French Friday with Dorie: Quatre-Quarts

A DELICIOUS VANILLA CAKE THAT CAN BE USED IN WAYS SIMILAR TO A POUND CAKE

I am excited by this simple cake that can compliment a meal in so many ways or is lovely on its own.  I had thought about getting fresh strawberries but decided to use what I had on hand.

THIS CAKE HAS A LIGHT AND LOVELY CRUMB--GREAT TEXTURE

With a little dark brown sugar sprinkled on the cake top before baking, this cake has a nice top crust with just a little crunch when sliced or eaten.

GARNISHED WITH ITEMS FROM THE PANTRY--DELICIOUS!

I had caramel sauce from a previous project and my grandkids were here eating bananas, or halves of bananas, so I found a good way to use those other halves.  A dab of whipped cream was a perfect addition to these garnishes.

This cake would be good with fresh peaches, any berries, grilled and coupled with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate, it could be cut in half and assembled like a Boston cream pie..........lots of good toppings come to mind.  Quatre-Quarts is a homey version of a pound cake, but it is lighter due to stiffly whipped egg whites that have been folded into the mixture.

We enjoyed this cake warm from the oven.  It was a perfect addition to our family meal and was especially enjoyed again as a bedtime snack.

All ingredients are regular pantry items.  From the process beginnings to eating our version took only 45 minutes, and most of that was baking time.  We love fast and easy desserts...we will make this again soon.