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Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe

A Favorite Of Queen Elizabeth & Prince William...
And Prince William’s Groom’s Cake

Introduction

Just because you weren’t invited to the luncheon following the royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of the fare.

Prince William first enjoyed the cake as a young boy. Made from crushed tea biscuits and dark chocolate ganache, it is said to be a tea time favorite of Queen Elizabeth II.

And you don’t even need an oven: It’s an ice box cake or refrigerator cake, cooked on the stovetop and chilled. The cake is made from ganache instead of a flour batter.

Here’s the recipe from the cookbook by Darren McGrady, Eating Royally. The book is an opportunity to see what the Royals eat. You can enjoy the exact same recipes served at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle and Kensington Palace. McGrady began working for the Royal Family as a pastry chef. He then served as personal chef to Princess Diana’s household, which included Prince William and Prince Harry.

Eat like the Royals do: Get the cookbook.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe

The recipe calls for McVitie’s Rich Tea Biscuits (the British word for cookies); but you can substitute other tea biscuits or Walker’s Shortbread. "cookies." The biscuits may be found at specialty food shops and purchased online.

This recipe makes a small (six-inch) cake, but it is very rich and a small slice will suffice.

Ingredients

8 ounces tea biscuits or shortbread cookies 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup half and half 2 cups whipping cream 1/2 cup granulated sugar Optional from THE NIBBLE: 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (e.g. Grand Marnier) or chocolate liqueur (e.g. Godiva) 12 ounces dark chocolate 1 egg, beaten 1 ounce white chocolate

The interior of the cake is marbled by the cookies.

Preparation

1. Lightly grease a small (6-inch) cake ring or springform pan with butter. Place on a parchment-lined tray.
2. Break each of the biscuits into almond-size pieces; set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until a light lemon color.
4. Melt 4 ounces of the dark chocolate in a double boiler. Remove from heat; add the butter and sugar mixture, stirring constantly.
5. Add the egg and blend thoroughly. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake ring. Use a spatula to fill all the gaps on the bottom of the ring, because this will be the top when the cake is unmolded. Refrigerate, at least 3 hours.
7. Remove the cake from the refrigerator; let it stand while you melt the remaining 8 ounces of dark chocolate in a double boiler.
8. Slide the ring off the cake; turn the cake upside-down onto a cooling rack. Pour the melted chocolate over the cake, smoothing the top and sides using a butter knife or offset spatula.
9. Allow the icing to set at room temperature. Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where it has stuck to the cooling rack; transfer the cake to a cake dish.
10. Melt the white chocolate; drizzle on top of the cake in a decorative pattern. Serve.

Recipe © Copyright Darrn McGrady.