Chocolate Biscuit Cake (The Queen’s Favorite Cake – Tiffin Recipe)

Chocolate biscuit cake is a no bake cake recipe that happens to be Queen Elizabeth’s favorite/favourite cake! Growing up in the UK, this type of treat, called a tiffin, is quite popular for one reason: it’s fantastic! 

The original recipe is by the Queen’s past royal chef–Chef Darryn McGrady, who shared it some years ago. 

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I want to share this recipe with you because it’s the perfect treat to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee! Apparently, this is the only “cake” that Queen Elizabeth wants kept for leftovers for herself!  All other cakes are shared after the queen has enjoyed a slice, but not this one. 

You may also recall that when Prince William and Kate were married, the groom’s cake was this exact recipe! So now you know, this cake is definitely fit for royalty, however, it’s the most simple treat you could probably ever make, since there’s no baking involved! 

What was the Queen’s Favorite Cake?

The Queen’s favorite cake isn’t actually a traditional cake, but something known as a tiffin. It is made in the shape of a cake, but it is not baked. Instead, biscuits (cookies) are broken and folded into a chocolate mixture which is chilled and coated in more chocolate.

What was Queen Elizabeth’s Favorite Dessert? 

Chocolate Biscuit cake was Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dessert, as well.

If you’re surprised at the Queen’s “down to earth” taste in food, you shouldn’t be, as she’s been quoted as saying she loves beans on toast, and even attributed catching Covid to not eating her beans for two days! She’s got such a great sense of humor! 

I hope you don’t believe the myth of bad English food! I can prove them wrong!

And Scottish shortbread is surely on the afternoon tea menu when the Queen is at Balmoral.
Shortbread is the Queen’s favorite cookie/biscuit.

What is a Tiffin?

Tiffin actually means a light meal or snack, and is an Indian/English word. As noted above, a tiffin is simply the name for this chocolate biscuit treat. A cake is actually a misnomer since there’s nothing cake-like about it, except for the shape and the tin it’s made in. You can add dried fruit, nuts, and British candy like Maltesers, but then it won’t be the Queen’s favorite version. Tiffin is often served with a cup of British tea. 

Tips on Making the Best Chocolate Biscuit Cake

• Although it might be more difficult to find, I would recommend using McVitie’s Rich Tea biscuits. These are the ones I grew up eating, and always dipping into my cup of tea, just like Digestives! I could have ordered them on Amazon, but they would have taken too long to arrive, so I bought another brand at Cost Plus.
• Use good quality dark chocolate. You can use something like Callebaut chocolate, but honestly, the big bars of Belgian chocolate from Trader Joe’s are really good, too, and much more inexpensive.

• Be sure to use Baker’s or caster sugar or else the cake may have a gritty texture. You can also put granulated sugar in a blender, but don’t process too long or you’ll make powdered sugar.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake –
The Queen’s Favorite Cake (Tiffin Recipe)

Original recipe by Chef Darren McGrady-slightly adapted by Christina Conte.      Serves 18

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

• Rich Tea biscuits or similar cookies/biscuits
• butter, softened
• Baker’s/caster sugar
• dark chocolate
• pinch of salt
  COATING
  good quality dark chocolate
  chocolate curls, bits of a chocolate bar, or whatever you would like to put on top the cake

Special equipment: 6″ cake tin or springform pan (optional: cake stand)

Prepare the Chocolate Biscuits and Filling

Butter a 6″ cake tin and line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper.

Break the tea biscuits into small pieces (about 1″ long) and put into a bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter, salt and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Melt the dark chocolate using the defrost function of the microwave or over a double boiler. Stop heating the chocolate when it is almost melted.

Add the melted chocolate to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well until combined. (At this point, the original recipe adds an egg, however, I don’t recommend doing this in the US as it is not cooked.)

Gently add in the Rich Tea biscuit pieces until they are fully coated in chocolate mixture.

Put this into the prepared cake tin, carefully trying to fill all the air spots so there aren’t holes in the bottom or middle of the cake (the bottom will be the top).

Coat and Decorate the Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Place the tin in the fridge for about 4 hours. When ready to finish the cake, remove from the fridge and allow to stand for about 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and turn upside down onto a cooling rack placed on a sheet tray (or anything to catch chocolate drips). Remove the parchment paper.

 

Now, melt the dark chocolate for the coating in a double boiler or again in the microwave on defrost to slowly melt the chocolate, stirring at intervals. Stop heating the chocolate when there are still pieces of chocolate. Continue stirring off the heat until completely smooth.

Slowly pour the melted chocolate over the top and sides of the cake and smooth using a butter or palette knife.

Allow to set at room temperature. When set, remove the cake and place on a serving plate and decorate as desired and serve.

Cutting the cake is much easier at room temperature, and a cup of tea is (practically) mandatory. 👑

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