Chocolate Biscuit Cake: Fit for a … Prince!
As you’ve undoubtedly heard, Prince William induced a raised royal eyebrow or two with his request that the royal wedding feast include a groom’s cake based on a favorite childhood tea-time treat, chocolate biscuit cake — groom’s cakes are an American tradition, not an English one. But one bite of this festive, decadent creation and you’ll understand why HRH considered it an essential addition!
As with many simple, good desserts there are many variations on the recipe. This one includes brandy-spiked raisins and crunchy toasted hazelnuts, but you could use any chopped dried fruit and toasted nuts — or none at all.
A couple of notes on ingredients:
- It’s essential to use a good-quality, high-percentage chocolate: lower percentage chocolate is too sweet, and lacks enough cocoa solids to firm up correctly.
- Do not substitute Vanilla Wafers for the butter biscuits — they are too sweet and cakey-textured. Nor will graham crackers work, their flavor is too sweet and pronounced. If butter biscuits aren’t available, look for British digestive biscuits, or Mexican Galetas Marias.
— One 8-inch cake, serving at least 12. The Biscuit Cake is quite rich, so a small slice usually suffices.
*Items marked in green are available from The Gourmet Corner.
Ingredients
Biscuit Cake
Chocolate Glaze
Line the bottom of an 8″ springform pan with parchment or waxed paper. Lightly butter the sides. Break up the biscuits into 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks by hand. Do not use a food processor or rolling pin, they will reduce the biscuits to a pile of crumbs. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the cream, Lyle’s Golden Syrup 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, raisins + soaking liquid, and hazelnuts. Spoon the mixture into the springform pan and smooth the top. Gently tap the pan on the counter to eliminate any air pockets. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until thoroughly chilled. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, cream, and corn syrup. When the mixture reaches a simmer, remove it from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring gently with a spoon or heat-proof spatula until completely melted and smooth. Do not use whisk, or stir too briskly — bubbles will be introduced to the glaze, and it will not form a shiny-smooth cloak over the Biscuit Cake. Carefully remove the sides from the springform pan (you may need to slide a thin knife around the inside upper edge to ensure the sides come away cleanly from the pan). Invert the cake onto a wire rack, then remove the bottom of the pan from the cake. Set the rack over a baking tray 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 dish. Refrigerate leftovers.
Prepare the Cake
Prepare the Glaze
