petit four

Readers of Gone Girl will see the irony of these sweet miniature wedding cakes when served as a book club treat. They are delicious and easy to assemble, with a subtle almond flavoring in both the cake and the petit fours frosting.

Miniature Wedding Cakes

This is a basic white sheet cake, assembled into wedding cake shapes and dolloped with almond flavored frosting.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 15” by 10” by 1” jelly roll pan with Pam or cooking spray.

In a large saucepan, to boil:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup water

Remove from heat. Stir in following ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Once smooth, pour into the baking pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.

With a greased sharp knife, cut several 3” by 3” squares and an equal number of 1” by 1” squares. For ease of frosting, place the cut squares into the freezer for about an hour while you are preparing the frosting.

Petit Fours Frosting

Mix together all of the following ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream

Add heavy cream, as needed to make a pourable smooth frosting.

Assemble your slightly frozen larger squares on a baking rack. Add a small amount of frosting to each one and place a smaller square on top. Using a large spoon, dollop a liberal amount of frosting over the top of each stacked square, letting it drizzle down the sides.

Let the frosting stiffen before serving. Add small decorations, if you’d like. This could include nonpareils, fresh flowers, frosting accents, etc.

The almond flavoring and sweet frosting is a definite contrast for the dark book, Gone Girl. Serve up some sweetness and light while you discussion Amy and Nick’s disturbed marriage.