Duke of Cambridge matza cake!

A delicious no-bake chocolate matza cake inspired by Duke of Cambridge cake – a British teatime classic that’s fit for a Prince! Quick & easy, this vegan slice is perfect for Pesach.

This year, I’m planning a laid-back, low-stress, non-intensive Pesach. The idea is to eat simple, fresh, delicious food made from seasonal vegetables and fruits, fish, eggs, cheese and matza. Nothing complicated or time-consuming.

Easy chocolate treats

I had intended to make some simple fruit and nut chocolate clusters – almonds, walnuts, raisins and the like bound together into delicious mouthfuls with rich dark chocolate.

But as I was contemplating ‘melt and stir’ treats, my thoughts strayed to another, less Pesach friendly variation.

Duke of Cambridge cake

You may well be wondering what Duke of Cambridge cake actually is. Prior to April 2011, it was most commonly known as chocolate biscuit cake, or chocolate tiffin. It’s a simple, classic, no-bake British treat made by stirring crushed digestive biscuits into a mixture of melted chocolate and butter, then pressing into a tin and leaving in the fridge to set.

But on 29 April 2011, Prince William married Kate Middleton, and at his request this delicious cake was served at the royal wedding. And since they went on to become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, many enterprising local cafes here in Cambridge (and further afield) renamed their chocolate tiffin as Duke of Cambridge cake.

(Of course they are now the Prince and Princess of Wales, but the name of the cake remains unchanged!)

And you know how much I love fusing British classics with Jewish food, right?

Pass the matza 

Obviously I couldn’t use digestive biscuits on Pesach, as they are most assuredly chametz! So I decided to embrace the most Pesachdik ingredient of all – matza! – instead.

However, fearing that it might be a bit too dry and crunchy, I soaked it lightly in kiddish wine, before mixing it with the melted chocolate and other ingredients. This improved the texture and gave an extra fruity and delicious flavour.

Fruit and nut matza cake

I generally like my tiffin to have some fruit and nuts in it (like this super-fruity variation) and particularly since this recipe had started out as fruit and nut clusters, it seemed rude not to. So I added chunky walnut pieces and juicy raisins for added yumminess.

You can use any kind of chocolate for this recipes, but I used dark chocolate because that’s my favourite. Of course if you use dark chocolate and margarine instead of butter, then this delicious chocolate matza cake is completely vegan! 

A quick and easy taste of Passover

While it might have been inspired by a chametz treat, the key ingredients of matza, kiddush wine and walnuts ensure this chocolate matza cake has the taste of Pesach running right through it. It’s super-easy to make and only took me about 20 minutes from start to finish. And I was pretty relaxed about it and kept stopping to take photos. Low stress indeed.

Matza cake ingredients

To make this delicious Duke of Cambridge matza cake you will need:

• Matza – of course!
• Sweet kiddush wine – I used Palwin (a British classic!) but Kedem, Manichevitz, or any other sweet red wine will do just fine.
• Dark chocolate for a rich and delicious flavour, and to keep it parve.
• Butter or margarine
• Honey – optional, you can leave it out if you don’t have any.
• Raisins or sultanas – or use any kind of dried fruit, just chop into small pieces.
• Walnuts – my favourite but almonds, pecans or other nuts (or a mixture) are great too.

This lovely Pesach treat has no eggs, no potato flour, and no weird ingredients!

Serving chocolate matza cake

I cut the chocolate matza cake into 9 squares, each the perfect size to serve with a cup of tea. It’s a lovely treat for a morning snack or afternoon tea.

However, if you cut it into smaller squares, say around 2-3cm, this matza cake also makes lovely after-dinner petit fours. Serve with black coffee for a grown-up treat.

Fit for a prince!

This Duke of Cambridge matza cake is totally delicious. I’ll be happy to serve it up should any royals drop round during Pesach for a cup of tea!

Want deliciously easy, family-friendly recipes like this one delivered straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up. (Of course, I’ll never pass on your email address to anyone.)

My Pesach recipe ebook, containing 40 simple and delicious meat-free recipes for everything from breakfasts and lunches to mains, sides, desserts and cakes, is available as an instant download! Just click here

📖 Recipe

Duke of Cambridge matza cake

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

A no-bake chocolate matza cake inspired by Duke of Cambridge cake – a British classic fit for a prince!

4.07 from 15 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Course Cake, Cookie, Dessert

Cuisine British, Jewish

Servings 9 squares

Calories 343 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 100 g matza (4 sheets)
• 75 ml sweet red kiddush wine
• 150 g dark chocolate
• 50 g butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 75 g raisins or sultanas
• 75 g walnut pieces

Topping

• 100 g dark chocolate

Instructions

 

• 100 g (3½ oz) matza, 75 ml (⅓ cup) sweet red kiddush wine
  Break the matza roughly into small (2-3cm/1-1¼ inch) pieces and place in a shallow dish. Heat the kiddush wine – I did this in a jug in the microwave – then pour over the broken matza. Mix, then set aside.
• 150 g (5¼ oz) dark chocolate, 50 g (¼ cup) butter or margarine, 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
  In a separate bowl, melt the chocolate and butter/margarine together and stir until well mixed and smooth. Add the honey and mix well.
• 75 g (½ cup) raisins or sultanas, 75 g (½ cup) walnut pieces
  Add the soaked matza pieces, raisins and walnuts to the bowl and mix thoroughly until everything is coated in the chocolate mixture.
• Tip into a 20cm (8-inch) square tin that has been lined with greaseproof paper. Use the back of a spoon or your fingers to spread the mixture into the sides and corners of the tin, and press down well. Place in the fridge while you make the topping.
• 100 g (3½ oz) dark chocolate
  To make the topping, simply melt the chocolate and then spread it over the mixture in the tin as evenly as possible. Return the tin to the fridge for an hour or so until everything has set.
• Use a hot knife to cut the chocolate matza cake into squares. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Duke of Cambridge matza cake

Amount per Serving

Calories

343

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

22

g

34

%

Saturated Fat

 

10

g

63

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

13

mg

4

%

Sodium

 

48

mg

2

%

Potassium

 

330

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

32

g

11

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

9

g

10

%

Protein

 

5

g

10

%

Vitamin A

 

152

IU

3

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

34

mg

3

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword chocolate, matza, passover, pesach

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More delicious Pesach treats

If you’re looking for more easy and delicious Pesach treats, take a look at:

• delicious gluten-free chocolate chip cookies (so good I make them all year)
• amazing flourless chocolate fudge brownie cookies
• fabulous cinnamon sugar matza nachos (machos!) with fruit salsa

You might also enjoy sharing this fun Pesach food trivia quiz with your family and friends.

All my Pesach recipes are here, and you can find the vegan Pesach survival guide, which includes over 40 plant-based Passover recipes, here.