Vegan Teacakes (Easter Marshmallow Chocolate Treats)

Before we delve into the wonderful, marshmallowy magic that are vegan teacakes, a bit of history…

The Great British Bake Off

Nothing can divide Britain quite like a baking show. If you, like me (and perhaps the entirety of the UK), are a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off – you will know what I mean.

For the uninitiated, the Bake-Off is a wee little baking competition that is broadcast every year over here in Britain. And, somewhat annoyingly, air dates always seem to coincide with my end-of-year exams. The Bake-off has been around since 2010, and since then has gained an almost cult-like following. Why? Its got drama, its got pun-derful baking-innuendos, its got (my bad – had) Mary Berry. And its got a dazzling, head-spinning amount of cake. Well, obviously.

When Deborah mistakenly ‘stole’ Howard’s custard, cries of ‘SABOTAGE!‘ echoed throughout the nation. When Iain’s Baked Alaska collapsed in a puddle of melted ice cream in the heat of the great white tent, we wept for him (and Diana became the least favourite bake-off contestant, like, ever). When the show made its move from the BBC to channel 4, and we lost Mary Berry, Mel and Sue, as well as one glorious hour of ad-free telly-watching – we despaired.

(The last is a topic I do not suggest you bring up with a British person upon first meeting them. It may be over a year since the news, but many are still in mourning.)

The Great British Bake Off Teacake Debate

So it should come as no surprise that last year when it was announced that the bakers had to prepare teacakes for their signature bake, it sparked a vociferous debate amongst the people of Britain. The Scots declared that the teacakes onscreen – bread-like and stuffed with fruit – were not teacakes. The English denied that marshmallow cream, chocolate, or a biscuit base had any place in a teacake. Teacakes, they claimed, are fruited buns. 

Neither, it turns out, were wrong. Teacakes simply refer to two separate things. In England, teacakes are little yeasted breads, flecked with juicy bits of dried fruit, eaten toasted with a generous lashing of salted butter. In Scotland, it is an entirely different sort of confectionery, where a generous scoop of marshmallow fluff is dolloped onto a circular biscuit base, and the whole thing is encased in a crisp layer of milk (or dark!) chocolate. And actually did feature in the Bake-Off, way back in 2012 (this knowledge = the mark of a true fan).

Even though I am neither English nor Scottish, I was equally confused to hear that teacakes were being made during bread week (but, it’s a biscuit!). I remembered finding a packet of Tunnock’s teacakes in my fridge back home, a little souvenir my Mum bought from Glasgow on a work trip (she works for a whiskey company). The teacake was an experience. You peel back the thin, crackly silver and red foil and sink your teeth into the perfect chocolate-covered dome – biting though crisp chocolate first, then a pillowy vanilla-laced marshmallow, and finally crumbly cookie. Delightful.

Teacake Schmeacake

You don’t have to be Scottish to know what these teacakes are. These marshmallow-stuffed treats are popular all around the world, but they go by different names. Which is fortunate because as you can tell, there is enough confusion surrounding their naming. In the Denmark, they are called Flødebolle, and the digestive biscuit base is replaced by a thin wafer (or in fancier bakeries – a disc of baked marzipan). The marshmallow fluff in Flødebolle is piped swirly and tall, like a whimsical snow-capped Christmas tree. They are called Krembos in Israel, where the cloud-like marshmallow cream is sometimes spiked with coffee and chocolate. Mallomars in the States, Schokoküsse in Germany, Whippets in Canada… you get the picture.

Magic Vegan Teacakes

I decided it was time I made vegan teacakes. Since I am the self-proclaimed QUEEN of vegan meringue (if you read my blog a lot, and don’t know what aquafaba is – shame on you), it seemed only fitting I try the Scottish teacake instead of the English fruity bun. Perhaps that will be a challenge for another day. So here is are my vegan teacakes, and in a true @thesashadiaries fashion – with a wee spin on it.

Since Easter is around the corner, and since I am the proud owner of a rather underused egg-shaped silicon mould, these vegan teacakes are going to be EASTER EGG vegan teacakes.

If you, like me, own a silicon egg mould (the ones with larger ‘eggs’ work the best here), perfecto. If you only have dome-shaped, circular silicon mould – you can use that instead, and drop the easter theme altogether. If you DO NOT have a silicon mould of any sort – DO NOT DESPAIR. You can assemble them bottom up instead (read the note at the end of the recipe for a more detailed explanation).

Side note – if you are desperate to get these egg shaped and you do not have a mould for the vegan teacakes, use a hollowed out avocado shell! Just wash it well to remove any residual avocado flesh.

While I do try to keep my recipes super accessible and inclusive, you will need some xantham gum for the marshmallow frosting. This helps it to thicken and stabilise, as it acts as a gelatine of sorts. You can use guar gum 1:1 if you have that instead. Xantham gum is actually much easier to find in stores now than it was before since gluten-free cooking is in vogue. If you leave it out, the meringue won’t thicken. This isn’t the end of the world and would still work (I’d add a bit more cream of tartar, though), but you would have to eat your teacakes ASAP after the chocolate sets (also not the end of the world).

The apricot jam is optional – but makes it very egg-like for a cute lil’ Easter surprise for an unsuspecting pal. You can leave it out, or swap it out for a different kinda jam if you aren’t fussed about an egg-like appearance.

Lastly, a quick note about the biscuit base before I leave you with the recipe – I have chosen to make my own vegan digestive bases, since I needed to cut them into egg-shapes. If you are using a circular mould or no mould at all – you can just buy a vegan cookie that is the correct diameter. Or, use some store-bought shortcrust or marzipan to cut out your shapes and bake that for the base. This recipe isn’t the quickest thing to whip up, so if you’re short on time (and patience) these few swaps can keep you sane!

If you enjoyed working with aquafaba, try out my mango meringue pie – it’s insane how egg-white-like this bean juice is!

p.s. If this is the first time you’re reading one of my recipes, the ingredients are separated out according to when you will use them. So don’t feel confused if you see butter listed twice! Just work your way down the list and you will know which quantity to use first.

Vegan Teacakes (Easter Marshmallow Chocolate Treats)

 

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Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

These vegan teacakes are a fun, plant-based spin perfect for Easter! Fluffy mallow core with a digestive based (and a heart of apricot jam), all enrobed in a crisp dark chocolate shell! If possible, try to use weights when measuring the biscuits - it makes all the difference!

Author: Sasha Gill

Serves: 16 teacakes

Ingredients

Biscuit Base

• 7 tbsp plain flour (50g)
• 7 tbsp wholewheat flour (50g)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 5 tsp white sugar (25g)
• Pinch of salt
• 5 tsp vegan butter, cold (25g)
• 2-3 tablespoons soy milk

Shell

• 4 100g bars of dark chocolate

Marshmallow Cream

• ¾ cup aquafaba (same amount in 1 regular can of chickpeas)
• ½ cup icing sugar
• 1½ tsp xanthan gum
• Pinch salt
• ½ tsp vanilla

To fill

• ¼ cup apricot jam

Instructions

1. First, pop your moulds into the fridge to cool. Preheat the oven to 150C. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add in the chilled butter and use your hands to rub the butter in until it forms small crumbs. You can also use a pastry cutter to do this. When the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, and the butter is well crumbled in, pour in the milk, a tablespoon at a time, and mix until a dough ball forms.
2. Flour the countertop and roll out the dough to ¼-inches thick. Make a stencil out of paper for a biscuit big enough to fit your egg mould. If you are using a circular mould you can just use a circular pastry cutter of the right diameter. Cut out 16 biscuits, then place on a baking sheet and chill for 5 minutes. Once chilled (this prevents them from spreading in the oven) make for 15-17 minutes, until golden. Let them cool completely.
3. Melt half the chocolate in a bowl (in the microwave or over a boiling pot of water), and place a tablespoonful into each egg mould. You may have to do this in batches if you do not have enough to make 16 teacakes. Use a small spoon or pastry brush to spread the chocolate out evenly in the mould. Leave this to set on the counter. Try to avoid placing it in the refrigerator as this causes the chocolate to bloom and it will not be as shiny! I like to paint two layers of chocolate as this makes sure it is even and there are no holes.
4. As the chocolate in the mould is setting, spoon a thin layer of chocolate on top each of your biscuits. Leave to set.
5. Next, whisk up the mallow filling. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the aquafaba until foamy, then add in the icing sugar and 1 tsp of the xanthan gum. Whisk until stiff peaks, then add in the rest of the xanthan, salt and vanilla. Whisk this in well, then fill a piping bag with the mallow mixture.
6. By now, your chocolate shells should have set. Pipe the mallow into each cup, filling it very slightly more than halfway. Dollop a small bit of apricot jam in the centre of each mallow, then place the biscuit, chocolate side down, into each of the moulds, pressing down to make sure there are no air bubbles in the egg.
7. Melt the rest of the chocolate, then spoon over the biscuits, making sure the chocolate goes into the edges of the moulds to form a seal with the chocolate shell.
8. Leave this to set for at least 20 minutes, then slowly remove from the moulds and eat up!

Notes

To make this Gluten Free - Sub the wholewheat and plain flour for 50g each of maize flour and an all-purpose GF blend, like Dove’s Farm or Bob’s Red Mill

To make this with marzipan instead of the digestives - Use ½ block marzipan and roll it out to ⅙-inch wide, dusting with icing sugar to prevent sticking. Cut out your egg shapes, then bake at 150C for 7 minutes. Let them cool them cover with chocolate as you would for biscuits.

To make these without moulds - Assemble the teacakes from the base upwards. Coat the biscuits with chocolate and let it set, then pipe a circle of mallow mixture around it. Fill with jam, then pipe more mallow to form a dome. You can wet your hand to flatten the mallow out into a smooth dome, or leave it to give a rippled look! Let this chill in the fridge for at least 20 min, then place the teacakes on a cooling rack on top a baking tray. Melt the chocolate, then let it cool for 5-10 minutes until it is no longer hot but is still runny. Pour it over the teacakes to cover the mallow dome. Chill to set.

This mix will always make a lot of mallow, as you will need a certain amount to whisk it up properly, especially if you have a stand mixer. I like to use any excess mallow to make smores, or add it to a peanut butter sandwich - yum!

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The vegan teacakes are best eaten on the day you make it, and up to 2-3 days after, as that is when the mallow cream is at its fluffiest!