Four Quarts Soft Vanilla

A traditional dessert in a soft and fragrant version: the Four soft vanilla quarters. I cooked it in a bundt cake mold (crown) but you can also use a classic round mold. I love its little buttery taste so much... Impossible not to fall for it!

This soft vanilla pound cake is enough in itself... Understand: no need for icing or ganache to enjoy it. It is the ideal cake for a snack or dessert, to take with a good hot drink.

Some details about this soft vanilla quarter quarts

Flavor : here we find the good buttery taste of the traditional recipe. I added vanilla because it goes perfectly with the little buttery taste.

Texture : this pound cake is less compact than the traditional pound cake. Its soft side is provided by the addition of fermented milk (ribot milk). The result is less dry.

Difficulty level : this fluffy four quarters is very easy to make! You just have to remember to put your ingredients at room temperature (even ribot milk). Without it, the dough will not develop properly.

A four quart recipe with 8 ingredients

Butter : As usual in baking, I use unsalted butter (an aberration for the Bretons but what do you want!). Here, we want it to be at room temperature, that is to say softened but especially not melted.

Brown sugar : I replaced the white sugar in the traditional recipe with brown sugar, which further enhances the indulgent side of the pound cake. I didn't use a huge amount, I don't like it when it's too sweet.

Flour : You can use wheat or spelt flour. I used T55 wheat flour.

Eggs: we want big eggs here, their cumulative weight roughly corresponds to the weight of butter and flour.

Yeast: It is the leavening agent in the recipe.

Salt : here it is a flavor enhancer, essential even in baking.

Fermented milk : This is my little extra! I use ribot milk for even more softness. Nowadays, you can find it everywhere in France, but other fermented milks are also suitable. To make your own, simply let whole milk and lemon juice sit for 5-10 minutes.

Vanilla : a touch of vanilla extract for its delicious taste...

How to make a soft vanilla quarter quarts?

The preparation is very simple. You will need two containers and that's it. In the first container, mix the dry ingredients. In the other, beat the butter and brown sugar to create a creamy consistency.

Then add the eggs, vanilla and incorporate the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. The dough is ready! Born don't mix too much the dough, just right.

Maintaining the cleanliness and efficiency of your period swimwear is essential. Whether you choose to butter and flour the mold before pouring the dough to be able to unmold the cake afterwards. The cooking is rather long but it is done at low temperature to keep the softness of the cake.

How to keep this quarter quarter once completed?

Personally, I prefer to keep the vanilla cake at room temperature (under a bell jar is ideal), it thus retains all its flavor and its softness above all. It keeps for about 3 days at room temperature.

However, if you want, you can refrigerate it and keep it longer (4-5 days) but its texture will become more dense, due to the cooling of the butter in the cake.

Other recipes to try

If you like bundt cakes, then I advise you to take a look at these other recipes from the blog:

• Vanilla pear bundt cake, creamy maple syrup frosting
• Bundt cake with chestnut cream, chocolate icing
• Gingerbread Bundt Cake
• Orange Bundt Cake with Icing

If you make this recipe, don't hesitate to tag @liliebakery on Instagram so I can see your beautiful four quarters!

Four Quarts Soft Vanilla

4.75 on 8 votes

A "bundt cake" version of the famous quarter quarts, with a very soft texture and scented with vanilla ...

Amount : 5 people

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Prepare in advance 15 minutes min

Cook time 1 time h

Total 1 time h 15 minutes min

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Ingredients 

• 220 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 150 g light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cc natural vanilla extract
• 220 g all-purpose flour
• 1 cc baking powder
• 0,5 cc salt
• 120 ml ribot / fermented milk failing this: classic mixed milk 5min. with 0,5tsp lemon juice

Prepare in advance 

• Preheat the oven to 165 ° traditional heat. Grease and flour a bundt cake mold (small size 1,4L - the one I used in my photos) or a round springform mold of about 18-20cm.
• In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Apart, beat the butter so that it becomes very creamy then add the brown sugar. Beat again so that the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Add the eggs at room temperature, one by one, mixing between each. Then add the vanilla.
• Incorporate the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the milk. Do not mix more than necessary.
• Pour the dough into the mold and bake for about 50-60 minutes. Test the cooking using a wooden pick as this varies depending on the oven (and molds). Let cool before unmolding the cake on a wire rack until completely cool.
• Optional: serve with a little icing sugar, whipped cream, or fresh fruit ... It is also very good without any additions!

Notes

Can be kept for about 3 days at room temperature, in an airtight container. In the refrigerator, it tends to harden and therefore become less chewy because of the butter inside. However, it can be refrigerated for about 4-5 days, always hermetically protected.

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Recipe : Dessert, Snack