In Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the Heart of Gold is a state-of-the-art starship that operates on an infinite improbability drive (powered by a “nice hot cup of tea”). However, using the improbability drive can have some unusual side effects. Luckily, these cute, dainty cakes are just the thing to set you right after being turned into a sofa…or a ball of yarn…or a penguin.
These Heart of Gold Petit Fours are a delicious variation on a basic Better Homes and Gardens recipe. I chose to go the orange-flavored route, but you can use whatever extracts/jam flavors you want. Theses cakes are sweet but airy…and they go perfectly with a nice hot cup of tea!
Hearts of Gold: Orange-Flavored Petit Fours
“Beneath it lay uncovered a huge starship, one hundred and fifty metres long, shaped like a sleek running shoe, perfectly white and mindboggingly beautiful. At the heart of it, unseen, lay a small gold box which carried within it the most brain-wretching device ever conceived, a device which made this starship unique in the history of the galaxy, a device after which the ship had been named – The Heart of Gold.”
— The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
 
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1o oz. frozen vanilla pound cake
- 4 tbsp orange marmalade
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- additional milk (if necessary)
- yellow and/or orange food coloring
- colored sprinkles (you can also use icing pens)
- a small heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Makes 1 dozen petit fours
INSTRUCTIONS:
- First, thaw the pound cake according to package instructions. While it thaws, mix the powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp milk, orange extract, and food coloring in a medium-size bowl. If you need to, add additional milk to reach icing consistency.
A little food coloring goes a long way here. I used just one drop of yellow. Then to make it more gold, I added the tiniest dot (not a full drop) of orange gel coloring. It came out a warm, summery gold–just what I wanted! - Now cut the pound cake in 1/2″ thick slices. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out two hearts from each slice.
Be sure to keep each heart with its “buddy heart” from the same slice. This way when you stack the pairs later, if some slices are slightly different widths, you won’t wind up with a petit four that has uneven layers. - Spread a little orange marmalade on one side of each heart and stack them together, making little heart sandwiches.
They’ve got literal hearts of gold! Punny, aren’t I? 😉 - Spread some wax paper or parchment paper over a baking sheet, then place a wire cooling rack on the baking sheet.
- Place the hearts on the wire rack. Drizzle icing over the top of each heart and use a butter knife (or small icing knife, if you’ve got it) to evenly spread icing over the sides, until it’s entirely coated.
If you plan on using sprinkles, you’ll want to shake them on before the icing dries, so they’ll stick better. If you want to use icing pens to apply some designs, wait until the hearts have dried. That way, you’ll have a firm surface on which to apply the designs. - Most petit four recipes are pretty universal, but there are three ways to really make yours unique: 1) shape, 2) cake/icing/jam flavor combos, and 3) decorations. The shapes and flavor of these Hearts of Gold are already a little unique, so I wanted to carry that through into the decorations. I tried a lot of different styles:
- After making a dozen hearts, I still had a little pound cake left over, so I made some star petit fours.
The purple icing is almond flavored, and they’re filled with raspberry jam! - Whatever flavor or style you decide to make, be sure to allow the petit fours to sit until the decorations have completely set. After that, enjoy while exploring the far reaches of the universe in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! 🙂
So I didn’t exactly stick to the healthy food streak I had going with this menu, but I think the petit fours’ delicate nature and the quintessential summery-ness of the orange flavor really complement the rest of the menu. Enjoy!
Here’s the Yummly printable!
Ingredients
- 1 10-oz frozen vanilla pound cake
- 4 tbsp orange marmalade
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- additional milk (if necessary)
- yellow and/or orange food coloring
- colored sprinkles (you can also use icing pens)
- a small heart-shaped cookie cutter
Instructions
- First, thaw the pound cake according to package instructions. While it thaws, mix the powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp milk, orange extract, and food coloring in a medium-size bowl. If you need to, add additional milk to reach icing consistency.
- Now cut the pound cake in 1/2" thick slices. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out two hearts from each slice.
- Spread a little orange marmalade on one side of each heart and stack them together, making little heart sandwiches.
- Spread some wax paper or parchment paper over a baking sheet, then place a wire cooling rack on the baking sheet.
- Place the hearts on the wire rack. Drizzle icing over the top of each heart and use a butter knife (or small icing knife, if you've got it) to evenly spread icing over the sides, until it's entirely coated.
- If you plan on using sprinkles, you'll want to shake them on before the icing dries, so they'll stick better. If you want to use icing pens to apply some designs, wait until the hearts have dried. That way, you'll have a firm surface on which to apply the designs.
- Whatever flavor or style you decide to make, be sure to allow the petit fours to sit until the decorations are completely set. After that, enjoy while exploring the far reaches of the universe in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!
[…] Jam. It’s a mash-up of some previous Alison’s Wonderland recipes you might recognize (Hearts of Gold and Raspberry Cordial Ice Cream). And just in time for Valentine’s Day! You can view the post […]