cake

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. lemon extract

  • cream butter and sugar, then blend in extract

7/8 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk

  • mix dry ingredients, and beat into batter, alternating with the milk

2 egg whites

  • beat until stiff, then fold into batter
  • pour batter into an 8” square pan lined with baking parchment
  • bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
  • remove from pan and let cool completely

glaze

or use poured fondant icing

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
yellow food coloring

  • mix sugar and milk until thick and smooth, the stir in extract
  • add food coloring one drop at a time and stir in
  • add additional milk (1/2 tsp. at a time) until desired consistency, just barely forming a ribbon when drizzling

assembly

simple syrup
lemon curd

  • brush bottom of cakes with simple syrup to seal, and let dry
  • chill cakes thoroughly and cut into strips
  • cut in half and fill with lemon curd, then cut into cubes
  • arrange petits fours on a cooling rack and spoon glaze over them and let dry completely before serving, about an hour

source: https://homecookingmemories.com/lemon-petits-fours/

3/1/25: made these today and watched some videos about petit four construction. they were good, but making sure the icing consistency is thin enough is very important. adjusting the cake batch size to make a single slightly larger cake.