Queen Elizabeth's Wartime Chocolate Biscuit Cake!

Fancy a slice of Queen Elizabeth's Wartime Chocolate Biscuit Cake?

Hello, darlings! 
​
​Just in case you’ve overlooked the queenly clue in the title of my recipe, I recreated this splendidly simple, yet rather indulgent wartime dish purely for the delectation of Queen Elizabeth II! After all, it is Her Majesty's most favourite afternoon teatime treat, or anytime treat as my research revealed.
 
Oh, and before it completely slips one’s mind, Miss Windsor bids Her Majesty an extremely jovial “official” birthday of Trooping the Colour – this year it takes place on Saturday the 13th June 2020.

Also, following the incredibly sad news of the one and only Forces' Sweetheart who passed away at the grand ol' age of 103 on the 18th June 2020, I hereby dedicate this recipe to the magnificent DAME VERA LYNN.  

Vera Lynn - Keep Smiling Through - a jolly good read!

I dare say, that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been a fan of this scrumptious cake since her childhood; throughout the wartime years; and well into her monarchical era. Therefore, I deemed my recreation of Irene Veal’s Chocolate Biscuit Cake rather fitting, which I gladly stumbled upon in Irene’s extraordinary contribution to the arena of wartime cookery – Recipes of the 1940’s

Irene Veal's wartime recipe for Chocolate Biscuit Cake.

​The illustrious Irene Veal wrote a short, yet a rather sweet introduction for Chocolate Biscuit Cake; beautifully curtailed, with just a handful of words that sums up and describes the relevance and duty of Her Majesty’s most favoured cake.   
 
“This rather luxurious recipe must be reserved for high days and holidays during the war. Afterwards it can perhaps become more general!

May I draw your attention to “reserved for high days’ – well, although this actually means “a religious festival”, in Miss Windsor’s book, Trooping the Colour is most definitely classed as a “high day” – I do hope you agree? 

​To recreate this wartime culinary marvel, it simply requires: eggs, sugar, chocolate powder, butter, vanilla essence, and some plain yet delicately sweetened biscuits – the British staple of “rich tea” will suffice. ​

Cadbury's Ration Chocolate

PHOTO CREDIT - CLICK HERE

But I must divulge, Irene's wartime version of the Queen's favourite cake surprisingly resembles a chocolate type of "tiramisu" - it is absolutely jaw dropping delicious, served with a scant drop of Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur. Nevertheless, next time I give it another bash, one shall reduce the number of eggs, which may assist the biscuits to remain a little crunchier. 

​​Darlings, unfortunately, the option to slather a luxurious layer of melted chocolate over your decadent creation fit for a Queen would've been quite a rarity during the British wartime years – especially from July 1942 when sweets and chocolate were rationed.

Queen Elizabeth's Wartime Chocolate Biscuit Cake - created with McVitie's Rich Tea biscuits!

​But hey ho, things are a trifle different during modern-day Great Britain, so you are obliged to slather on as much melted chocolate as you wish – after all, Trooping the Colour is indeed a high day!

​​Legend has it, well according to the Former Chef to The British Royal Family, Darren McGrady, who informed Today (.com) on April the 4th 2017, “It’s her favourite cake that she eats until it’s gone!”……..”If there is anything left when she has it at Buckingham Palace, it then goes to Windsor Castle so she can finish it there.” According to my resource, Chef McGrady often travelled by train from London to Windsor Castle balancing Her Majesty’s half-eaten biscuit cake on his knee – bravo, Darren!

Queen Elizabeth's Wartime Chocolate Biscuit Cake.

And according to one’s thorough research, Queen Elizabeth’s darling grandchild – the Duke of Cambridge (Prince William) – is also rather partial to a slice or two of his grandmother’s treasured teatime treat. He developed a liking for it so much, that it was served as the groom’s cake at his wedding to Catherine Middleton.

​Darlings I do hope you enjoy whipping up Queen Elizabeth’s Wartime Chocolate Biscuit Cake – it’s so easy and perfect for those chocoholics of the incredibly ardent and incurable kind!
 
Now Miss Windsor’s off to enjoy a sup or two of the Queen’s favourite tipple – gin and dubonnet!
 
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN (don’t forget to curtsy or bow)

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR 

​QUEEN ELIZABETH’S WARTIME CHOCOLATE BISCUIT CAKE
 
Preparation time: 30 mins
Setting time: 3 hours
Serves 8 delightful guests
 
Ingredients
 
Cake

• 3 eggs
• A drop of vanilla essence
• 6 tablespoons of caster sugar
• 4 & 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 150g (just under 3/4 cup) of butter
• Approx. 20 plain, but slightly sweetened biscuits (rich tea will do)

 
Chocolate Frosting

• 1 large bar of chocolate
• A dollop of butter

 
Garnish
1 plain, but slightly sweetened biscuit!
 
Equipage
1 & 1/2 pint (30 US fl oz.) pudding basin.
Cling film

Method

1. Beat together the eggs, sugar, and a drop of vanilla essence until pale and creamy.
2. Stir in the chocolate powder and melted butter.
3. Well grease your pudding basin and line with cling film (with a slight overhang) – a little tip I picked up from my culinary amour – Mrs Simkins!
4. Pour into the basin a small amount of the mixture and scatter with broken biscuits. Repeat until all of the mixture and biscuits have been used up.
5. Cover with a plate and refrigerate for 3 hours.
6. Melt a large bar of chocolate in a saucepan over some simmering water and add a dollop of butter when melted. Stir well.
7. Remove your creation gently from the basin – use a palette knife to loosen it from the sides and turnout onto a serving vessel fit for a Queen.
8. Slather with melted chocolate and place a biscuit on the top before serving. Tidy up around the edges of the cake with a damp cloth. 
9. Serve to your guests with a scant drop of Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur.