"Quatre-Quarts"

My mind has gone thinking since making my white layer cake (a Hummingbird vanilla cupcake recipe) with chocolate cream filling (by Eric Lanlard).  I now want to make a similar white cake but with a white chocolate filling.  I was quite tempted to simply throw myself into making the same cake and substitute dark chocolate for white chocolate, but I first wanted to check out other white cake bases. 

Tonight I decided on a classic French Quatre-Quarts (the equivalent to an English pound cake).  The recipe involves weighing a given amount of eggs (cracked) and using the same in weight each of sugar, butter and flour.  It is very close to a sponge in terms of proportions in the ingredients, but the method and chronology of the mixing is different, and this results in quite varying cakes.

The result of tonight’s proceedings came about beating the eggs and sugar together and then beating in the butter melted.  After that the flour was sifted to the mixture and mixed gently.  I have to say it was literally quick and easy.

My cake turned out quite refined but slightly on the heavier side.  It was very satisfying as its own “gâteau.”  If I used it for the base of my layer cake though I am worried it might become a bomb in the stomach.  I am still happy I tried this version out.  It seems to be the base for many loaf cake recipes I realise.  I now have a new approach to mixing ingredients too and outlook.

Onwards next to the classic sponge attempt (and then I shall choose)!

Ingredients used for this cake

3 eggs (weighing 175 g once cracked)

175 g sugar

175 g melted butter

175 g flour