This no-bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake is a royal favourite. It's a deliciously simple cake that requires just six simple ingredients. It also keeps for up to a couple of weeks in the fridge and can be frozen, making it a perfect treat for special occasions, lunch boxes or morning tea.
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The Queen's favourite cake
Former personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, Darren McGrady, in an interview said "chocolate biscuit cake is Her Royal Majesty the Queen’s favourite afternoon tea cake by far." Prince William is also a fan, and it was featured as his groom's cake at his 2011 royal wedding
I decided to make up this recipe in the days following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Like most people, I've only ever known one queen and her death has brought much sadness. Her dedication, calm style of leadership and practical, no-nonsense approach is something I have always admired.
She was able to smile, enjoy life and embrace her destiny. Yes, I guess the palaces, staff and travel may have made that easier, but she was equally blessed and burdened, carrying obligations and responsibilities that would have weighed heavier than most of us could imagine. She did it from a young age and she did it with grace until the very end.
Her passing on 8 September 2022 marked the end of the second Elizabethan era, a period of time that has seen so much change in attitudes and the way we live our lives along with huge technological advances.
Rest in eternal peace, Queen Elizabeth II. Long live the King.
The recipe
There are various version of this recipe, though all include – you guessed it – chocolate and biscuits!
Early Australian recipes use copha as another main ingredient, along with cocoa and a raw egg. Copha is an Australian product that is a form of vegetable fat shortening made from hydrogenated coconut oil.
Here's one recipe dating back to 1934 from an Australian newspaper.
The recipe that the Queen's former chef provided contains butter, sugar and dark chocolate. And again that raw egg. Other recipes I uncovered included golden syrup, thickened cream, condensed milk and chopped nuts.
I've ditched the raw egg and added a little thickened cream and golden syrup but otherwise followed the Queen's recipe more closely than that early Australian recipe.
I've also suggested milk or dark chocolate, or a combination of both. most recipes suggest dark chocolate, but I'm not a huge fan. I compromised by opting for a combination of dark and milk chocolate and the result was amazing!
Yes, this recipe is similar to the Aussie Hedgehog Slice Recipe, but not quite the same.
Ingredient notes
To make this no-bake dessert you'll need:
- Marie biscuits (or Arrowroot, Milk Coffee or other sweet, plain biscuits)
- butter
- icing sugar
- chocolate (milk, dark or a combination of both)
- thickened cream
- golden syrup.
Break the biscuits up by hand into small almond size pieces.
How to make Chocolate Biscuit Cake
TIP: This cake needs at least 8 hours in the fridge. Make it up in advance.
Before you start, you'll need a 20 x 5cm round cake tin. Grease the tin and then cream the butter and sugar.
Next, break the chocolate for the cake (you'll also have chocolate set aside for the icing) into pieces and place into a microwaveable bowl. Melt the chocolate using 20 seconds bursts and stirring between each burst until completely melted.
Add the melted chocolate, golden syrup and thickened cream to the butter mixture and beat on medium speed until well combined. Pour the chocolate mixture over the broken biscuits and stir until biscuits are completely coated in the chocolate mixture (see image 1).
Spoon the mixture into cake tin, ensuring your press mixture gently into the edges of the tin and then smooth top with back of a dessert spoon. Chill for at least 3 hours.
Once chilled, remove the cake carefully from the tin using a butter knife if necessary to ease cake from the sides of the tin (see image 2), and invert on a wire cooling tray. Place baking paper under the tray.
Break the remaining chocolate for the icing into pieces and place into a microwaveable bowl. Melt chocolate using 20-second bursts and stirring between each burst until completely melted (see image 3).
Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and use a spatula to smooth over the top and sides. Place in the fridge and chill again for at least 5 hours.
Sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cutting into slices.
You can decorate with edible flowers for special occasions. Here, I've decorated with edible violas and coriander flowers (see image 4).
Chocolate Biscuit Cake FAQs
This is what has been reported by the Queen's former personal chef. It's also apparently a favourite of Prince William, our new Prince of Wales, and he even chose it as a layer in his wedding cake.
The Chocolate Biscuit Cake will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge
Yes, freeze it for up to 3 months.
Remember to leave it stand out of the fridge for 20 minutes before cutting to prevent cracking. You could also add a little vegetable oil to the chocolate icing to prevent cracking.
I do indeed. Try the Chocolate Ripple Cake, an Aussie classic.
Yes! check out the royal recipes collection.
More chocolate recipes
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Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe
Equipment
- round cake tin (approx 20 cm x 5cm)
Ingredients
Cake
- 225 grams Marie biscuits (or other sweet, plain biscuits)
- 150 grams butter
- ⅔ cup icing sugar
- 150 grams chocolate (milk, dark or a combination of both)
- ⅓ cup thickened cream
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
Icing
- 225 grams chocolate (milk, dark or a combination of both)
- edible flowers (optional, for decorating)
Instructions
- Grease the round cake tin (approx 20cm x 5cm).
- Break biscuits into (roughly) almond size pieces by hand and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Break chocolate for cake into pieces and place into a microwaveable bowl. Melt chocolate using 20 seconds bursts and stirring between each burst until completely melted.
- Add melted chocolate, golden syrup and thickened cream to butter mixture and beat on medium speed until well combined.
- Pour chocolate mixture over biscuits and stir until biscuits are completely coated in chocolate mixture.
- Spoon mixture into cake tin, ensuring your press mixture gently into the edges of the tin and then smooth top with back of a dessert spoon.
- Chill for at least 3 hours.
- Remove cake from tin, using a butter knife if necessary to ease cake from the sides of the tin, and invert on a wire cooling tray. Place baking paper under the tray.
- Break chocolate for icing into pieces and place into a microwaveable bowl. Melt chocolate using 20 seconds bursts and stirring between each burst until completely melted.
- Pour melted chocolate over the cake and use a spatula to smooth over the top and sides.
- Place in fridge and chill again for at least 5 hours.
- Decorate with edible flowers just before serving.
- Sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes before cutting into slices.
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