The Duchess of Cornwall has shared a recipe for her favourite chocolate biscuit cake, to mark the Big Virtual Lunch.
The Big Lunch is a ‘thanksgiving weekend for neighbours and communities’, with the hope of neighbours getting to know one another.
Of course, with the lockdown and need for social distancing, 2020’s Big Lunch has become a virtual one, that will be celebrated this weekend (6th and 7th June).
Camilla is patron of the Big Lunch, and has been since 2013. The campaign is part of Cornwall’s Eden Project and was begun in 2009.
The recipe shared was for a chocolate biscuit cake and was taken from A Royal Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes from Buckingham Palace, which was sold by the Royal Collection Trust in their gift shops, offering an insight into the royal kitchens.
It is understood that this cake – if not a very similar one – is one that The Duke of Cambridge also enjoys, and was made for the groom’s cake at his 2011 wedding by biscuit maker McVities.
More than six million people take part every year in the Big Lunch, thousands of events across the UK with an ambition for the project to become a nationally recognised event in the annual calendar, bringing people together to create happier and healthier communities where they know one another and neighbourhoods thrive.
You can make the cake following this recipe:
Duchess Camilla has shared a recipe for her favourite chocolate biscuit cake (Clarence House)
CHOCOLATE BISCUIT CAKE
Ingredients:
- 225g McVitie’s Rich Tea biscuits
- 115g softened unsalted butter
- 115g unrefined caster sugar
- 115g chopped dark chocolate
- 2tbsp warm water, or dark rum if preferred
For the chocolate ganache
- 125g dark chocolate, chopped
- 125g whipping cream
Method:
- Grease a metal cake ring with butter and line the sides and bottom with baking paper. Place the lined ring onto a flat tray and leave to one side until required.
- Break the biscuits into small pieces, around 1-2CM in size. Do not place into a processor -the biscuits should not become crumbs.
- Place the softened butter and the sugar into a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy.
- Melt the chocolate, either in the microwave or over a simmering saucepan of water. Once melted, pour the chocolate onto the butter and sugar and mix thoroughly.
- Add the water or rum to the mixture, and then add the broken biscuit pieces. Stir well to make sure that all the biscuit pieces are coated with the chocolate mix.
- Place the mixture into the lined cake ring and carefully but firmly push it down to create an even texture. Place the cake into the fridge to chill and for the chocolate to firm. This could take up to 30 minutes.(For the chocolate ganache:)
- Place the chopped chocolate into a bowl and pour the whipping cream into a saucepan. Bring the cream to a simmer and then pour over the chopped chocolate. Carefully stir until smooth.
- Take the chocolate biscuit cake out the fridge and remove the cake ring. Place onto a wire rack with a tray beneath it to collect excess ganache.
- Carefully coat the chocolate biscuit cake with the warm ganache, making sure that all the cake is evenly coated.
- Allow to set fully before moving to your service plate and decorating as desired.
