Summer Celebrations: Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently welcomed their daughter, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana to the Royal family. In celebration of the new Princess, I wanted to share a recipe I created that was inspired by the couple's Chocolate Biscuit Wedding Cake. While we Americans would call the British biscuit a cookie, I couldn't imagine a better combination for a cake! There wasn't an exact, original recipe available for their wedding cake at the time, but I assumed that McVitie's butter biscuits were a key ingredient (they made the original cake.) In scouring British recipe sources, it became quite clear that my recipe needed to include raisins, dried cherries, and nuts - and of course, lots of dark chocolate! A bit of brandy and orange zest take it up a notch, which is always a good thing when celebrating!


Find more cooking inspiration at: seasonedkitchen.com

RECIPE

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups broken McVities digestives (or biscuits) with dark chocolate coating (pieces should be around the size of an almond, or smaller)*
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/8 cup dried cherries
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios
  • 1/2 cup butter, sliced
  • 5 bars (3.5 ounces each) dark chocolate (around 50 to 60% cacao), broken into pieces, divided
  • 1 cup cream, divided
  • 1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup*
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon brandy

*Available in specialty food stores, at Cost Plus World Market and in the specialty food aisle of some grocery stores.
My New Reality: Writing, Editing, and more Testing for Book 2

We are just finishing up photographing recipes for book 2 in the A Well-Seasoned Kitchen collection - I can barely contain my excitement. This book is going to be a showstopper, for sure. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for behind the scenes intel, and stay tuned for more requests for your helps as we shape the second book in the collection into something extra special.
Your Well-Seasoned Kitchen

What A Well-Seasoned Kitchen recipes are you dying to try in your kitchen? Post your recipe questions and wish lists on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest using the hashtag #seasonedkitchen, and I'll answer them personally! Let's bring the conversation online to share with all our friends! And don't forget to check out cooking tips, menus on SeasonedKitchen.com, along with some great reviews from our friends at The Cookbook Junkies, Creative Culinary, Dani's Delicious Dish, Laughing Lemon Pie Mile High Gay Guy, Don't Panic Mom, Savoury Table, The Every Hostess, Sensibly Sara, and Merlot Mommy! !
UPCOMING EVENTS

I'd love to join you and your group or organization for a cooking demo, class, or speaking engagement. I've traveled the country sharing cooking and entertaining tips, doing book signings, TV appearances and speaking about creating the cookbook, engaging my mother in the project, transitioning careers and more. Interested in in learning more? Click here.
COOKBOOK REVIEWS

"I've been smitten with A Well-Seasoned Kitchen by Lee Clayton Roper and her late mother, Sally Clayton... beautiful pictures and classic dishes... recipes are easy to follow, finely tuned and brightly flavored." 

- Amanda Faison, 5280 Magazine



"This book is more than just recipes; it's a memoir...This book has a dish for everyone."

- Alyssa Mercandante,
Breathe Magazine

 

 

"Many food-related books cross my desk each week. When A Well-Seasoned Kitchen arrived... I realized this was unlike most cookbooks I review. This is a book about a mother-daughter love... a touching testimony to this close mother-daughter relationship. It is replete with simple recipes that have stood the test of time." 

- Diane Rossen Worthington, cookbook author, nationally
syndicated columnist, award winning radio show host
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