Quatre-quarts (literally meaning ‘four-quarters’) is the French version of a pound cake, traditionally made by mixing the same amount of the four main ingredients: flour, eggs, sugar and butter. The quatre-quarts, along with many other classic desserts, such as Paris–Brest, éclairs and macarons, have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the last decade and can now be found in the best cake shops around the globe. While quatre-quarts remain rustic in appearance, they are now customised with an almost infinite array of added flavours and textures.
Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) pitted dates, finely chopped
- 3½ oz (100 g) sultanas (golden raisins)
- 10½ oz (300 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 10½ oz (300 g) caster (superfine) sugar
- 3¾ oz (110 g) Greek-style yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 7 eggs
- 14 oz (400 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ¼ oz (10 g) baking powder
- 3½ fl oz (100 ml) rum
Poached pear
- 1 pear, preferably williams (bartlett) or beurre bosc
- 12 oz (350 g) caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthways
To Decorate
- slivered pistachios
- flaked almonds
- chopped glacé cherries
How to Make It
- Put the dates and sultanas in a bowl, cover with warm water and soak for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, to make the poached pear, peel the pear and set aside. Put the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla beans and 1 litre (35 fl oz) water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Add the pear and simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender but still firm to the bite. To check if the pear is cooked, insert a paring knife into the fruit; the flesh should be soft for about 1 cm (½ in) and then firm to the core. Remove from the heat and leave the pear in the syrup until cool. Drain the pear, reserving the syrup. Pat dry with paper towel, then halve and core the pear and cut into 1 cm (½ in) pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Lightly grease and flour three 8 x 15 cm (3¼ x 6 in) cake tins or use two 18 cm (7 in) round tins if you prefer.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, yoghurt and honey until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low, then add the eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add to the batter in one go. Drain the dates and sultanas; add the drained fruit and the rum to the batter and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Half-fill the prepared tins with the batter, arrange three-quarters of the pears over the top, then top with the remaining batter. Bake for 10 minutes, then open the oven door and, using a lightly oiled knife, cut a line lengthways down the top of each cake this will control the cracking into a nice, straight line. Bake for another 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven, brush a generous amount of the poaching syrup over the top, then turn the hot cakes out of the tins onto a wire rack to cool. When cool, decorate with the remaining pears, the pistachios, almonds and glacé cherries.
