This is our favorite classic Petit Four Glaze petit fours! When preparing for our "How to Make Petit Fours" video tutorial, we tried out SO many different recipes for glazes. Most were ruled out for problems with consistency, flavor, firmness of the glaze, etc.

Finally, we decided to try the simplest recipe of all...this recipe, and it was the BEST! I love it when that happens. You can see the pretty petit fours that we made below...aren't they cute?!

This is the first batch of petit fours that I ever made that actually turned out like they were supposed to. I was so happy to finally figure out the "right" way to make petit fours, and a big part of that was the glaze!

You will love this Classic Petit Four Glaze Recipe! MyCakeSchool.com.

For years, just the idea of making petit fours was enough to give me nightmares. I avoided them at all costs because no matter how many hours I put into making them, they never had a consistent look.

In our free video tutorial on making petit fours, we share the techniques that have made the process SO much simpler for me, and I have a feeling that you are going to love making these sweet little cakes in no time.

Beautiful Petit Fours by MyCakeSchool.com

Petit Four Glaze

We love this easy Petit Four Glaze! Also, learn how to make petit fours in our free tutorial below.

Ingredients

9 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (sift then measure) (945 g)
½ cup (164 g) light corn syrup
½ cup water (118g)
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract (4g)
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Instructions

In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, mix sugar, corn syrup, ½ cup water, and flavoring together until warm and smooth. I like a thin consistency and so approximately 115 degrees F was the temperature that worked well for us. Don't worry if you do not have a candy thermometer..I just wanted to give you an idea. I prefer a nice, thin consistency.
Stir in enough food coloring until desired color is reached. Do not overheat.

Notes

*As you can see in the photo, the cakes were frosted on top before glazing so that the tops would not be transparent. These are from our cake video tutorial on Petit Fours!
This glaze behaves just as it should, and sets after several minutes so that it becomes dry to the touch. This thin coating will keep your little cakes nice and moist, and I love the elegant matte semi-transparent finish.

*As you can see in the photo, the cakes were frosted on top before glazing so that the tops would not be transparent. These are from our cake video tutorial on Petit Fours!

This glaze behaves just as it should, and sets after several minutes so that it becomes dry to the touch. This thin coating will keep your little cakes nice and moist, and I love the elegant matte semi-transparent finish. (However, you can dust over them with pearl dust using a dry brush if you'd like, as you can see in my photo below!)

Perfect Petit Four Glaze Recipe by MyCakeSchool.com

When we make petit fours, we use our FAVORITE Pound Cake recipe which you can find here!: Classic Pound Cake Recipe! Not only is this a fantastic pound cake recipe, but the density of pound cake makes for a clean and uniform cut when slicing your squares!

I can tell you from experience that trying to dip a square of cake with ragged edges makes for a very sad little petit four, haha. Still delicious...you'll just want your guests to avert their eyes. Stick to the dense cakes for these cuties!

We hope that you give this petit four glaze a try! This is a classic recipe that has been floating around for years, and for good reason. Super simple! Enjoy!

How to Make Petit Fours

Don't miss our step by step video tutorial on how to make petit fours the EASY way!

This is a video that was reserved for our members only for years, but we recently switched it to our free video tutorial section. We hope that you enjoy learning how to make these tiny cakes! Free Petit Fours Video Tutorial- How to make them the EASY way!

36 Comments

Hi Melissa,

I tried this petit four, succeed. Only I don't really like the sweet like this. My question, can I dip into dark chocolate ? Are they still call petit four ?
Thank you

i want to do this on a pound cake i did in a bunt pan is there a smaller version

Hi Sarah, if you want to cover your entire pound cake, I would half the recipe. You might also like the Simple Vanilla Glaze that is listed in the recipe section.

hi
is corn syrup necessary?

Hi Houda, you could make the glaze without the corn syrup. The glaze would not be as shiny or firm, but yes it would work.

I am only making 40 petit fours. Will there be glaze left over? Can it be saved and used later?
Thanks
Ruthie

Hi Ruth, Sometimes we might coat the petit fours twice if we want more coverage so I would make the whole recipe. We have not tried saving for later use so I am not sure about that.

Hi! Have you ever used this on cookies for decoration?
Thanks Johanna

How many grams in the 9 cups of sugar? Also, do I sift then measure or measure then sift? Thanks!

Hi Jennifer, the confectioners' sugar is sifted then measured. It is 945 g of sifted confectioners' sugar. I will add this change to the recipe.

Do you have a tutorial video on petit fours? I've been doing cakes for forty years but I'm intimidated by them, for some reason! I love your blog and have recommended it to so many folks!

Hello Bobbye! We do have a video tutorial in our member section of the petit fours pictured above! I was the same as you--avoided petit fours for years! ;0) But the method that we demonstrate in our video makes things much easier!