Petit Fours

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

With your mixer and a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into the egg mixture. Fold gently until flour is incorporated. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

Melt the jam with a splash of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. When jam has dissolved, remove from heat and add the Chambord liqueur. Remove the parchment paper from the cake and set on a piece of plastic wrap. Brush the top of the cake with the entire melted jam mix.

Cut a piece of parchment about the same size as the square of the cake (you can use your cake pan to trace). Place the marzipan on the parchment and roll it out until it is about a 9- to 10-inch square. Then turn it over to cover the top of the cake and remove the parchment. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least a half hour.

When you are ready to cover with icing, remove the plastic wrap and with a bread knife, cut the edges off the cake. (I munch on them while I continue—baker’s fees!) Cut the cake into even-sized squares, about 16 to 20 depending on how large you want them. Set the cakes, space a little apart, on a wire rack. I put some newspaper underneath to catch the excess drippings.

Icing:
Mix all of the icing ingredients together. I mixed it right in a large glass mixing cup to make it easier to pour. Divide the icing if you wish to color some of it. Pour over the sliced cake, drizzling so that the tops are covered. Let set for a couple of minutes and garnish as desired.

Note: If you decide to add liqueur in your icing, replace 1/4 to 1/2 of the water with Chambord liqueur.