{"id":4481,"date":"2014-11-12T23:33:37","date_gmt":"2014-11-12T22:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.roadtopastry.com\/blog\/?p=4481"},"modified":"2014-11-13T00:00:30","modified_gmt":"2014-11-12T23:00:30","slug":"recipe-modern-vanilla-poundcake-quatre-quartstorta-paradiso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roadtopastry.com\/blog\/recipes\/cakes\/recipe-modern-vanilla-poundcake-quatre-quartstorta-paradiso","title":{"rendered":"Recipe: Modern vanilla poundcake (Quatre quarts\/Torta paradiso)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The poundcake<\/strong>, or “quatre quarts<\/strong><\/em>” as they call it in French, is the traditional cake<\/strong> everyone is (or should be) able to make and is usually characterized by the simplicity of its ingredients<\/strong>: 1\/4 butter, 1\/4 sugar, 1\/4 eggs, 1\/4 flour<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Recipe-Vanilla-poundcake-03\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In Italy this cake is commonly known as “Torta Paradiso<\/strong>” and being quite traditional, it is also quite heavy and rich.<\/p>\n

After reading the book by Italian pastry chef Iginio Massari, I decided to try his modernized recipe<\/strong> of this famous cake.<\/p>\n

\"Recipe-Vanilla-poundcake-17\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This modern vanilla poundcake<\/strong> is still part of the high-ratio cakes<\/strong> (e.g. with a high quantity of fat and sugar) and still requires creaming the butter<\/strong>. Nevertheless, a 60\/40 mix of flour and cornstarch<\/strong> is used to confer lightness<\/strong>, together with whipped eggs.<\/p>\n

\"Recipe-Vanilla-poundcake-08\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Add real vanilla seeds<\/strong> and orange zest, and you get a soft, rich and mouth-watering cake<\/strong>, which is a great deal for a breakfast or an afternoon snack. If properly stored, it can keep for up to 1 week!<\/p>\n

\"Recipe-Vanilla-poundcake-18\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, the recipe is slightly longer\u00a0than that of the traditional poundcake, but it doesn’t involve complex steps and it’s really worth it, trust me!<\/p>\n

Tip of the day<\/strong>: do you know how to get cakes with a perfectly flat top?<\/em> Just leave them upside down on a wire rack as soon as they come out of the oven! Easy, uh?<\/p>\n

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Vanilla poundcake<\/h2>\n
\n \n \"\"Print recipe<\/a>\n