I learned to make this cake on a visit to Paris a few years ago. It’s commonly served as a breakfast cake and you can find it in most Parisian cafes. I made it for Ryan on his last day at work. Best of luck, Ryan!
How to Make It
The basic version of this cake is four equal parts each of eggs, flour, sugar and butter; which is how it gets its name. For a nine inch round cake pan, like I did, use the following quantities:
The Cake:
6 oz. sugar
6 oz. salted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
3 large eggs should be about 2 oz. each for a total of 6 oz., separated
6 oz. flour, sifted
Preheat oven to 350 (f). Mix the sugar and melted butter together in a large mixing bowl. Add one yolk at a time, mixing thoroughly after each yolk is added. Add the flour a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they are stiff and then gradually fold into the batter. Don’t over-mix this, as the air in the whites will help the cake be somewhat fluffy (although it is decidedly a dense cake, which I love for breakfast). Pour the batter into a buttered cake pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes up clean.
This cake is delicious plain or jazz it up by adding a syrup and glaze, like I did here.
Lemon Syrup:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Cook the sugar and lemon juice in a sauce pan over medium heat until the sugar is completely melted. Once the cake has cooled a little (about 10-15 minutes), remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Drizzle the syrup over the cake. The cake will absorb the syrup. Nice, right?
Lemon Glaze:
¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Place the cake on a serving plate. Mix the sugar and lemon juice together thoroughly and then drizzle over the cake allowing the glaze to run down the sides.