The Groom's Cake

Prince William’s Wedding Cake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icQORievmdA&feature=player_embedded


By Royal Chef, Daren McGrady

I was thrilled to learn that Prince William had chosen the Chocolate Biscuit Cake recipe that is in my book Eating Royally, recipes and remembrances from a palace kitchen for his wedding cake because Chocolate biscuit cake is also his grand mothers favorite cake and a recipe palace chefs have been making for decades. I used to prepare it for both of them when they had tea together. The Queen would request the cake in the menu book for Sunday tea when she knew her grandson would be joining her from Eton.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake- from Eating Royally, by Daren McGrady

Afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace consists of two types of sandwiches, scones, a plate of small pastries (e.g. chocolate éclairs, raspberry tartlets) and a large cake for the Queen to cut a slice from with her Earl Grey tea.

“Cut cakes” can be anything from a fruit cake, a ginger cake, perhaps a jam and cream sponge but at least once a month chocolate biscuit cake will appear on the menu. It is, after all Her Majesty’s favorite cake and while she may enjoy a slice of all of the other cakes for tea, as soon as tea is over she has no desire to see those cakes again. The remaining cake is dispatched to the staff dining room the following day.

When afternoon tea includes Chocolate biscuit cake however, the rules are different. Her Majesty loves this cake so much she takes a mental picture of how much she is sending back to the kitchens each day. It is the only cake that returns again and again to the royal tea table each day until it has all gone. I remember her on one occasion instructing her Page to call the kitchen to ask who had been eating her cake.

I always made sure never to put chocolate biscuit cake on the menu on a Thursday knowing her majesty would be spending the weekend at Windsor Castle because it meant that the cake returning from Thursday’s tea table had to be wrapped and carried by hand to Windsor Castle for her to enjoy over the weekend.

                                                                 the secret ingredients

~Unofficial Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe~

This is a good recipe, although it is not Daren McGrady's Official Recipe published in his cookbook

Ingredients:

275g / 10oz Butter
150ml / 1/4 pt Golden Syrup
225g / 8oz Good Quality Chocolate
1/2 x 400g Packet of Digestive Biscuits (roughly crushed)
1/2 x 400g Packet of Rich Tea Biscuits (roughly crushed)
125g/4oz Shamrock Nuts (walnuts, brazils, almonds) optional
125g / 4oz Shamrock Fruit (sultanas, apricots, cherries) optional
1 Packet of Maltesers

Method:

1. Line a 15cms/6" round cake tin or a 2lb loaf tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper.
2. Melt the butter, syrup and chocolate in a pan over a low heat. Stir to make sure all the ingredients are well mixed together.
3. Add the biscuits, maltesers and fruit and nuts, if used. Stir well.
4. Transfer to prepared tin. Level it on top and press down well to avoid "air gaps". Allow to get cold and hard. Wrap completely in greaseproof paper and store in a fridge.

Recipe Notes:

A delicious treat for after tea!


And another recipe for it here:

CHOCOLATE BISCUIT CAKE

The royal family prefers McVitie's brand Rich Tea Biscuits for their chocolate biscuit cakes, but any firm butter cookie can be used in this intensely rich and chocolatey no-bake treat. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers; the cake gets better with time.

Start to finish: 3 1/2 hours (30 minutes active)

Servings: 12

For the cake:

7-ounce package butter tea biscuits (sold in the cookie aisle)

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

16 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) bittersweet chocolate bits

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

6 ounces (about 1 cup) bittersweet chocolate

Coat a 7- or 8-inch round springform pan with cooking spray.

To make the cake, with your hands break up the biscuits into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces; you want chunks, not crumbs.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the cream, honey and butter. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes, or until bubbling. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla, then the crumbled biscuits. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top. Gently tap the pan on the counter to eliminate any air pockets.

Refrigerate for 3 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

Once the cake is chilled, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and cream. When the mixture reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until completely melted and smooth.

Carefully remove the sides from the springform pan (you may need to slide a paring knife around the inside upper edge to ensure the sides come away cleanly from the cake). Invert the cake onto a wire rack, then remove the bottom of the pan from the cake. Set the rack over parchment paper to catch drips.

Pour the glaze evenly over the cake, allowing it to drip down and completely cover the top and sides. Allow to firm up, then transfer to a serving plate. Refrigerate leftovers.

(Recipe by Alison Ladman)

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Online:

Leiths: http://www.leiths.com/

Royal wedding site: http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/

McVitie's: http://www.mcvities.com/