‘Trial versions were rigorously stress-tested to ensure they didn’t crumble’: How a humble teatime treat made it to a Royal Wedding

‘They have to be Rich Teas,’ declares John Williams, as he snaps biscuits decisively into a mixing bowl. ‘They hold their crunch, so when you cut through you have the rich indulgence of the chocolate and then those crisp layers.’ He’s making a fridge cake — ‘very simple, it doesn't require any baking’ — which would ordinarily involve digestives. However, there’s nothing ordinary about where this particular cake is being made — or why.

We’re in the hotel kitchens at The Ritz in London, out of which come some of the most fêted plates of food in the world, where a commis chef is measuring courgettes with a ruler so they can be sliced into batons with surgical precision. Next to this pristine mise en place, there’s something pleasingly incongruous about the stacks of biscuits that Williams is tackling (don’t even think about using a food processor, he cautions, ‘it makes everything gritty’). ‘It could only be made in England, this cake,’ he laughs.

A version was a teatime staple at Buckingham Palace during Elizabeth II’s reign. Her grandson William had such happy memories of enjoying it with her that he asked if a reinvention of it could be served at his wedding in 2011, alongside the more traditional iced fruit cake by Fiona Cairns. McVitie’s, makers of the all-important Rich Tea biscuits, was duly contacted.

The company has been working with the Royal Family since 1893, when it baked the wedding cake of the future George V and Queen Mary (this creation, according to the Royal Collection, sat ‘on a silver stand covered with white roses, miniature caladiums and asparagus fern’). Its representatives, in turn, contacted chocolatier Barry Colenso, who had previously made Easter eggs for the Royal Family, to ask for his help in re-creating the groom’s childhood favourite on a grand, three-tiered scale.

The resulting cake, which was served to 600 guests at the canapé reception, reportedly called for 40lb of chocolate and 1,700 Rich Tea biscuits. Trial versions were rigorously stress-tested to ensure they didn’t crumble onto guests’ outfits at the slightest touch of a fork. The components travelled in two separate vans to Buckingham Palace, where they were assembled on the morning of the wedding.

Williams, now such a legend in the food world that even his own children refer to him as Chef, is no stranger to this level of attention to detail. He fell in love with food in 1975 as a teenage apprentice at The Percy Arms in Otterburn, Northumberland, where he was tasked with plucking grouse and was introduced to French food. He moved to London soon after and joined The Ritz as executive chef in 2004, after stints at Claridge’s and The Berkeley; he has compared his role to that of a conductor, making sure every note is hit perfectly. Made MBE in 2008, he has cooked for the Royal Family and has led his team to achieve, and retain, two Michelin stars.

Williams approaches the making of the cake in the meticulous spirit of his hero Escoffier, ensuring the biscuit pieces are perfectly sized before folding them through a combination of melted butter, sugar and top-quality dark chocolate (‘so important in the flavour you finish with’). The mixture is then carefully pressed into a lined cake ring (‘you do need a bit of pressure, so that there are no pockets of air’) and chilled in the fridge.

The next step is the ganache coating, a decadent blend of melted chocolate and double cream. It can be adorned with a mirror glaze for a special occasion, as well as chocolate decorations. For the Royal Wedding, Colenso prepared handmade chocolate dahlias, a symbol of love, and African vine leaves, in a nod to the location of the proposal; Williams has gone for dark, white and caramelised ‘blonde’ chocolate curls. ‘The more chocolate the better, no? But if you’re only having it with a cup of tea, it’s perfectly fine just as it is.’

After the last chocolate curl has been positioned, the cake is brought through to The Ritz’s pink-and-green Music Room. A slice is cut for Williams. We collectively hold our breath as he tastes it, like sous chefs awaiting his verdict. After what feels like an age, he puts his fork down: the moment of truth.

‘I am honestly very pleasantly surprised at how good it is,’ he deadpans with a twinkle.

Chocolate biscuit cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 225g Rich Tea biscuits
• 115g softened unsalted butter (plus more for greasing)
• 115g unrefined caster sugar
• 115g chopped dark chocolate (minimum 53% cocoa solids)
• 2 tbspn warm water
• For the ganache
• 125g dark chocolate, chopped
• 125g whipping cream

Method

• Prepare a 15cm (6in) metal cake ring by greasing with butter and lining the sides and the bottom with baking paper. Place the lined ring on a flat tray and leave to one side until required
• Break the biscuits into small pieces, about 1cm–2cm (½in–1in) in size. Do not place them into a food 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 in the microwave or in a bowl over a simmering saucepan of water. Once melted, pour the chocolate onto the butter and sugar and mix thoroughly. Finally, add the water 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 in the fridge to chill until 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, then pour it 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 from the cake ring. Turn it upside down for the best finish, then place it on a wire rack, with a tray beneath to collect the excess ganache
• Carefully coat the chocolate biscuit cake in the warm ganache, making sure that all of the cake is evenly covered. Allow to set fully before moving to your serving plate and decorating as desired