A rich and indulgent chocolate tiffin, also known as biscuit cake or fridge cake. Studded with coconut and flavoured with coconut liqueur, this chocolate biscuit cake is a not overly sweet adult version of a children’s classic.
Last year I asked CT what he would like for his birthday. A trifle was his response. OK. I duly made a trifle and very nice it was too, but this year I didn’t ask. I know he’s very fond of tiffin, otherwise known as biscuit cake or refrigerator cake. If Prince William can have one for his wedding, I couldn’t see any reason why CT shouldn’t have one for his birthday.
Chocolate Biscuit Birthday Cake
But it was a birthday cake, so it couldn’t be just any old biscuit cake. It had to be a full on tiffin with plenty of chocolate and one that we could easily slice.
I remembered seeing a potentially suitable recipe in Kate Doran’s excellent book, Homemade Memories, which I reviewed a while back. Well, it was suitable and I duly went about adapting it and adding a rich chocolate glaze to the top, just in case there was any danger of chocolate stinginess. In the end, the cake used a whopping half a kilogram of chocolate!
Kate’s recipe included honeycomb, but I omitted that and used toasted coconut flakes instead. CT has a rather unhealthy attraction to Bounty bars, so I thought I’d go several better than that. Not only did I use coconut flakes, but I also added some Latvian chocolate coconut vodka that I won from Dashing Dom over at Belleau Kitchen last year with this pomegranate choctail.
CT was duly impressed and vowed to give up Mars confectionery – if I made this every week. It had a good coconut flavour, sliced well and was richly decadent. This is not a cake to be eaten on the go as it needs to be savoured with a nice cup of tea. Heaven.
Other Tiffin Recipes You Might Like
- Best tiffin ever – Tin and Thyme
- Chocolate amaretto biscuit cake – Tin and Thyme
- Leftover Easter chocolate fridge cake – Foodie Quine
- Marvellous Creations fridge cake – Sew White
- Over the top chocolate caramel tiffin bars – SuperGolden Bakes
- Pecan & maple ginger tiffin – Tin and Thyme
- Super fruity chocolate tiffin – Family Friends Food
And for even more chocolate biscuit cake inspiration take a look at all my tiffin recipes.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this chocolate biscuit cake for a birthday or any other occasion, Iβd love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Chocolate Biscuit Cake. PIN IT.
Chocolate Biscuit Cake – The Recipe
Chocolate Biscuit Birthday Cake
Ingredients
Tiffin
- 125 g salted butter
- 350 g dark chocolate (I used 70%)
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp Stoli – chocolate coconut vodka (can use rum or other coconut liqueur)
- 200 g digestive biscuits
- 50 g coconut chips toasted
- 50 g pecan nuts toasted and roughly chopped
Ganache
- 150 g milk chocolate (I used 40%)
- 25 g salted butter
- 2 tbsp Stoli or other coconut liqueur
Instructions
Tiffin
- Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a pan over gentle heat. Stir until melted.
- Remove from the heat and beat in an egg whilst the mixture is still warm to pasteurise it.
- Stir in the Stoli.
- Place the biscuits into a large mixing bowl and bash them with the end of a rolling pin until they are a mixture of varying size pieces and crumbs.
- Add the coconut chips and pecans.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the top and stir until just combined.
- Press into a 1 kg (2lb) silicone loaf tin or lined tin using the back of a spoon making sure the mixture is smooth (ish) and level on top.
- Leave in the fridge or cool place to set for 3-4 hours or overnight.
Ganache
- Place all ingredients into a pan and melt over a gentle heat. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth.
- Allow to cool a little and when thick enough, pour over the cake allowing some to dribble down the sides.
- Decorate with toasted coconut chips.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
Much as I was tempted to enter my Black Forest Gateau into We Should Cocoa, it was this tiffin I had in mind for it.
Lucy @ BakingQueen74 says
Gosh, this looks,absolutely delicious, what a lucky thing to have this for a birthday cake. My family would adore this too.
Choclette says
That’s what I thought too Lucy. I would love someone to make me this for my birthday – tiffin is a major weakness of mine.
Glamorous Glutton says
That looks wonderful and I bet tastes amazing. I would never have thought of adding the booze to a tiffin cake but it’s a great idea. Now can you make it daily?! GG
Choclette says
I regularly add amaretto GG, it goes brilliantly well. This one was a little more refined π
Sammie says
What a fab adaptation on tiffin & birthday cake. This looks absolutely gorgeous & adding coconut just sends it over the top. I know a couple of people who would love me to make this for their birthdays. Sammie
Choclette says
If you can’t have an over the top cake on your birthday, there’s not much point having a birthday I reckon π
Sarah says
CT is one very lucky man – this cake looks fab! Can you make me a birthday cake?
Choclette says
Haha Sarah, I seem to have created a job for myself π
George @ CulinaryTravels says
Oh Choclette this looks amazing. I love coconut with chocolate so this is definitely going on my to make list.
Choclette says
It’s really quite addictive George and should come with some sort of warning π
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Your bounty bar look incredible! I would love this for my birthday too.
Choclette says
Thanks Angie, I would love one for my birthday too π
Janie says
OMG! How decadent is that! Looks like the perfect birthday treat π
Janie x
PS Happy birthday Mr T&T
Choclette says
Thanks Janie, it was already a few weeks ago now – how time flies.
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
great birthday cake – just wanted to check I could comment – after having problems both commenting and linking up to WSC I found that when I started to navigate around the site I could finally comment and then when I came back here I could comment here too – fingers crossed the problem is fixed
Choclette says
Thanks for your persistence Johanna. How very strange, but like you I’m crossing fingers. I always enjoy your comments and have missed them.
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
I’ve not made a refrigerator cake in years! This looks fab….. Perfectly crunchy-coconutty-chocolatey heaven…. Happy birthday to CT! I hope he gets to enjoy many more such masterpieces.
Choclette says
From time to time I have to indulge in a bit of tiffin and the beauty of making your own is that it doesn’t have to be sickly sweet and full of margarine. It would be so easy to make it GF too.
Byron Thomas says
My God! How great thou art! That’s tremendously beautiful and I need it in my belly right now. Hahaha. Wow.
Choclette says
Haha, thanks Byron. Would a virtual slice be any good to you?
the caked crusader says
refrigerator style cakes have always been a favourite of mine – I remember a relative used to make one with cut prunes in it too and it had a lovely chewiness to it when served cold from the fridge
Choclette says
Ooh I like the sound of including prunes CC – you are such a great source of inspiration π
Diana says
This looks AMAZING! I’ve been craving something like that for a while now so I will be making this cake sometime this week!! xx
Choclette says
Thanks Diana. It really is delicious, but not something to make very often – it is far too tempting. Looking forward to seeing your version.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
Oh please can I come visit you on my birthday and get a slice of this?
Choclette says
If you fancy dropping by Bintu, I’d be delighted to make you one π
Traditionallymodernfood says
Bars looks yummy
Choclette says
Thank you. It’s dead easy to make, so do give it a go.
PreethisCuisine says
This looks so delish.
Choclette says
Thank you, it really was most delicious π
Abhilasha says
These look so yumm.. Is there a way to make it eggless?
Choclette says
I don’t normally make Tiffin with eggs, Abhilasha, but it does make it additionally rich. This one for example has no eggs – /2013/11/chocolate-amaretto-biscuit-cake/
Michelle says
This sounds amazing and oh so tempting since i’m on a diet!
Choclette says
Ah yes Michelle, possibly not what you should be eating on a diet π
Molly Kumar says
‘Biscuit Cake’ are my weakness and with Chocolate Coconut Vodka, this sounds even more yum.
Choclette says
Biscuit cakes are a universal favourite I reckon Molly but it’s nice to have an adult only version sometimes.
Tracy says
That looks and sounds spectacular. I wish someone would make me something like that for my birthday.
Choclette says
Haha, me too Tracy. It seems the fate of food bloggers is to have to make their own birthday cakes π
Piece of Cerebrum says
That is some serious foodporn there..the instructions are so detailed and the cake looks delicious.
thanks for the recipe. π
Choclette says
Thank you, I like to think I can manage a bit of food porn from time to time π
Dom says
Well I’m glad to be of service. It looks like a stunning cake and CT is one lucky chap! I actually need a slice right now, if that’s ok? Please…
Choclette says
Sadly, that one’s long gone Dom. I could do with a slice of it myself π
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
Looks fabulous! That Stoli looks really interesting too – never seen that flavour before.
Choclette says
Thanks Helen. The Stoli is really interesting. I’m not much of a drinker, but I do like it in baking, oh and maybe the odd cocktails π
Nadia's Healthy Kitchen says
Ahhh fridge cakes are one of my faves! Not had one in years though π Need to make one soon! Looks so good Choclette π
Choclette says
Thank you Nadia. I think fridge cake is one of those universal favourites which we all remember so well from childhood.
Sus @ roughmeasures says
Wow Choclette this looks awesome! So decadent and so much chocolate mmmm! Thanks for linkin my bars π
Choclette says
Your bars look great Sus and so much healthier too π
Daphne says
Good Morning to you, I agree with CT, Bounty bars are fabulous…. yes I have that same unhealthy attraction to these gorgeous little bars…. a mix of chocolate and coconut is perfection. I have made Refrigerator Cake before, but I have never added vodka….. a nice little addition. Guess what….. I will be using your recipe….. and guess what else…. I know I am going to love it as much as CT did.
Best Wishes
Daphne
Choclette says
Hello Daphne, lovely to hear from you. I like the combination of chocolate and coconut too, but I find the bounty filling far too sweet. I hope you make it and hope you like it as much as CT did π