This Classic French Pound Cake (Quatre-Quarts) is buttery, tender, and made with just four ingredients of equal weight. No baking powder, no long ingredient list. A timeless French staple, made simple.
Audrey’s Note
The quatre-quarts is one of the first cakes I ever learned to make, and it’s stayed one of my most-baked ever since. In French, “quatre-quarts” simply means “four quarters”: a reference to the fact that all four ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs, flour) weigh exactly the same. You just weigh your eggs, and match that same weight with the other three.
It’s the French answer to what English speakers call a pound cake, and it’s a cake you’ll find in nearly every region of France in some form or another – usually sliced thick and served with nothing more than a cup of coffee.
This is the classic, unadorned version: the one I’d hand to someone who’s never made a French cake before. It’s dense but not heavy, richly buttery, with a fine, tender crumb and a deeply golden crust. Eat it plain, dust it with powdered sugar, or use it as the base for something more.
If you’re after a dressed-up version, don’t miss my Breton Pound Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream – same family of cake, made with salted butter and topped with fresh berries and cream.
Bon appétit !
What makes this the “classic” version?
There are almost as many versions of quatre-quarts as there are French households that make it. This one sticks to the most traditional, widely-made form: standard unsalted butter (rather than the sea-salted “beurre salé” used in Brittany) and a touch of vanilla extract for warmth.
This classic recipe is built around 3 eggs, weighing 150g in total. Should your eggs vary in weight, you can adjust the quantities of flour, butter, and sugar accordingly to match the egg weight accurately. Traditionally baked in a loaf pan for optimal results, this cake is a delightful snack on its own but also serves as a versatile base for various toppings.
Children often enjoy it adorned with hazelnut chocolate spread for a delightful after-school treat. It retains its moisture for 2 to 3 days; beyond this, when it becomes slightly drier, it is ideal for transforming into trifles.
Why You’ll Love This Classic French Pound Cake
- Just 4 ingredients, in equal weight — no special shopping list required.
- No baking powder or leavening agents to get wrong.
- A fine, tender crumb with a deeply golden, buttery crust.
- Keeps and freezes beautifully, so it’s ideal for make-ahead baking.
- A blank canvas: eat it plain, dressed up, or toasted.
Ingredients for this Classic French Pound Cake
Note: this recipe is based on 3 large eggs weighing 150g. If your eggs weigh more or less, adjust the other ingredients to match.
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- Eggs. The starting point for the whole recipe: weigh your eggs (out of the shell) first, since every other ingredient is measured to match that weight exactly. As in all my recipes, I offer here gram and cups measurements, but I highly recommend using a scale to weigh your ingredients for this recipe in particular.
- Butter. Unsalted, melted and cooled slightly before using. This is the classic, non-Breton version, so we skip the sea-salted butter here in favor of a more neutral, everyday base.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar is traditional and keeps the crumb tender.
- Flour. All-purpose flour, sifted, gives the cake its structure without weighing it down.
- Vanilla extract. Not strictly traditional, but a small addition that rounds out the flavor.
- Salt. Just a pinch, to balance the sweetness.
My Best Tips for a Classic French Pound Cake
Here are a few more tips before you start baking.
- Weigh your ingredients, don’t measure by cups. This cake lives and dies by the equal-weight ratio, so a kitchen scale isn’t optional here.
- Bring everything to room temperature. Cold eggs won’t whip up with as much air, and cold butter won’t emulsify smoothly into the batter.
- Don’t skip the resting time. Like most pound cakes, this one is actually better the next day, once the crumb has had time to settle. Bake it a day ahead if you can.
- Know your doneness cues. A deep golden crust and a clean toothpick from the center are what you’re after. Because the cake is dense, tent it loosely with foil in the last 15 minutes if it’s browning too fast.
- It keeps and freezes beautifully. Wrapped tightly, it’ll keep at room temperature for 4-5 days, and it freezes well for up to 2 months.
A few ways to serve it
Sliced thick with coffee or tea is the classic move, but this cake is a blank canvas: toast a slice and butter it, dust it with powdered sugar, add a spoonful of jam or chocolate hazelnut spread (try my homemade version!), or turn day-old slices into French toast. For a fruit-and-cream version, head to my Breton Pound Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between quatre-quarts and American pound cake?
They’re close cousins. Both are traditionally built on a 1:1:1:1 ratio of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The French name literally means “four quarters,” referring to that equal split. The main differences tend to be technique (quatre-quarts often whips the egg whites separately for a slightly lighter crumb) and flavoring (vanilla, citrus zest, or rum are common in French versions).
Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
Yes, salted butter is actually the traditional choice in Brittany, where this cake is especially popular (see my Breton version for that variation). If you use salted butter here, just skip the pinch of added salt.
Why did my pound cake sink in the middle?
This usually means it was slightly underbaked, or the oven door was opened too early while the crumb was still setting. Give it the full bake time and check doneness with a toothpick before removing it — if the top is browning too fast but the center isn’t set, tent it with foil and keep baking rather than pulling it early.
Can I freeze this cake?
Yes. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, still wrapped, for a few hours before serving.
Can I bake this in a different pan?
A 9×5-inch loaf pan is standard, but a round or square 8-inch cake pan works too — just check for doneness a few minutes earlier, since a wider pan bakes faster than a narrow loaf.
Do I need a stand mixer?
Not necessarily, a hand mixer or even a whisk and some elbow grease will work fine. The one step where a mixer genuinely helps is whipping the egg whites to firm peaks.
If you enjoy classic French baking, you might also love:
- Breton Pound Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream
- Breton Pound Cake with Caramelized Apples
- French Magic Cake (Gâteau Magique)
- Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake (Gâteau marbré)
- Classic French Pear Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed French Yogurt Loaf
- Classic French Apple Cake
