I had some leftover pistachio butter-cream from making some pistachio macarons. I don't like to eat butter-creams in big doses, like a huge butter-cream cake. So I decided to make something small. Petit Fours came to my mind, as I have just eaten some really good ones in a nice Cafe in Regensburg, and wanted to try out to make them myself. I made a simple sponge sheet cake and filled it with the butter-cream and some homemade strawberry-vanilla jam. They were really good and can be made in many different flavor combinations.
I wish you all a very Happy Easter!
Petit Fours with Pistachio Buttercream
Sponge Cake:
60 g flour
30 g corn starch
3 eggs
pinch of salt
80 g sugar
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form, while slowly adding the sugar. Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time and the vanilla extract.
Mix together the flour and corn starch and sift over the egg mixture. Slowly fold in the flour mixture, until the dough is smooth. Put the dough on the baking sheet and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Sprinkle a dish towel with sugar and invert the ready baked sponge cake on the towel. Take of the parchment paper and let cool.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form, while slowly adding the sugar. Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time and the vanilla extract.
Mix together the flour and corn starch and sift over the egg mixture. Slowly fold in the flour mixture, until the dough is smooth. Put the dough on the baking sheet and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Sprinkle a dish towel with sugar and invert the ready baked sponge cake on the towel. Take of the parchment paper and let cool.
Pistachio Buttercream:
250 ml milk
scraped out seeds and pod of a quarter vanilla bean
50 g sugar
2 egg yolks
20 g corn starch
175 g butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. rum
5 tbsp. ground pistachios
Heat half of the milk with half of the sugar and the vanilla seeds and pod until boiling. Remove the vanilla pod.
Mix the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, the corn starch and the rest of the milk. Pour the mixture slowly into the hot milk while constantly stirring. Put back on the stove and heat while stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let stand until it reaches room temperature.
Cream the butter with a mixer and stir in spoon by spoon into the cream. Then fold in the rum and the pistachios. Store at a cool place until using.
Mix the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, the corn starch and the rest of the milk. Pour the mixture slowly into the hot milk while constantly stirring. Put back on the stove and heat while stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let stand until it reaches room temperature.
Cream the butter with a mixer and stir in spoon by spoon into the cream. Then fold in the rum and the pistachios. Store at a cool place until using.
Glaze:
1 egg white
200 g powder sugar
pink food coloring
Mix the egg white with powder sugar. Add 1-2 drops of the food coloring and mix until smooth.
Assembly:
100 g strawberry preserves
150 g marzipan, rolled out to fit one sponge level
chopped pistachios to decorate
Cut the sponge in three equal stripes. Spread the warmed preserves on one sponge piece. Then spread the butter-cream on top of the next sponge. Put the butter-cream sponge on top of the jam sponge. Add the third piece of sponge and top with the marzipan. Now cut in bite size petit fours, about 4 x 4 cm (1.5 x 1.5 inch). You can either just glaze the top or dip the petit four completely in the glaze to fully cover them. Sprinkle with pistachios and let the glaze set before serving.
Enjoy and Guten Appetit!
