Eat like royalty: Duchess of Cornwall reveals recipe for snack loved by Queen and Prince William

The Duchess of Cornwall has released a recipe which is said to be one of the Queen and Prince William’s favourite cakes.

Camilla marked the Big Lunch, which would usually take place this weekend, by sharing a recipe for a chocolate biscuit cake, which has previously been mentioned as one of the favourites of her mother-in-law and her husband’s oldest son.

The chocolate biscuit cake was revealed as William’s groom’s cake by former royal chef Darren McGrady.

And he said the chocolatey teatime treat is also a big hit with Her Majesty the Queen herself.

Now Camilla, 72, has revealed her love for it as well, suggesting the simple recipe be whipped by those enjoying the big lunch virtually this year.

She said: “Times may change, but yet the principles, and power, of the community do not. Celebrating the ties that bind us, addressing the feelings of loneliness, the importance of breaking bread together have always been at the heart of The Big Lunch.

“And they are even more vital in these current, challenging times.”

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McGrady previously said of the cake: “This chocolate biscuit cake is Her Royal Majesty the Queen's favourite afternoon tea cake by far.

“This cake is probably the only one that is sent into the royal dining room again and again until it has all 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. I use to travel on the train from London to Windsor Castle with the biscuit cake in a tin on my knee. It was half eaten.”

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He said William, now 37, got a taste for it at tea with the Queen and asked for it the night before his wedding to Kate Middleton.

The recipe has been shared in different iterations before and this time, includes a splash of rum.

It’s one of several recipes the royal chefs have been sharing during lockdown. Royal chefs have also shared their Victoria sponge recipe, as well as their Easter biscuits.

Camilla is a Patron of The Big Lunch, which aims to bring together neighbours once a year on the first weekend of June to enjoy a meal together.

This year the scheme is encouraging neighbours to do things virtually.

The Duchess of Cornwall travelled to the Eden Project last year to mark 10 years of the Big Lunch where it was founded.

Here’s the full recipe for the chocolate biscuit cake, from Clarence House.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 225g McVitie’s Rich Tea biscuits

• 115g softened unsalted butter

• 115g unrefined caster sugar

• 115g chopped dark chocolate (minimum 53% cocoa solids)

• 2 tablespoons warm water, or dark rum if you prefer

For the chocolate ganache:

• 125g dark chocolate, chopped

• 125g whipping cream

Equipment:

• 15cm metal cake ring

Method:

For the cake, prepare the metal cake ring by greasing with butter and lining the sides and the bottom with baking paper. Place the lined ring on to 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 on to the butter and sugar and mix thoroughly.

Finally, add the water or rum and then 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 the chocolate becomes firm. This could take up to 30 minutes.

To prepare the ganache for the cake covering, 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 the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache is smoothly blended.

Remove the chocolate biscuit cake from the fridge and the cake ring. Place on to a wire rack with a tray beneath to collect excess ganache.

Carefully coat the chocolate biscuit cake with the warm ganache, making sure that all of the cake is evenly coated. Allow to set fully before moving to your service plate and decorating as desired.