it right now.
These were so tasty! But mine turned out far, far less attractive than yours, haha. Would you mind if I post about this on my blog? I’ll link back to your site & this post =)
These petit fours look AH-MAZING! And couldn’t be more perfect for my Mad Hatter’s Tea Party later this year! Even better is that I can make them in advance and freeze them until almost the last step. Awesome!
These look so amazing and beautiful! I will definitely try to make these! Thanks so much for sharing!!