Traditional petits fours are made of small cubes of white cake, pound cake, or sponge cake split and filled with jam and iced with fondant. However, if you are willing to experiment, you can create interesting and elegant petits fours from almost any cake, filling, and frosting you choose.

Prepare the batter for:

Bake in a 13 × 9-inch baking pan greased, floured, and lined with parchment paper, at the temperature recommended for the cake; baking time will be 28 to 30 minutes. Bake just until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into a few places comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack before filling and frosting.

If the finished cake is 1 or more inches tall, cut it into three large pieces to make it easier to handle, then cut each piece horizontally into two layers with a serrated knife. If less than 1 inch tall, cut the whole cake horizontally in half. Spread the cut side of the bottom layer(s) with:

Stack the layers, placing the uncoated piece(s) on top of the filling. Transfer to a cookie sheet and cover the top and sides with plastic wrap. Place a second cookie sheet on top and weight with canned goods to level and compact the layers so they will not come apart when cut into small shapes. Refrigerate for several hours, until firm, or wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

To glaze and coat with marzipan, if desired, first brush over the filled cakes:

and top with:

Cut the cake into small squares or bars with a sharp serrated knife; 1-inch squares will yield the classic two-bite-size cake. Or, with cookie or canapé cutters, cut the cake into small squares or diamonds, rounds or hearts, or other shapes.

If not glazed with preserves and covered with marzipan, you can spread a thin coat of:

on the tops and sides. Refrigerate to set the coating before glazing.

Place the cakes 1 inch apart on a wire grid or a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Spoon over each cake:

as shown (you will need 4 pounds of fondant to coat 80 petits fours). Chill or let stand to set the coating. Once the glaze is set, decorate the petits fours with:

If you like, serve in pleated paper cups. Petits fours can be completed up to 24 hours in advance.