William, “addict” au chocolat
“Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you, I’ll take anything sweet, I’m a fan of anything chocolatey and sweet!” William did not shy away from his pleasure when Darren Watson, the chef at Sam’s Café, at Duchy College, offered him a slice of biscuit and chocolate cake like the one he liked to enjoy at tea time, in the company of his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The same delicacy was also served during her wedding meal on April 29, 2011, and more of the monumental fruit cake, on eight levels.
Kate and the Brownies
We know that William likes to garnish his chocolate cakes with mint cream or a minty ganache. Finally, he is fond of brownies. Sometimes decorated with nuts or caramel. As for Kate, chef Darren Watson also did his investigation and he hit the nail on the head by telling the prince that she was a fan of sticky toffee pudding.
But this is not the only guilty pleasure of Charles III’s daughter-in-law. Some say she has a penchant for carrot cake, moist and spicy, topped with cream cheese frosting, and decorated with nuts or orange zest. In addition, Kate loves seasonal fruit tarts on a bed of custard.
Charles III and lemon meringue
Like his son, the British sovereign has a predilection for chocolate sweets, with a soft texture, enhanced with a dark chocolate ganache, added with fresh fruit or chocolate shavings. On the other hand, he really likes shortbread tart filled with a simple lemon cream and topped with a light meringue. This recipe was developed for him while he was still Prince of Wales, by chef Enrico Derflingher, on one of the Shetland Islands, where other ingredients were lacking. The future king was so won over that he often asked this Italian chef to come and make it for receptions at Kensington Palace.
Camilla and her morning porridge
We know more about the new queen’s culinary preferences thanks to a book written by her son, Tom Parker Bowles, who was a food critic for 25 years, entitled Crown Revenue. When the bad season arrives, Camilla never fails to serve herself a bowl of plain porridge “with a little of her own honey” for breakfast.
Her Majesty maintains beehives in a field attached to her personal residence at Raymill House, in Wiltshire. “My mother gives most of her honey to Fortnum & Mason, where it is sold in special jars,” says Tom Parker Bowles. “All the proceeds go to one of her charities. It’s a delicate and sweet honey, as good mixed with darjeeling tea as with porridge or yogurt.
However, Camilla loves above all the traditional Christmas Pudding, which English families enjoy during the Christmas holidays, stuffed with candied fruits, nuts and spices… and sprinkled with brandy. Finally, she has her own variation of the Victoria Sponge – a legacy of Queen Victoria –, consisting of two light sponge cakes filled with a sandwich of jam and whipped cream. For her part, Camilla replaces her ingredients with melted chocolate, Nutella or even lemon curd – lemon cream.
And the other Windsors
Harry shares with his older brother a weakness for chocolate cakes, which he enhances with a bold touch of spices, cinnamon or chili. He also likes cheesecakes, particularly with chocolate or red fruits, with a crispy crust.
Their uncle Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, opted more for caramel cakes, or topped with a salted caramel sauce. Sarah, who has long campaigned for slimming cures, does not disdain a vanilla cake on occasion, accompanied by light buttercream and fresh fruit. Generally speaking, the Duchess of York favors classic, simple and comforting desserts, such as fresh apple pies, with a crispy pastry, sometimes decorated with a little cinnamon. Princess Anne “falls for” crumbles prepared with seasonal fruits and served with custard or ice cream.
Felipe V and Letizia, nougat and Santiago tart
Iberian patriotism obliges, the king becomes the enthusiastic ambassador of nougat – different kinds of nougat -, polka dots and the mantecadosvery crumbly shortbread cookies, flavored, some with powdered almonds, others with cinnamon or lemon zest. He also likes flan, a popular preparation in Spain, made from eggs and milk, often caramelized, or even churrosdipped in hot chocolate.
For her part, Letizia, when she deviates from her strict diet, snacks on a ““Santiago cake”a specialty from Galicia, its province of origin, made from almonds, sugar and eggs, often decorated with icing sugar and marked with a cross of Saint James.
Albert and Charlène, lemon and chocolate
The lemon cake from Menton – a former stronghold of the principality -, soft and garnished with lemon icing, has been a “must” of the Grimaldi family for several centuries now. But Albert II sometimes substitutes a chocolate mousse, light and airy, with a rich and intense taste. Charlène will prefer a white chocolate cake, soft and creamy, decorated with fresh fruit or coulis. Or even more simply, a tart with fresh fruit, picked in the Roc-Agel orchard and topped with pastry cream
Philippe and Mathilde, waffles and pana cotta
The king delights in a Belgian specialty par excellence: waffles – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sprinkled with icing sugar or topped with chocolate. Perhaps under the influence of her mother-in-law Paola, the queen chose panna cotta, an Italian dessert usually accompanied by a fruit coulis.
Margrethe II and Victoria, strawberries and Prinsesstarta
Head to Scandinavia with the cake with cream and berries – strawberries or raspberries –, acclaimed by the former Queen of Denmark. In the neighboring kingdom, the Bernadotte heiress, Victoria, never says no to a “Princess cake“ – or “Princess Pie”. This classic Swedish cake is like a sponge cake covered with custard, whipped cream and topped with a layer of green almond paste. Every Mardi Gras, like many of her compatriots, she enjoys a collecta brioche filled with almond paste and cream.
Abdallah II and Rania, flavors of the Orient
Hashemite monarch sacrifices to Levantine tradition with semolina cake, flavored with orange blossom water or rose, as well as knafeh, a dessert made from angel hair, cheese, butter and pistachios or crushed walnuts, drizzled with syrup. In the same vein, Queen Rania has a preference for honey cakes, often prepared with nuts and spices, and for maamouls, biscuits filled with dates, nuts or figs, flavored with flower water orange tree, which is particularly served on Muslim religious festivals.
Naruhito et Sihamoni, mochi et num ansom
Let’s finish this culinary world tour with the Empire of the Rising Sun. Naruhito enjoys matcha tea cakes, often topped with cream or red beans, but also “mochi”, a fragrant glutinous rice paste stuffed with red beans or ice cream. Finally, let’s stop in Phnom Penh, where King Sihamoni will undoubtedly invite you to taste a “num ansom“traditional Khmer dessert with sticky rice, filled with coconut, banana and sugar, wrapped in banana leaves.
Read also >> The favorite dishes of crowned heads
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