Prince William's Favorite Chocolate Biscuit Cake

I had been waiting for an opportunity to make The Royal Touch Chocolate Biscuit Cake by Darren McGrady (chef to Queen Elizabeth) since I first heard about it around the time of William and Katherine's wedding.  Father's Day was just such an opportunity - my husband loves all things chocolate, and we had all the kids home for dinner so I knew I wouldn't have a lot of leftover cake through the week. 

Most of you probably know by now that this is the cake Prince William requested as his Groom's Cake.  It's apparently a favorite of Queen Elizabeth's as well - Grady reports she ordered it every time Prince William would join her for tea. 

Although this is a no-bake cake, you'll need to prepare it at least 4 or 5 hours ahead of time.  It stores nicely in the refrigerator for several days once made (sits well covered at room temperature for several days too).  Chef McGrady suggests serving it chilled, but my family enjoyed it best at room temperature.  Either way, it's incredibly rich so serve very thin slices with plenty of coffee, tea, or milk.

Coincidentally, I just learned that today is Prince William's birthday. I wonder if he’ll be enjoying this cake?

Prince William's Chocolate Biscuit Cake

makes one 6-inch cake (I used an 8x4 silicone loaf pan) or 8-12 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• Softened butter for greasing pan

• 8 ounces McVities tea biscuits, broken into pieces (or digestive biscuits - click here for a recipe to make your own)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar (caster sugar)

• 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

• 1 egg, beaten

• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (for icing)

• Cinnamon for dusting

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 6" spring form pan; set aside.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until mixture has lightened in color.

3. Melt 4 ounces chocolate in a double boiler.

4. Add butter and sugar mixture to the chocolate whisking constantly.

5. Add the egg and continue to whisk.

6. Fold in biscuit pieces until they are completely coated with the chocolate mixture.

7. Spoon the chocolate coated biscuits into the prepared pan.

8. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to fill in any gaps (tap the pan on the counter to help settle the biscuit pieces) - the bottom of the cake will be the top when turned out. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

9. Unmold cake and rest, bottom side up, on a wire rack.

10. Melt remaining 8 ounces of chocolate and pour over the cake.

11. Spread smooth with an off-set spatula.

12. Allow chocolate coated cake to sit at room temperature until chocolate is set.

13. When set, run a spatula under the cake to remove from wire rack (chocolate makes it stick a little).

14. Transfer to a fancy serving platter; slice and serve.

Notes

• My 6-inch spring form pan seems to be missing in action, so I used an 8x4 silicone loaf pan which worked perfectly (and I think neat slices offer a more elegant presentation). An added bonus - chilled chocolate doesn't stick to silicone at all.

• One 8x4 cake will serve 16 1/2-inch slices.

• McVities (aka digestive biscuits) are a sandy textured wheat cookie from the UK. I found them here in the US in the international aisle at Wegman's. Graham crackers, arrowroot cookies, or chocolate wafers would all be nice substitutions. Or you can make your own - click here for the recipe.

• You can make your own superfine sugar from white granulated sugar - just blitz it in your food processor.

Darren McGrady:  A chocolate biscuit cake is not a traditional cake in the fresh-from-the-oven sense. It's essentially a chilled chocolate-butter mousse speckled with crushed cookies, then glazed in chocolate. "I used to prepare it for both [Prince William and the Queen] when they had tea together," explains McGrady via his blog . "The Queen would request the cake in the menu book for Sunday tea when she knew her grandson would be joining her from Eton."

McGrady says when afternoon tea included the chocolate biscuit cake, the staff knew not to dare touch the leftovers (it keeps well for several days in the fridge). "Her Majesty loves this cake so much she takes a mental picture of how much she is sending back to the kitchens each day," continues McGrady. "I remember her on one occasion instructing her page to call the kitchen to ask who had been eating her cake."

adapted from Darren McGrady, Eating Royally

Jello Easter Eggs with Vanilla Cream

I've been pretty busy this week, but I wanted to take a moment to share these jello eggs with you guys.  I came up with the idea of making them when my kids were young.  I usually make them at Easter time, but they're fun any time of the year. 

I start with these egg molds.  I got mine at the grocery store about 15 years ago, but you can find them online and occasionally in thrift shops.  I've also seen molds that make egg halves available like these (opt for smooth molds, not ones with textured/embossed designs) - just be sure the mold cavities are 1-2 ounces to make jello eggs that are the same size as normal eggs.

I fill the molds with the jello jiggler recipe (below), then chill for at least 4 hours.  After unmolding, I cut them in half lengthwise and then I use a melon ball tool to make a little well in each half.  Pop that little bit into your mouth - cook's treat.

Arrange the prepared halves on a deviled egg tray.  Do this before you fill the halves, or you'll have a huge mess on your hands. If you plan to travel with your eggs, you might want to try covered deviled egg trays.

I like to pipe a pretty swirl of the vanilla cream cheese mixture using a pastry bag and very large "closed" star tip (the closed star makes those deep grooves).

To pipe the filling more than 6 hours ahead of time, add a packet of Whip It to the vanilla filling mixture when you add the heavy cream.  You can skip this step if you like, but I think of it as extra insurance.

Items used to make this recipe:

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• large closed star tip https://amzn.to/3EXkBiL

• silicone egg half mold https://amzn.to/3IO9Ccu

• whip-It stabilizer https://amzn.to/3SI8vQl

• melon baller https://amzn.to/3kJvJZQ

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Jello Easter Eggs with Vanilla Cream

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Eggs (makes 3 whole or 6 halves, using the mold shown above):

• 3 ounce package of jello, any flavor

• 3/4 cup boiling water

Vanilla Cream (makes enough to fill about 24 halves):

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

To make the eggs:

1. Lightly coat egg mold with a thin layer of canola or vegetable oil (do not use butter - it will solidify and make tiny white bumps all over your chilled eggs - trust me on this one).

2. Snap mold together and set it on a tray to catch any spills.

3. Combine jello and boiling water together; stir for 3 minutes until the jello is completely dissolved.

4. Slowly pour mixture into mold.

5. Chill overnight.

6. When you're ready to unmold the eggs, slowly pry the mold halves apart (I use a butter knife to gently coax the halves apart).

7. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise using one continuous motion.

8. Next use a melon ball tool to make a well in the large end of each egg half and place on deviled egg tray.

To make the vanilla cream:

1. Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.

2. Add the heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form.

3. Put the cream cheese filling into a pastry bag that has been fitted with a large closed star tip and pipe the filling into the egg halves.

4. Chill until service.

Notes

• To fill the jello eggs with cream cheese filling more than 6 hours ahead of time, add a packet of Whip It to the cream cheese filling mixture when you add the heavy cream.

• For easy transport, pick up some covered egg trays.

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