Easter Egg Petit Fours (with marzipan)

Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition until fully incorporated. Add the grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, vanilla extract and sour cream. Beat until incorporated.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, masa harina, baking powder and kosher salt. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts. Mix only until no streaks of dry flour remain. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and spread to the edges with an offset spatula.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick or metal cake tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Slowly add the carrot juice, whisking to combine, and turn heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking continuously until it is thick and pudding-like. Once simmering, cook for an additional minute.

Transfer to a heat-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that it is touching the surface without any air bubbles in between to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Alternatively, Spread the mixture onto a sheet pan, cover it in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to cool it down faster. Ensure the mixture is completely cool, otherwise it will melt the butter.

Add the room temperature butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on high until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the cooled carrot pudding mixture gradually, by the spoonful, while still beating. Incorporating the mixture slowly ensures a smoother consistency.

Add vanilla and salt, and mix until fully incorporated*.

If using, roll out the marzipan until thin between two sheets of parchment paper. Peel off the top layer of parchment and flip it onto the top of the cake, trimming the edges off.

Place the cake in the freezer for at least 2 hours to stabilize it.

Sift the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle in the corn syrup and hot water. Whisk until smooth. It may take awhile to get the lumps out.

Add the cooled white chocolate and whisk to incorporate. Add a few drops more of hot water, as needed, to get a smooth consistency. Bang the bowl on the counter a few times to release air bubbles. If you still have air bubbles, try smoothing the fondant around the edge of the bowl with a flexible rubber spatula in a back and forth motion.

At this point your fondant is ready, but I like to add a little white food coloring in addition to other gel food coloring to color it. I added white food coloring, dipped a quarter of the eggs in white, then split the fondant into two bowls, coloring one yellow and one blue. I dipped more eggs in those colors and then combined those fondants back into the original bowl to make green. You may need to add more hot water for consistency, but don’t get carried away as it can make it too thin and see-through when it’s poured on.

Set an egg into the fondant to coat the bottom then place it on a large fork. Spoon a generous amount of fondant over the egg, letting the excess drip off. Bang the fork with the egg on the side of the bowl to get more off before setting it on the rack to continue dripping. Repeat with all of the eggs.