• Before you begin, I strongly advise you to read the entire post and watch the video. It will assist you, particularly when it comes to icing the petit fours as perfectly as possible!
• If making fillings listed from scratch, prepare these in advance of beginning the recipe.

CAKE

• Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease and flour or spray with baking spray two 10x15” jelly roll pans (if you only have one, you can bake one cake at a time, just let the pan cool completely before washing it and re-using).
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until creamy, well-combined, and lightened in color.
• Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each (about 10 seconds on medium speed after each egg).
• Mix in the vanilla extract. When finished, the mixture should be very smooth, light, and creamy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl on a regular basis to ensure that all ingredients are well combined.
• Separately, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Using a low-speed mixer, alternately add flour and milk to the butter mixture until completely combined (scrape sides and bottom of the bowl as needed).
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pans, making sure the layers are even and smooth. Bake for 12-13 minutes (if baking one layer at a time) or 15 minutes (if baking both layers at the same time) or until baked through and cake springs back when lightly touched in a 350F (175C) oven. Even if the cake is completely baked, it may still appear very pale; don't overbake or it will be dry.
• Allow cakes to cool completely before cutting one at a time into three even pieces, each just under 5" wide.