With all this talk about the royal wedding and the enchantment surrounding the festivities, I can’t help but admire Queen Elizabeth II for her impeccable taste and style. I’ve talked about her selection of a beautiful embroidered coat for the wedding in my “The Royal Wedding in Review” post. Her taste in clothing is far from the only agreeable preference of the Queen, especially when a delectable treat is involved.
Rumor has it that the Queen’s favorite dessert, of which she never travels without, is a Chocolate Biscuit Cake. A Chocolate Biscuit Cake is a decadent layering of chocolate and rich tea biscuits. Her personal chef follows behind wherever she goes, whether to Windsor Castle or beyond, with a tin packed full of the chocolaty affair.
As Darren McGrady, her personal chef for 15 years, said in an interview with RecipesPlus, “She’ll take a small slice every day until eventually there is only one tiny piece, but you have to send that up; she wants to finish the whole of that cake.” That means she notices if a slice has gone missing, and no one wants to stand between the Queen and her cake!
Name yourself queen for the day and indulge with a Chocolate Biscuit Cake of your own using the Bake From Scratch recipe below.
- 5¾ cups (978 grams) milk chocolate morsels
- 2 cups (480 grams) double/heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 1 (10.5-ounce) package (300 grams) English rich tea biscuits (we used McVitie’s), broken into 1- to 2-inch pieces
- Milk Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
- Garnish: melted plain/dark chocolate, melted white chocolate
- Line a 9-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap.
- Place chocolate morsels in a heatproof bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, heat cream, butter, and salt over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until bubbles form around edges of pan (do not boil). Remove from heat, and pour over chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes; stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Pour enough melted chocolate into prepared pan to cover bottom of pan. Place biscuit pieces in a single layer over chocolate. Repeat layers until pan is full. Refrigerate until chocolate is hardened, about 4 hours.
- Invert cake onto a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour Milk Chocolate Ganache over cake, letting it drip down sides. Using an offset spatula, smooth Milk Chocolate Ganache over sides of cake. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate and melted white chocolate, if desired.
- 2 cups (340 grams) milk chocolate morsels
- ⅔ cup plus 1 tablespoon (175 grams) double/heavy whipping cream
- Place chocolate morsels in a heatproof bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, heat cream over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until bubbles form around edges of pan (do not boil). Remove from heat, and pour over chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes; stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Use immediately.
Find more British inspired recipes in the January/February issue of Bake From Scratch
