Chocolate Biscuit Cake

This Chocolate Biscuit Cake was Queen Elizabeth’s favorite afternoon tea sweet. It was also Prince William’s groom’s cake. It is rich, and very chocolatey, but not overly sweet. The best part is that it’s a no-bake cake!

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Top view of a whole Chocolate Biscuit Cake decorate with milk chocolate swirls on a palm leaf platter.

In honor of Her Majesty’s passing, I’m having afternoon tea while I watch (and cry) her funeral. My tea will include Coronation Chicken Salad, The Queen’s Favorite Buckingham Palace Shortbread Cookies, Smoked Salmon And Cucumber Tea Sandwiches, and Egg Salad Finger Sandwiches. Of course, there will be a few of the Queen’s Dubonnet And Gin Cocktails.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Don’t you love that the Queen was a bit of a chocoholic? I love it! She passed her love of this cake on to her grandchildren, as seen by William’s choice of groom’s cake. 

This cake is a simple ‘icebox cake’ or ‘fridge cake’ as the Brits sometimes call it. There are lots of variations of this recipe. You may have seen a similar version that is made into a log and dusted on the outside with powdered sugar so that it resembles a dried salami.

Another version makes a chocolate syrup out of cocoa powder, sugar, water, butter, and vanilla that’s poured over digestive biscuits.

This recipe is right from the Queen’s Royal Chef, Darren McGrady. You can watch him make the cake here

Sleave of Rich Tea Biscuits from Britain on a white washed board.

What Are Rich Tea Biscuits?

Rich Tea Biscuits are subtly sweet, crisp cookies popular in Britain and Ireland. They originated in Yorkshire, England during the 17th century for the British aristocrats.

The flavor is similar to the Arrowroot cookies that Americans give to babies for teething. While that doesn’t sound appetizing, the biscuits are delicious and perfect for dipping into coffee or tea.

Ingredients Needed

  • Butter
  • Rich Tea Biscuits – you can find them in the international aisle of most grocery stores or order them online. If all else fails, you can use shortbread cookies, graham crackers, animal crackers, or any lightly sweet cookie.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Dark chocolate – use a quality brand and not baking chocolate. I used the Valrhona brand, which can be found online.
  • Eggs – because the cake isn’t baked, use the freshest egg possible.
  • Milk chocolate frosting – I used Hershey’s milk chocolate icing to pipe the swirls on the cake.

Top view of Chocolate Biscuit Cake decorated with milk chocolate frosting swirls and placed on a on a palm leaf platter.

Steps To Make This Recipe

  1. Grease a springform pan.
  2. Break the biscuits into small pieces in a large bowl.
  3. Cream together the butter, sugar, and egg.
  4. Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
  5. Fold the melted chocolate into the butter mixture until well combined.
  6. Pour the chocolate over the biscuit pieces and toss to coat fully.
  7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared springform pan.
  8. Chill until firm.
  9. Remove the cake from the refrigerator.
  10. Decorate the top of the cake as desired with the icing.
  11. Slice into small wedges to serve.

Slice of chocolate biscuit cake with the whole cake in the background.

More delicious chocolate recipes to try:

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Top view of Chocolate Biscuit Cake decorated with milk chocolate frosting swirls and placed on a on a palm leaf platter.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake


Description

This Chocolate Biscuit Cake was Queen Elizabeth’s favorite afternoon tea sweet. It was also Prince William’s groom’s cake. It is rich, and very chocolatey, but not overly sweet. The best part is that it’s a no-bake cake!


Ingredients

Scale

½ teaspoon butter, for greasing the pan

8 ounces Rich Tea Biscuits

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces granulated sugar

4 ounces very good quality dark chocolate

1 large egg

For the icing:

8 ounces dark chocolate

Milk chocolate frosting for decoration


Instructions

Lightly grease a 6-inch by 2½-inch springform pan with ½ teaspoon of butter.

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet.

Break the biscuits into small pieces, about the size of an almond. Set aside.

In a large glass bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy – about 5 minutes.

In another small glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted.

Stir the melted chocolate into the butter mixture until well combined.

Stir the egg into the mixture until fully incorporated.

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

Spoon the mixture into the springform pan, patting the cookies down and trying to completely fill in the mold, eliminating any air spots.

Cover the mold with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator after it has been set.

Meanwhile, in a glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted.

Remove the outer ring from the springform pan and place the cake onto a wire rack set over a foil-covered baking sheet.

Pour the melted chocolate over the cake, using an offset spatula to smooth the chocolate and push it over the sides.

Allow the chocolate to set.

Decorate the top with milk chocolate icing in swirls, stars, or shell designs.

Run a knife under the bottom of the springform bottom to loosen it from the wire rack.

Use a sharp knife to cut thin wedges.

Serve at room temperature.

Store leftovers, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 minutes
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Refrigerate
  • Cuisine: British

Keywords: chocolate biscuit cake, chocolate recipes, refrigerator cakes, no bake cake recipes, icebox cakes, vintage recipes, British recipes

Please follow and like us:
Yum