Recipe: Chocolate Almond Petit Fours

Chocolate Almond Petit Fours

3/4 C butter, softened
2 (8 oz) cans almond paste
1 1/2 C sugar
8 large eggs
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 (12 oz) can apricot filling*
Chocolate ganache
6 oz. white chocolate, melted (optional)

Grease bottom & side of two 15 x 10 x 1 in. jellyroll pans &
line w/wax paper; grease & flour wax paper. Set aside.

Beat butter & almond paste at medium speed w/an electric mixer
until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one
at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in flour. Spread
batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake @ 400 deg. for 8 to 10
min. Cool in pans on wire racks.

Turn one cake out onto a flat surface; remove wax paper, &
spread w/apricot filling. Top w/remaining cake & cut w/a 1 1/2
in. round cutter.

Place small cakes on a wire rack in a large, shallow pan. Using
a squeeze bottle, coat top & sides with warm chocolate ganache.
(Spoon up excess frosting that drips thru rack; reheat & refill
bottle, & use to continue frosting the cake.) Chill cakes for
10 min. Pipe dots on frosted cakes using melted white chocolate,
if desired. Yield: 3.5 doz.

(* 1 (10 oz) jar apricot spreadable fruit may be substituted.

Chocolate Ganache

1 1/2 C whipping cream
24 (1 oz) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped

Heat whipping cream in a heaby saucepan over low heat. Add
chocolate, stirring until smooth. (Mixture thickens as it cools;
reheat over low heat, if necessary) Yield: 3 C.