Quatre Quarts Cake

A French classic as is the quatre quarts cake, has its roots in Brittany. Easily recognized by its wonderful aroma.

It is very similar to the Victoria cake, otherwise known as the pound cake.

Batter:

• 250 g strong flour
• 250 g salted butter (yes salted!)
• 250 g fine sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

1. Grease a rectangular cake pan, cover bottom with baking paper.
2. Beat half the sugar and egg yolks until you have a mousse like, pale yellow cream. 
3. Mix other half of the sugar with soft butter until you have a foamy cream. Fold with egg yolks mixture using a spatula.
4. Add vanilla and lemon zest.
5. Preheat oven with convection on at 180°C.
   
6. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm. Take 1/4 and combine with the butter-yolk mixture.
7. Add the rest of egg whites and fold from under to over with a wooden spatula. Sift the flour over the mixture and continue folding until batter is homogeneous. This is rather a firm batter.
   
8. Bake at 180°C. Slide cake batter in the lower half of the oven.
9. Bake for 45 minutes. Always use a tester as the quatre quarts cake should be moist inside but not crude. If there's batter on the needle, bake as long as necessary. Test every 5 minutes.
10. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes, Go around the pan with a knife and remove cake from pan. Leave to cool completely on a rack.

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