P-P-P-Pick up a Penguin – Scottish biscuit cake

Name: P-P-P-Pick up a Penguin – Scottish biscuit cake
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 210 g (7 1/2 oz) plain flour; 240 g (8 1/2 oz) caster sugar; 40 g (1 1/2 oz) good quality cocao powder; 1 1/4 level tsp bicarb of soda; 1/4 tsp cream of tartar; 140 g (5 oz) margarine; 225 ml (8 fl oz) milk; 1 level tsp vanilla essence; 2 eggs; Frosting:; 100 g butter; 180 g icing sugar; 20 g cocao powder; Topping (optional):; 200 g milk chocolate such as Cadbury’s Dairy Milk; Tube of chocolate buttons

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

‘When you're p-p-p-peckish, p-p-p-pick up a Penguin’

The Scottish penguin biscuit is so loved it even received a royal warrant by our dearly loved Queen Elizabeth II. One of Prince William’s and Princess Catherine’s wedding cakes was a chocolate biscuit cake made by McVitie’s based on a Royal Family recipe which was a childhood favourite of Prince William.

William Macdonald founded Macdonald Biscuits in Glasgow in 1928 and the penguin biscuit was first produced in 1932 in his factory in Hillington. It became part of the Scottish family business, United Biscuits in 1965. The penguin name was chosen because the original version had dark chocolate and a cream filling. Each wrapper has a joke or funny fact and funny designs of penguins often pastiche famous works of art. The Tim Tam biscuit produced by Arnott’s in Australia is based on the Penguin biscuit.

United Biscuits’ (UB) subsidiary McVities had a hoo-ha in court with HM Revenue and Customs over whether the jaffa cake is a cake or a biscuit. UB took Asda to court over their puffin biscuit claiming they were passing off their own brand as part of the penguin brand. To put the cat amongst the pigeons, I have created a cake which has flavours of penguin but doesn’t contain any penguins (not the real or the biscuit) so I should be safe. It is a rich, velvety cake bedded together with luscious chocolate cream. For more chocolatey decadence top with melted chocolate but I feel it’s good as it is. #September2026 #CA2025

‘When you're p-p-p-peckish, p-p-p-pick up a Penguin’

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

‘When you're p-p-p-peckish, p-p-p-pick up a Penguin’

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Ingredients

8 servings

210 g (7 1/2 oz)plain flour
240 g (8 1/2 oz)caster sugar
40 g (1 1/2 oz)good quality cocao powder
1 1/4level tsp bicarb of soda
1/4 tspcream of tartar
140 g (5 oz)margarine
225 ml (8 fl oz)milk
1level tsp vanilla essence
2eggs
Frosting:
100 gbutter
180 gicing sugar
20 gcocao powder
Topping (optional):
200 gmilk chocolate such as Cadbury’s Dairy Milk
Tube of chocolate buttons

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Steps

1

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C fan.
Cake: Sift the dry ingredients. Add the margarine, milk and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute.
2

Butter two 18 cm sandwich tins, line the bottom and divide the batter between the two. Cook for approximately 30 minutes until a spike in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Remove the cakes from the tins.
3

Frosting: Mix together the sugar and cocao powder. Beat the butter and gradually add in the sugar/cocao. Use to sandwich the cakes together. If it’s a little stiff add a teaspoon of warm water to loosen.
Topping:
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmer water and spread over the top of the cake. Scatter with chocolate buttons.