Quatre-quarts or one quarter cake
The quatre-quarts cake—translating to "four-quarters", and known in the UK and elsewhere as pound cake—is one of the most traditional French cakes (what they often call a “tin cake”). It dates back to the 18th century, specifically to Brittany, a region known for its generous use of butter, eggs, and all things rich and creamy.
In short, it’s also one of the easiest recipes in French cuisine, I think. As the name suggests, it’s a cake made of four parts—equal weights of butter, eggs, flour, and sugar. No raising agents, no extras. The precision of the recipe is what makes it so good: it allows the cake to rise and stay light while being moist at the same time. The eggs do all the lifting here. Interestingly, in Brittany, where the cake originates, only salted butter is used, which not only reflects the region’s culinary traditions but also gives the cake its signature flavour.
Its popularity is so widespread that nearly every boulangerie and pâtisserie will sell some version of quatre-quarts—most often vanilla, lemon, or marble. It’s not just a dessert; it’s often eaten as a goûter (an after-school snack), which is why you can usually buy just a slice or two instead of the whole cake.
Although most of the time the cake is eaten just as it is—a slice of pure joy—it might be dusted with icing sugar (an unnecessary step, in my opinion, as the cake is already sweet), or served with whipped cream, with or without berries, maybe some caramelised apples, or—in my case—a dollop of crème fraîche to cut through the sweetness.
I’m a bit obsessed with these cakes, even if I rarely make them in the exact four-quarters way. I tend to lighten it a bit—with sour cream, crème fraîche, or some other tweak of my own.