Royal Wedding Biscuit Cake

 

 

By Jennifer BainFood Editor

 

For those of us not invited to the Royal Wedding, let us eat cake.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake, to be precise. Like the one that Prince William loved as a child and has requested as a “groom’s cake.”

Dallas-based Darren McGrady, who was private chef to Princess Diana, provides a recipe for this cake in Eating Royally: Recipes & Remembrances From a Palace Kitchen.

“The Queen would request the cake in the menu book for Sunday tea when she knew her grandson would be joining her from Eton,” writes McGrady on his website.

“The recipe was at Buckingham Palace long before I was,” he writes, “and while I must have made the chocolate biscuit cake hundreds of times for the Queen, Prince William and the rest of the Royal Family it is definitely not my recipe.”

The cake’s key ingredient is McVitie’s (which are actually cookies). In fact the McVitie’s Cake Co. has been asked to make the cake for the wedding reception.

I found McVities rich tea biscuits at The Chocolate Box, a British confectionary shop, at 415 Donlands Ave., thechocolatebox.ca, but they are sold in some supermarkets.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

4 tbsp (60 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

4 oz (110 g) dark chocolate, chopped

1 large egg, beaten

8 oz (225 g) McVities Rich Tea Biscuits (about 28), or other tea biscuits (such as Social Tea or Marie/Maria), broken into almond-sized pieces

Icing:

8 oz (225 g) dark chocolate, chopped

Line bottom of 7-inch/18-cm (or other small) non-stick springform pan with parchment. Butter sides.

In medium bowl using electric mixer on medium, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

In top of double boiler, or in stainless steel bowl set over pot of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring. Stir in butter mixture. Stir in egg. Remove from heat; fold in biscuits, stirring until well coated.

Spoon biscuit mixture into prepared cake pan, filling all gaps on bottom (it will be the top when unmolded). Refrigerate, covered, at least 3 hours until cold and firm.

Remove cake from fridge. Remove ring from springform pan. Turn cake upside down on cooling rack set over parchment-lined baking sheet; remove bottom and parchment.

In top of double boiler or in stainless steel bowl set over pot of simmering water, melt dark chocolate, stirring. Slowly pour over cake, filling crevices and smoothing top and sides using offset spatula.

Let cake stand at room temperature until set, at least 1 hour. Carefully run knife around bottom of cake where it has stuck to rack, then transfer cake to serving plate.

Makes 8 servings.

Star-tested by Jennifer Bain

jbain@thestar.ca