From the get-go, baking has been the perfect healthy antidote to the monotony of lockdown (in this case, banana bread). Not only can baking make you feel really good, but it can also make coffee breaks more fun when you're working from home. If you're tired of the usual cake recipes, you can now make an afternoon tea fit for royalty with the Queen's favorite chocolate biscuit cake recipe, and it's super easy too.
It's easy to see why the Queen enjoys eating her favorite chocolate biscuit cake during afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace. This luxurious dark chocolate and cookie layer cake is reminiscent of the chocolate icebox cakes of childhood or even the marshmallow-filled Rocky Road, with the perfect combination of crunchy texture and sweet fudge-style chocolate thanks to the addition of Rich Tea cookies . A decadent layer of chocolate frosting is the finishing touch that would even make Nigella proud.
"This chocolate biscuit cake is by far Her Majesty's favorite afternoon tea cake," Darren McGrady, royal chef and former personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, told Gourmet Today. “This cake was probably the only cake that was brought into the royal dining room again and again until it was all eaten.”
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Apparently, Her Royal Highness is a huge fan of the chocolate biscuit cake recipe and has been known to finish the entire cake or, failing that, ask for the leftovers to be packed in to finish if she is leaving London for the weekend. "If she had anything at Buckingham Palace, it would be sent to Windsor Castle so she could have it done there," McCrady said. “I was once on a train from London to Windsor Castle with a tin of biscuit cake on my lap. It was half eaten.”
The Queen isn't the only royal who loves a delicious chocolate biscuit cake. McGrady said Prince William is also a big fan, having first tasted it at afternoon tea with his grandmother and liking it so much that he had it as a second choice at his wedding to Kate Middleton. A "groom's cake".
Luckily, Macready has shared a simple recipe for the Queen's favorite chocolate biscuit cake on his website, so you can try it at home.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady's recipe for the Queen's favorite chocolate biscuit cake
raw material
For the cake:
- 1/2 teaspoon butter, for greasing the pan
- 8 ounces strong tea or sugar cookies
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces granulated sugar
- 4 ounces dark chocolate
- 1 egg
For the frosting ingredients:
- 8 ounces dark chocolate, for coating
- 1 ounce chocolate, for decoration
method
For the cake:
- Lightly butter a 6-inch x 2.5-inch cake ring and place on a parchment-lined tray.
- Cut each cookie into almond-sized pieces with your hands and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture starts to lighten.
- Melt 4 ounces of dark chocolate and add to butter mixture, stirring constantly.
- Add the eggs and stir to combine.
- Fold the cookie sheets over until they are coated with the chocolate mixture.
- Pour mixture into prepared cake ring. Try to fill in any gaps at the bottom of the ring as this will be the top when unformed.
- Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator and allow to rest.
For the frosting:
- Meanwhile, melt 8 ounces of dark chocolate in a double boiler or saucepan on stove top over low heat. Slide the ring off the cake and place it upside down over the cake lines.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and smooth the top and sides with a palette knife.
- Let the chocolate set at room temperature.
- Carefully run a knife around the base of the cake and line it with chocolate to adhere to the cake lines, then place it on a tea tray.
- Melt the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate and use to decorate the top of the cake.
