The French knows all about pairing food and wine and there are few things as wonderful as the combination of a pretty French cake and a glass of wine… Join our Bastille Festival celebrations with a delightful vanilla petit four and a glass of Leopard’s Leap Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Délicieux!

To enjoy a taste of France, join us this weekend at Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards or try this recipe at home. Just remember to get a bottle of the Sparkling for the perfect French combo!

Vanilla Petit Fours

Ingredients

Cake:

250 g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

3 eggs

1½ cup self-raising flour

½ cup plain flour

¼ cup milk

Icing:

4½ cups icing-sugar

¼ cup glucose syrup

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

12 white and pink edible sugar flowers

Method

Preheat oven to 180 °C. Grease a 9 cm deep loaf pan of 11,5 cm x 20 cm.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift over flours. Add milk. Stir to combine.

Spoon mixture into pan. Smooth surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Trim ends of cake. Cut cake into six 3 cm thick slices. Using a 4 cm square cutter, cut 2 squares from each slice. Discard off-cuts. Place a wire rack over a large paper-lined baking tray. Place cake squares onto wire rack.

Place icing sugar, glucose syrup, vanilla and ¼ cup cold water into a large heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir for 5 to 7 minutes or until smooth and runny. Using a large metal spoon, carefully pour icing over 1 cake to cover completely. Top with a sugar flower. Repeat with remaining cakes, icing and flowers. Set aside for 30 minutes to set. Remove from wire rack and serve.