Queen Elizabeth's Favorite Party Desserts Featured Coffee And Dark Chocolate

Queen Elizabeth II, who served Great Britain as its monarch for 70 years, was a woman of grace, tradition, and routine. In her private life, she ate a refined diet, sticking to a strict schedule of gourmet dishes every week. Queen Elizabeth's daily meals mostly consisted of yogurt for breakfast, grilled chicken salad for lunch, and steak filet for dinner. When it came time for dessert, the Queen's taste was just as high-class. This was especially true when the palace hosted guests for banquets or general entertainment, as Queen Elizabeth's favorite party desserts, each consisting of dark chocolate and coffee, would regularly be on display.

While the Queen was known for her love of English teas, especially Earl Grey, she also enjoyed a proper cup of coffee. She frequently drank coffee with lunch or dinner — Buckingham Palace even has a dedicated coffee room. Her love of chocolate was also well-known throughout her life. As a young child, Queen Elizabeth ate the only fully British chocolate bar to ever exist, which was made from cacao beans grown in a U.K. greenhouse in 1932. This love of chocolate continued into her elder years, with Darren McGrady, Queen Elizabeth's former chef of 11 years, even calling her a "chocoholic." She famously preferred dark chocolate, especially if it contained mint or floral notes. As her personal chef, McGrady combined Her Majesty's deep fondness for dark chocolate and coffee, using espresso powder or premade coffee to enhance the dark chocolate flavors found in her favorite desserts.

When the royal family hosted official events, several elegant chocolate-based desserts were prepared in advance. "I used to make a mousse au chocolat et cafe, a dark chocolate mousse, and I added in some real espresso coffee to intensify the flavor," said McGrady in an interview with Coffee Friend. "So that was on the menu quite a bit at Buckingham Palace."

If the Queen wasn't feeling chocolate on a particular day, McGrady also prepared coffee mousse for her. But it was ice cream bombs that were most commonly served at royal banquets. The Queen's favorite variety of this classic French treat was the bombe glacée coppelia, which is comprised of coffee-flavored ice cream stuffed with candied nuts and topped with liquor-infused espresso beans and whipped cream.

When it came to her two birthday celebrations each year (her actual birthday on April 21 and her observed birthday on either the first or second Saturday in June), Queen Elizabeth always requested her favorite chocolate cake: a genoise sponge cake with a dark chocolate ganache. The cake has stayed with the royal family for generations, as it was also a favorite of her grandmother, Queen Mary.