Quatre-Quarts (French Pound Cake)

Name: Quatre-Quarts (French Pound Cake)
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 5 large eggs, room temperature; the weight of the 5 eggs in granulated sugar (eggshells removed); the weight of the 5 eggs in all-purpose flour (eggshells removed); the weight of the 5 eggs in salted batter (eggshells removed); 2 teaspoons baking powder (optional)

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Quatre-quarts Breton is a classic French pound cake made with equal weights of four ingredients: eggs, sugar, flour, and butter. Flavored with vanilla, lemon, or rum, it is a perfect cake for your morning tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.

What is Quatre-Quarts?

Quatre-quarts, or four quarters cake, is a popular Breton pound cake with four main ingredients: eggs, sugar, flour, and butter of equal weight. Due to its Brittany origin, it is also known as Brittany cake.

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What is Quatre-Quarts?
Quatre-quarts recipe
Ingredients
How to make quatre-quarts
Expert Tips
Recipe variations
Storing and freezing
Recipe FAQ
Love loaf cakes? Try these next!
Recipe card
Comments

Historically, the total weight of all ingredients is equivalent to one pound. A four-quarters cake is called gâteau quatre-quarts in French because it consists of one-quarter egg, one-quarter flour, one-quarter sugar, and one-quarter butter.

Quatre-quarts recipe

Known as Le Quatre-quarts in French, this 4-ingredient cake is an old-fashioned cake perfect for teatime. It is pretty dense, but it is a good pound cake that has been cherished for generations.

The quatre-quarts recipe is made with four basic ingredients. It is an easy and quick cake recipe, perfect for a novice and professional baker.

French pound cake is one of my favorites. Baked as mini loaves, it makes the perfect holiday gift and is also my go-to sweet treat for tea and coffee times.

Stacked slices of the French pound cake on a marble board.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Quatre-quarts cake uses a simple formula with four equal-weight ingredients based on the weight of eggs. This means you must weigh the eggs (without shells) first, then add the same amount of the other three ingredients.

Eggs: The recipe calls for large eggs at room temperature. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks with an egg separator.
Sugar: I usually use granulated or caster sugar interchangeably.
Flour: Use all-purpose flour, not cake or self-rising flour.
Butter: Authentically, the quatre-quarts Breton is made with salted butter (beurre salé). You can use semi-salted or regular butter with added pinch of salt.

Pro tip: There are two types of Breton pound cake: with melted butter and softened butter. Melted butter creates a tender crumb, while softened butter results in a firmer texture.

The traditional recipe doesn't use a leavening agent (baking powder). Instead, the cake rises solely by beating the egg whites.

However, baking powder is often included in a modern French pound cake recipe to aim in the cake's rise. This variation produces a lighter and softer cake.

I have tried both methods, with and without baking powder, and both result in absolutely delicious cakes.

Sliced quatre quart gateau on a serving board.

How to make quatre-quarts

Start the recipe by weighing eggs and adapting the weight of each ingredient, which must be the same as the weight of the eggs. Use a food scale for accurate ingredient measurements.

Step 1. Weigh 5 large eggs with shells. Use an egg separator to separate the egg whites from the yolks. Weigh the empty eggshells and subtract their weight from the egg weight. You will then have the weight of the eggs without shells.

Step 2. Weigh each of the other three ingredients of the same weight as the egg weight while letting the egg whites and egg yolks get to room temperature.

Step 3. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch (20 cm) nonstick bread pan or line it with parchment paper. There is no need to grease a silicone loaf pan.

Pro tip: Read more about how to bake with silicone molds.

Step 4. Cut butter into equal pieces and place in a small saucepan. Melt it over low-medium heat, transfer it to a clean bowl, and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Beaten egg yolk mixture in a glass bowl.

Step 5. Place egg yolks with sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Beat the yolk mixture until it whitens.

Step 6. Gradually add flour with baking powder (if used) and cooled melted butter to the egg mixture while mixing at low speed.

Whisked egg whites on mixer beaters over the bowl.

Step 7. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites at medium-high speed until stiff peaks.

Step 8. Gently add ½ of the beaten egg whites into the main preparation and mix with a rubber spatula. Add the rest of the egg whites and mix.

Pound cake batter in a baking pan lined with parchment.

Step 9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Dip the handle of a wooden spoon in cold water and incise about ¾ inch (2 cm) through the entire length of the cake. This will prevent it from denting while baking.

Baked four-quarters cake in a baking mold.

Step 10. Place the cake in the middle of the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 320°F (160°C). Bake for 65-70 minutes until golden brown. After 50 minutes, check for doneness with a knife: if it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Pro tip: Instead of using a wooden handle to make an incise on top of the cake, use a piping bag filled with some softened butter to squeeze it in a straight line down the center of the cake. This tip helps make a beautiful crack on the cake's top.

Step 11. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Unmold it, and cool it completely on a cooling rack.

Expert Tips

For the best results, use a metal cake pan. Refrain from using a glass pan, as it does not yield an appealing crust. Additionally, avoid a silicone mold as the cake may deform due to rising during baking, resulting in an oblong shape.
Don't open the oven door during baking.
Adjust the baking time using mini loaf pans, mini bunt cake molds, muffin pans, etc.

Recipe variations

Flavorings: Add vanilla extract, rum, orange blossom water, lemon juice, or citrus zest (orange or lemon zest).

Add-ins: Add chocolate chips, candied fruit, or fresh apple splices.

Marble quatre-quarts: Divide the cake butter and mix cocoa powder into one part. Then, alternate the two layers of the batter in the prepared mold.

Storing and freezing

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. The French chefs suggest wrapping the cake with cling film as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Can you freeze quatre-quarts? You can freeze quatre-quarts for 3 months. Freeze it as a whole cake or in individual slices well-wrapped in plastic film, then aluminum foil.

To thaw, bring the cake to the fridge overnight or the kitchen counter for a couple of hours.

Recipe FAQ

What is the meaning of Quatre quarts?

Le quatre-quarts is a French name for the cake meaning 'four quarters' where four baking ingredients are used in equal weight, one-quarter of each.

What is a pound cake?

Classic pound cake is made with a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of sugar.

Love loaf cakes? Try these next!

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