Fit for a Queen Tea Cozy and Chocolate Biscuit Cake

This year, Queen Elizabeth celebrates 60 years as Monarch.  The central week for the Diamond Jubilee celebration is Saturday, June 2 through Tuesday, June 5, 2012.
Our good friends are here from London, so they will miss the festivities....perhaps they wanted to miss the crowds in London!  They come over twice a year, and stay a couple of months at a time.  Their son is a builder, and has just finished building a new home for them to live in while they are in Texas.  They have spent the last few weeks moving in.  We wanted to give them something unique for a housewarming gift, so I asked my sweet littlecousin (aka Gwen) to make a tea cozy for them.  We selected a beautiful pattern that was especially created for the Diamond Jubilee, and I think it is lovely!

The Royal crown is in the center, with the English Rose beneath.  There are thistles representing Scotland, shamrocks for Northern Ireland, and daffodils for Wales.

I also plan to prepare the Queen's favorite tea cake, Chocolate Biscuit Cake, for our English friends.  The Queen's former chef, Darren McGrady, used to prepare it for the Queen. He says it was "without a double her favorite tea cake."

My friend Kitty of Kitty's Kozy Kitchen has posted a lovely strawberry ice cream to go with this cake for the Diamond Jubilee.  Do you think the Queen will join us for tea?

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. butter, for greasing pan
8 oz. McVities rich tea biscuits
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C granulated sugar
4 oz. semi sweet dark chocolate*
1 egg, beaten
8 oz semi sweet dark chocolate, for icing*
1 oz sweetened white chocolate, for decoration
*Darren does not specify what kind of chocolate, other than "dark chocolate", but I don't think unsweetened dark chocolate would fit the bill.  The cake and icing would be too bitter, I think.  I am going to use semi sweet dark chocolate when I make it, or perhaps Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate.

Instructions:
Grease 6" x 2 1/2" cake ring with butter, and place on a parchment lined tray.  Break biscuits into almond sized pieces by hand, and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar in a bowl until mixture is a light lemon color.

Melt 4 oz. of the chocolate in a double boiler.  Add butter and sugar mixture into the chocolate, stirring constantly.  Add egg and continue stirring.  Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are coated with chocolate mixture.

Spoon the chocolate/biscuit mixture into prepared cake ring.  Try to fill all gaps on the bottom, because this will be the top when it is unmolded.  Chill cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Remove cake from fridge, and let it stand while you melt 8 oz. of chocolate for the icing.  Slide the ring off the cake, and turn upside down on a cooling rack.  Pour the chocolate over the cake, and smooth the top and sides with a butter knife or offset spatula.  Allow chocolate icing to set at room temperature.  Carefully run a knife around bottom of cake where it has stuck to cooling rack, and transfer cake to a pretty serving plate.  Melt the white chocolate, and drizzle on top of cake in a decorative pattern.

Congratulations on your Diamond Jubilee, Your Majesty.


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