Happy Royal Wedding Day. As I type this post, I’m sitting in my kitchen with my British partner watching the parade of cars making their way toward Westminster Abbey, giving that stunted beauty pageant wave to the throngs of crowds. Although I’m not nearly as emotional as my partner, it’s an exciting day for England, and it has been easy for the rest of the world to get swept up in the pageantry of it all.
If you’ve slept through the ceremony in the wee hours this morning, have no fear, there’s still plenty of time for you to partake in the celebration. Later today, Prince William and his wife, the newly titled Duchess of Cambridge, will slice into not one, but two royal wedding cakes. Kate has chosen a fussy, labor-intensive fruit cake – which, let’s be honest, sounds as appetizing to most Americans as a wedding cake made of old boots – while William has requested his childhood favorite, an unbaked chocolate biscuit cake.
McVities, the bakery famed for its digestive biscuits, has made the royal wedding cake today. It’s a blindingly easy process, requiring very little work, and no actual baking. My partner grew up on his Nan’s chocolate biscuit cake – made with McVities, of course – and his Grandma Pat has been kind enough to share her recipe with me, and now, with you. You can knock out this cake in a matter of minutes, and you’ll be eating like a royal in no time.
Grandma Pat’s Chocolate Biscuit Cake
One package McVities Digestive biscuits (a 7-ounce package of butter tea biscuits, found in the cookie aisle, can be substituted in a pinch)
8 tablespoons (125 grams) margarine
½ cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup (honey can be used in a pinch, but the flavor is much stronger than Lyle’s)
½ cup and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
250 grams dark chocolate
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Crush the biscuits in a Ziplock bag, or food processor, until fine – some larger bits may be preferred for texture and crunch
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Gradually add crushed biscuits, Lyle’s syrup, and cocoa powder. Mix until consistent
Press into a 10 inch pie dish. Place in the refrigerator to set.
Melt 250 grams dark chocolate in a double-boiler pan. Pour over the set cake. Add chocolate sprinkles and return to refrigerator to set.
Photo Source: CBC
