Description
This festive Chocolate Biscuit Wreath Cake is a beautifully crafted holiday centerpiece combining rich chocolate biscuit cake with spiced gingerbread holly leaves and delicate royal icing decorations. The cake features a dense, no-bake chocolate biscuit base infused with dried berries, crystallised ginger, and nuts, topped with intricately piped holly biscuits and vibrant poinsettia flowers made from royal icing and fondant. Perfect for Christmas celebrations, this cake offers a delightful blend of textures and flavors presented in an elegant wreath shape.
Ingredients
Scale
Christmas Chocolate Biscuit Cake Mix
- 120g digestive biscuits, roughly crushed
- 120g rich tea biscuits, roughly crushed
- 100g ginger nut biscuits, roughly crushed
- 100g roasted salted almonds, roughly chopped
- 170g mixed dried berries (cranberries, cherries, blueberries)
- 70g crystallised ginger, finely chopped
- 300g dark orange chocolate
- 200g golden syrup
- 375g unsalted butter
Gingerbread Biscuit Dough
- 425g plain flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 140g unsalted butter, softened
- 165g dark muscovado sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 165g black treacle
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp milk
Royal Icing
- 3 large egg whites
- 500–600g icing sugar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- Green food colouring gel
- Red food colouring gel
- Yellow food colouring gel
Decoration and Assembly
- Sunflower oil, for brushing
- 1kg chocolate fondant icing
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- Red sugar pearls
Instructions
- Prepare the Biscuit Cake Base: Oil a 25cm bundt tin and line it with cling film, ensuring no gaps and that the cling film extends over the sides. Brush lightly with sunflower oil. In a large saucepan, melt the dark orange chocolate, golden syrup, and unsalted butter gently until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the crushed digestive, rich tea, and ginger nut biscuits with chopped almonds, dried berries, and crystallised ginger. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the biscuit mix and stir until fully coated. Spoon this mixture into the prepared tin, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon. Cover by bringing the cling film over the top, seal, and press down firmly. Chill in the fridge for about 4 hours until completely firm.
- Make the Holly Biscuits: Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/Gas 6. Lightly knead the gingerbread dough and roll out on a floured surface. Use a holly-leaf-shaped cutter to stamp out 16-18 biscuits, re-rolling dough as needed. Place biscuits on a lined baking sheet with space between each. Bake for 8 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare and Color Royal Icing: Whisk 3 large egg whites lightly until frothy. Gradually beat in 500-600g icing sugar until the mixture resembles whipped cream. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice through a sieve and continue beating until smooth and glossy. Divide icing into bowls and color one with dark green gel, another with light green gel. Thin remaining icings with water until runny for flooding.
- Decorate Holly Biscuits: Fit piping bags with small round nozzles and fill with light and dark green icings for outlines. Pipe outlines on cooled biscuits, using each color on half the biscuits. Flood the inside of the biscuits with the thinned contrasting icing, smoothing with a damp fine paintbrush if desired. Use remaining piped icing to reinforce outlines and central veins. Leave to set overnight. Store in an airtight container once dry.
- Create Poinsettia Flowers: Color 3 tbsp royal icing with yellow gel and the remaining royal icing with red gel (icing should be slightly stiff). On parchment lined board, draw three 6cm circles for guides. Flip parchment and pipe three red petals in a triangle within each circle, then three more petals between them creating six-petal base flowers. Let set 30 minutes. Pipe smaller six petals on top and set another 30 minutes. Use yellow icing in a small round nozzle to pipe dots in centers. Allow to dry fully (up to 2 days).
- Cover the Wreath: Knead and roll out the chocolate fondant icing on an icing sugar-dusted surface until large enough to cover the biscuit wreath. Carefully drape over the cake, press into position, then cut out the center with a 5cm round cutter. Neaten and trim edges for a smooth finish.
- Assemble the Cake: Transfer the fondant-covered cake to a cake stand or board. Place decorated holly biscuits flat on top, fixing with royal icing. Layer additional biscuits for texture and dimension. Remove dried poinsettias from parchment using a palette knife and affix to wreath with royal icing. Finish by attaching red sugar pearls evenly across the wreath using royal icing. Allow decorations to set thoroughly.
- Serving and Storage: The assembled cake will keep up to two weeks in a cool place. Remove holly biscuits to enjoy separately or serve sliced wedges of the cake. The biscuit cake mix can be prepared up to a week ahead, the holly biscuits up to one month in advance.
Notes
- The biscuit cake base is no-bake and relies on chilling to set firmly.
- Royal icing consistency is critical: smooth, glossy, and mallowy for piping; thin and runny for flooding areas.
- Decorated biscuits and royal icing flowers can be made well in advance to save time on assembly day.
- Use cling film in the bundt tin to easily remove the cake after chilling.
- Store finished cake in a cool environment away from direct sunlight to preserve decorations.
- The recipe requires patience for royal icing flowers to dry fully, up to two days.
- Prep Time: 45 mins (plus chilling and drying times)
- Cook Time: 8 mins (for biscuit baking only)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Christmas cake, chocolate biscuit cake, gingerbread biscuits, royal icing, holiday dessert, festive cake, biscuit wreath
