A Royal To-Do

Do you remember that I said my office likes to have fun? (A few reminders here, here and here.)

Well, we certainly couldn't let anything as important as the Royal Wedding happen without having our own celebration. So a few mischief makers (and you know that I'm certainly not one of those) put together a little tea for the office.

When the majority of the studio rolled in, bleary eyed and exhausted from a rough presentation deadline the day before, they found this waiting in the breakroom:

Veddy veddy posh, don't you think? Linens and silver, doilies and a tiara. Proper, festive and suitable for the notable day.

On the menu? Tea, of course. Strawberries, cream and scones.

Plus our version of Prince William's Groom's Cake:

Please note that some scallywag snuck into the breakroom and scored a tremendous wedge of cake (bottom center) before the tea officially began. Despite a quite intimidating Q&A with each staff member and a thorough search of individual rubbish bins, the perpetrator got away scot-free. For shame.

Interested in the cake? Here's a recipe to make your own - be careful! It's exceedingly yummy, but I'm addicted to biscuits (English, that is) anyway.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

• 1 (14-ounce) package digestive biscuits
• 5 ounces dark chocolate cut into small chunks or 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces (1 stick) butter
• 1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk
• 5 ounces dark chocolate or 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips for glaze

Line a 9-inch cake pan with a sheet of foil or film, making sure that it will be large enough to overlap the finished cake.

Crush the biscuits — using your hands — into a large bowl. Do not crush too fine; the cake should show some chunks.

Combine the chocolate, butter and condensed milk in a microwavable bowl and microwave on High (100 percent power) for about 1 minute or until the mixture is mostly melted. Stir until smooth.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuits and mix thoroughly so that all the biscuits are completely coated.

Pack into the lined cake pan, fold the foil or film over the top of the cake and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

To finish the cake: Remove from the refrigerator and open the foil or film. Turn the cake over onto a serving plate and remove the foil or film.

For the glaze, break the remaining 5 ounces chocolate or chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl and microwave on High for 1 minute to melt. Repeat in 20-second increments if necessary. Stir until smooth.

Pour the glaze onto the cake and carefully spread it over the top and down the sides. Allow to set. Refrigerate, but bring to room temperature before serving. This cake is very rich, so cut thin slices.

Will serve 12 Texans or 24 Brits.

Note: The biscuits referred to in the recipe are digestive sweetmeal biscuits, which can often be found at large supermarkets in the British foods aisle. I recommend McVitie’s Rich Tea Biscuits. For complete authenticity, buy 3 (3.5-ounce) bars of Cadburys Royal Dark Chocolate. Use 1.5 bars for the cake and 1.5 bars for the glaze.