OO i say! Strawberries & Cream Mallow Tea Cake? Don't mind if i do!
The perfect Valentine's Day Bake 💘 or bake for any strawberries and cream lover! With a delicious and soft strawberry biscuit, silky & fluffy marshmallow filling, coated in smooth white chocolate, fruity tangy ruby chocolate and freeze dried strawberry pieces! Yum-Me! 😋
I have been sooo exited to post this recipe. In fact, I've been creating this beauty for a few months now. I wanted to create a teacake that wasn't your typical milk/dark chocolate with a plain flavoring. Who doesn't love a classic Tunnoks tea cake? I could eat a packet of 6 easily in one go! 😅 They are seriously moreish. But not for everyone! My husband is a big far of fruity tastes over a chocolate taste, and with Valentine's Day round the corner, i made these especially for him ☺️. It's easy to say he loved them as they have all be gobbled up!
So delicious, so yummy and perfect for any occasion, especially Valentine's Day! So lets get into it!
What chocolate to use
Now obviously with strawberries and cream i opted for milk chocolate as it is the 'creamiest' of the chocolate bunk (as it has less chocolate and more milk added to it. However, you could go for a full ruby chocolate for a fruitier taste and a different drizzle/no extra drizzle, or even regular milk/dark if you fancy a less sweet and more cocoa rich flavour.
I highly recommend using Belgium chocolate as it is the creamiest and most delicious chocolate in my opinion. It makes a big difference to the flavour of the tea cakes.
**See notes below to see what chocolate i use.
Can i change the mallow fluff and biscuit?
Of course. The mallow fluff can be change however you like. I opted for plain as i had a lot going in the tea cake already. But, you can make a strawberry fluffy by substituting the vanilla extract with strawberry extract or even added some freeze dried strawberry pieces into the fluff itself. The flavours of the fluff can be changed depending on what you fancy really!
The biscuit can be changed as you please also. The freeze dried strawberries can be pulses into a flour texture and then sieved to remove the seeds or, can be left out all together and strawberry extract can be added. You could opt for a plain biscuit also which is delicious and very similar to the traditional Tunnock tea cakes.
Making the marshmallow fluff
It can be quite daunting to make marshmallow fluff, especially if you are a beginner. But this recipe is so easy and straight forward. You will always get smooth, silky and delicious fluff! Its to die for!
You’re basically pouring boiling sugar into whipped egg whites, a process that I am slowly getting more and more comfortable with. I’ve used this Marshmallow fluff recipe a few times now and I love it. I often make more than I need and freeze any excess to be used at a later time (usually in Rice Krispie treats).
Tips:
Make sure all of your equipment is grease-free. If there is even a speck of grease (or egg yolk) the meringue will not whip up. I wipe everything down with lemon juice before adding the egg whites.
You will need a thermometer to make this. **see notes below to see what thermometer i use.
Use caution when making the sugar as it will be very hot!! You’ll want to pour it very carefully, and slowly into your partly whipped egg whites. The sweet spot for this is getting the stream right between the whisk and the sides of the bowl, so the syrup doesn’t get splashed around by the whisk.
The spread can be rewhipped by hand if it becomes flat or you can put it back on the mixer to re-whip.
If you have excess fluff left over, you can freeze it in an airtight container to use at a later date. I recommend using it in Rice Krispie treats!
I do not recommend using store-bought marshmallow fluff in place of homemade if the recipe calls for it. The store-bought stuff can be very runny and will totally ruin your dessert! Also if you are Muslim then finding mallow fluff that is halal is extremely difficult.
Making the strawberry biscuits
These biscuits are super easy to make and delicious for any occasion! They're basically a sugar cookie without the frosting!
The key to these cookies is using freeze dried strawberries in the batter. Yes you can definitely add fresh strawberries to the cake/cupcake, muffin and doughnut batters, but cookies.. not so much.
They tend to turn cookies soggy and mushy, not a texture I’m looking for in my cookies and especially not this recipe! Freeze dried fruits are wonderful for baking when you want a lot of natural flavor but don’t want all the liquids that come from their fresh counterpart.
These cookies are very easily whipped up and refrigerated. They need very little time in the oven, about 7-10 minutes and they're done!
Assembling the tea cakes
With these tea cakes, patience, a steady hand and precision is key! It just about timing things right and keeping a eye on chill times and baking times.
Tips:
When making the chocolate domes for the tea cake coating, use the back of a teaspoon as it is domed and small.
After covering the domes place in the fridge for a few minutes so the thinnest parts of the chocolate harden. I then use a teaspoon again to spread the pooled, still melted chocolate around. Add some extra chocolate to the edges where the chocolate is thinner to thicken up the sides and edges.
When piping the marshmallow fluff, be sure to only pipe halve-two thirds of the way. Adding too much marshmallow fluff will cause spillage over the sides.
Try not to push the strawberry biscuits on top of the marshmallow fluff. Rather, place it genitally with a light force so that the biscuit does not break.
Recipe
A delicious and soft strawberry biscuit, silky fluffy marshmallow filling, coated in smooth white chocolate, fruity tangy ruby chocolate and freeze dried strawberry pieces!
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12
Author: Zainab
Ingredients:
For the strawberry biscuits:
170gs plain flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
7gs freeze dried strawberries
70gs of unsalted butter
100gs granulated sugar
1 large egg + half an egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pink gel food coloring , optional
For the marshmallow fluff:
40ml cup water
75gs granulated sugar
86mls golden syrup
2 medium egg whites room temperature
1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate coating:
300gs Belgium white chocolate
Toppings & decorations:
80gs Belgium ruby chocolate
Freeze dried strawberries
Method:
Prepping the strawberry biscuits:
1. In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, freeze dried strawberries, baking powder and salt with a wooden spoon.
Notes: Alternatively you can add the freeze dried strawberries to a food processor and pulse until ground into a fine powder. Sift ground strawberries through a fine mesh strainer (to remove seeds and the few small pieces remaining) into the flour mixture and whisk to combine, if you want a smoother texture to your cookies with no bits!
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter and sugar on medium speed until very pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Mix in egg yolk, egg white and vanilla.
3. Blend in food coloring if desired (I added 1 toothpick swish, dipped in gel). With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Form a ball with the dough, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Whilst the dough is chilling move onto coating the silicone domes.
For the chocolate coating:
1. Begin by using two 5cm diameter silicone dome moulds. **see notes for more information.
2. Place 200gs of your white chocolate in the microwave. First for 1 minute and then for a further 30 seconds until the chocolate is fully melted, stirring in between.
3. Next spoon about 1/2 a teaspoon or so of melted chocolate into each mould. Using the back of the spoon to spread it around each dome, ensuring that you bring the chocolate right up to the edge. We want a nice even layer!
Notes: You will notice that gravity causes the chocolate to pool in the middle of the dome, and the chocolate is thinner around the edge. What I do is once they are all covered, place in the fridge for a minute or so, until the thinnest parts of the chocolate harden. I then use a teaspoon to spread the pooled, still melted chocolate around.
I then add some extra chocolate to the edges where the chocolate is thinner to reinforce the sides. When you pop the teacakes out of the mould, the whole of the dome needs to be fully covered in chocolate or they won't work and the last thing you want is for the chocolate to be so thin that they break!
4. Once all of the domes have been thoroughly coated, return to the fridge until it is time to assemble.
Cooking the strawberry biscuits:
1. Preheat oven to 170°C/335°F.
2. Place dough ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle top lightly with flour, then using something flat and smooth (such as the storage container lid), press and evenly flatten dough. Then roll to about 3/4 cm thick.
3. Use a 3.5cm cutter, cut least 12 biscuits (you might have enough to make a few spare!). Make sure you test the cutter against your mould and know that the biscuit will fit inside!
4. Place the biscuit circles on a lined baking tray and return to the fridge for around another 20 minutes - by chilling the dough you reduce the amount the biscuits will spread in the oven!
5. Once the dough is ready, bake for around 10 minutes until slightly brown around the edges and then remove from the oven and allow them to cool fully.
Note: They will seem very soft when they come out the oven but the with crisp up as they cool!
6. Whilst the cookies are cool, move onto the marshmallow fluff.
For the marshmallow fluff:
1. In a medium saucepan add, water, sugar, and golden syrup in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
2. Insert a candy thermometer into the pot and heat over medium-high. Do not stir from this point on as crystals will form.
3. Wipe down your mixer bowl, whisk, etc with lemon juice or vinegar to ensure they are completely grease free. **see above for tips on making the marshmallow fluff.
4. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
5. When the sugar syrup reaches about 107°C/225°F, start whipping the egg whites to soft peaks. Approx 3-4mins.
6. When the whites are ready, the sugar syrup should be at 115°C/240°F. Remove from the heat, turn mixer to medium and very slowly and carefully pour the sugar syrup into the whites in a thin, steady stream. **see above for tips on making the marshmallow fluff.
7. Once all of the syrup is in, set mixer to medium/high and continue whipping. The whites will deflate at first, but they will thicken and fluff up.
8. Continue to whip for 7-8 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and fluffy.
9. Add in vanilla and whip until the fluff has cooled completely. Then transfer into a piping bag with a small round nozzle.
10. Now we can start assembling!
Assembling the tea cakes:
1. Melt the remaining 100g of white chocolate and leave to cool slightly so it is not too hot. Remove the chocolate moulds from the fridge.
2. Pipe the marshmallow fluff into the chocolate moulds, leaving enough room for the biscuits. About 1/2-3/4 of the way.
3. Carefully place a biscuit on top of the marshmallow in each mould. Be careful not to push to hard or the biscuit may break.
4. Using a teaspoon cover each biscuit in a layer of chocolate, and fill in any gaps so that the marshmallow and biscuit are completely sealed in the moulds. Try to ensure there is not too much excess chocolate around the sides of the moulds as this will make them neater when you pop them out!
Note: Using a scraper to flatten the tops helps. Don't worry if a bit of chocolate is around the sizes. We can cut that of later.
5. Place in the fridge until set fully.
6. Once set, carefully pop the teacakes out of their moulds. If there is any access chocolate around the side you can use a sharp knife to carefully chop them off. Then using the warmth of your finger smooth the edge so that they look flush!
7. Place all of the teacakes on a cooling rack and prepare the ruby chocolate drizzle.
8. Melt the ruby chocolate in the microwave for 40 seconds-1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Notes: Wait for the chocolate to cool a little before using or it could melt the white chocolate coating.
9. Using a spoon drizzle in diagonal motions the melting ruby chocolate on each tea cake and sprinkle some freeze dried strawberries over the top immediately. Be sure to do one at a time otherwise the chocolate with dry!
10. Allow to chill in the fridge for 15 mins and enjoy!
Notes
Store the tea cakes in an airtight container at room temperature.
If you have any extra mallow fluff (i always do!) transfer into an airtight container and store for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. You can use this on some rice krispie bites! Yum!
I used these silicone dome moulds.
I use this thermometer.
I used these freeze dried strawberries.
Calories per teacake: 250
Hope you all enjoyed this recipe! If you do use this recipe be sure to tag me. My Instagram Page is: Bakewithzainab.
Also be sure to comment down below with any questions you may have.
Lots of love
Zainab xx
© Bake With Zainab – Zainab Moughal. I own all content and photos’ copyright. Before using my photos and recipes, please email me. If you would like to republish a recipe, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.
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