I have always loved chocolate biscuit cake, but haven’t eaten it for years – however I think that after last Friday’s Royal Wedding, we are going to be seeing a huge rise in its popularity. The recipe for Prince William’s wedding cake was, we are told, taken from Princess Diana’s personal chef, Darren McGrady cookbook ‘Eating Royally‘, with a few secret ingredients added.
Chocolate Biscuit Cake – From Eating Royally by Darren McGrady
N.B. I have added in metric weight equivalents, plus a few suggestions of my own for you to try.
Serves 8 commoners!
You will need:
225g (8 oz) McVities rich tea biscuits
115g (4 oz) soft butter
115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
115g (4 oz) dark good quality chocolate
1 egg, beaten
50g (2oz) nuts – your choice
50g (2oz) sultanas/ raisins/ dried figs or dates
50g (2oz) maraschino or glace cherries
25g (1oz) crystallised ginger
The decoration:
225g (8 oz) dark chocolate for icing
25g (1 oz) white chocolate for decoration
1. Line the base of a springform cake pan or loaf tin with silicone paper, and butter the sides. Break the biscuits into almond-sized pieces and set aside.
2. Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Melt 115g (4 oz) dark chocolate and mix into the butter mixture, add the beaten egg and mix well. Add biscuits and any optional extras and coat well.
3. Place the mixture into the cake tin, making sure the bottom is well covered as this will be the top of the cake when it is unmoulded. Set in a fridge for three hours. Remove from the fridge and allow to warm slightly. Separately melt 225g ( 8 oz) dark chocolate and 25g (1oz) white chocolate. Flip the cake and drizzle chocolate over the top.
Variantsof this cake are also know as chocolate fridge cake, no-cook biscuit cake and tiffin cake.
Katie McElvaney says
I find it gives a nice flavour and different texture if you put 4oz of rich tea and 4oz of digestive biscuits.
Anon says
I’ve never seen this have raw egg in it – ewwwww!
Lindy Smith says
My grandmother certainly used raw egg in her version of this recipe! I guess the egg is used to help bind the ingredients together – recipes without the egg tend to use use golden syrup rather than sugar, which I assume also helps bind the ingredients.
Claudia says
Hi!
Has anyone already experience with the golden sirup and without the egg? I would like to do one this weekend for a birthday party and would prefer to do it without the raw egg.
Thanks,
Claudia
Lindy Smith says
Hi Claudia
Here’s another version of this recipe which I used when my children were small:
300g Nice or Rich Tea biscuits, crushed
100g butter
40ml (2Tbs) Golden Syrup
150g plain chocolate
25g sultanas
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) ground ginger
25g crystallised Ginger
50g cherries
Melt the butter, syrup and chocolate, then stir in the other ingredients. Pour into a foil or baking paper lined loaf tin and chill.
Enjoy 🙂
shelley says
Hello ! Made mine with condensed milk and milk and dark choc !!!! Yum !!!
Emma says
Hi all, just thought I’d share the recipe I have for tiffin cake – no egg (nothing against the egg ones – it helps bind and adds glossyness but not good when providing for pregnant ladies!)
250g/8oz digestives bashed into small pieces but not crumbly like for cheesecake
150g/5oz milk chocolate
150g/5oz dark chocolate
100g/3.5oz unsalted butter (margarine is too oily)
150g/5oz golden syrup
That’s the basic recipe but always good to add fruit and nuts. I tend to put raisins, cherries and chopped hazelnuts in but you can choose what you like. Can also put marshmallows in to make it like a rocky road. The original recipe I have has the following:-
100g/3.5oz chopped dried apricots
75g/2.5oz raisins
60g/2oz chopped pecans
Use the cling film to line a 20cm/8in square tin with extra over the sides
Melt butter, chocolate and golden syrup
Stir in broken biscuits and, if using, fruit and nuts
Spoon into tin, level and leave to cool before putting in fridge to set for 1-2hours.
Turn out cake and peel off cling film. Cut into 12squares and enjoy!!
Geraldine Whelan says
My version, which even if I say so myself, is delightful, uses golden syrup and butter as well as the chocolate and a mix of marietta, digestive and gingernut biscuits….I add maltesers or cruchies, marshmallows, and if it is for an adult a dash of baileys…don’t like dried fruit in it…..
Lindys Team says
Hi Emma,
Your recipe for tiffin cake without the egg sounds lush!
Hope you have enjoyed tasting it.
It wouldn’t last long in the office here!
Marina