In The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea, Annaliese hosts a tea party for her cousins, Nora, Nadine, and Nell Ann. She also invites their sock monkeys so Throckmorton can meet them, but Annaliese and Throckmorton are soon startled by her cousins’ revelation.

In Chapter 23, The Tea Party, the food Annaliese serves is described this way: “A three-tier silver serving dish held dainty petit fours and finger sandwiches cut into hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Devonshire cream, lemon curd, and rosy-red jam accompanied a basket of freshly baked currant scones.”

Yum.

What are petit fours? They are small, square cakes, sometimes frosted on all sides, sometimes only on the top so you can see the layers of cake inside, just right for a scrumptious tea party.

Here’s a step-by-step photographic recipe for making petit fours from Rose Bakes.

If you’d like to follow along with video instructions, then here’s a how-to from Martha Stewart.

Will this inspire you to make your own petit fours? Send me a photo in the comments!