This recipe is apparently a favourite of the Queen and very much in demand by Prince William and Prince Harry.
Carolyn Robb, former chef for the British royal family, began at Kensington Palace in 1989 when Prince William was 7 and Prince Harry was 4. The chef visited "Good Morning America" to share dishes she made for William, Kate, Harry and more.
Try the Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake, which is featured in her cookbook, "The Royal Touch".
For the cake
- 85 gms of butter
- 3/4 cup golden syrup
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup cup dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pistachios
- 1/2 cup packed soft, plump dried figs
- 500 gms of digestive biscuits
To Decorate:
- 2 cups dark chocolate
- 2/3 cup white chocolate
- Selection of small chocolate sticks and dark and white 'Maltesers' etc for decoration ..anything chocolately
Special equipment:
- One 8-inch round or square cake tin or flan ring, or one 8-inch x 3 1/4-inch loaf tin
Cooking Directions
Melt the butter with the golden syrup in a heavy based pan. Do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder, dark chocolate and vanilla. Stir until you have a very smooth, glossy mixture.
Slice the figs and crush the biscuits. Add the pistachios, figs and crushed biscuits to the chocolate mixture and mix well.
Line the base and sides of your chosen shape of cake tin with baking parchment or plastic wrap. Place the mixture into the tin and press it down well into the corners. Leave to cool thoroughly at room temperature before covering and chilling in the fridge. It will take about 2 hours to set completely firm.
When set, remove from the tin and place it on a cooling rack. Melt the dark chocolate and white chocolate separately. Spread the dark chocolate all over the cake.
Decorate with the Maltesers before the chocolate sets, so that they stick to the cake. Position chocolate sticks as desired and drizzle with the white chocolate. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Keeps for up 2 weeks, although it seldom lasts that long, once people know that it is there!
Variations:
- You can replace the pistachios with pecans, toasted almonds or macadamia nuts.
- You can replace the figs with raisins, sultanas or dried cherries.
- For a festive holiday version, use glace cherries and dried apricots that have been soaked in cherry brandy.
- For a children's party version, decorate with 'Smarties' or 'M&M's'.
