Cocoa Quatre Quarts Cake

I can help you prepare a delicious Cocoa Quatre Quarts Cake, a chocolatey variant of the classic French Quatre Quarts Cake, also known as “Pound Cake”. In Italy, there is a similar version called “Cacao Paradiso”.

Ingredients

• 200 g of room temperature butter
• 200 g of sugar
• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 40 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 medium eggs at room temperature
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• Icing sugar for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease a loaf pan with some butter or line it with parchment paper.

2. Beat the soft butter with the sugar in a bowl until smooth and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and pinch of salt.

5. Fold the dry ingredients into the mixture of butter, sugar, and eggs, mixing gently until you have a smooth batter without lumps.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.

7. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

8. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. Once cool, if desired, you can dust the surface of the cake with icing sugar for a touch of sweetness and decoration.

Fun Fact

The Quatre Quarts Cake gets its name from the fact that the main ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, and eggs) are used in equal amounts, that is, one quarter each. In this cocoa version, part of the flour is replaced with cocoa to give the dessert the typical flavor and color of chocolate.