Chocolate Teacakes

By: Pete on 08:45:00

Well, they say you learn more from failure than success...and there is plenty of learning to be done here. I went for these as a sort of crescendo to Chocolate Month, a home-made version of the iconic Tunnocks Teacake. I'll dive straight into the "learning points", item by item. For reference, the original recipe is from a Technical Challenge on GBBO.

The Biscuit

The recipe said to roll them out to 5mm, however I think that's too thick...I'll do 3mm next time. More importantly, they were too wide. I know that GBBO did these as a technical challenge, however I've been unable to find the video of the Masterclass episode where they were done "properly". The recipe called for a 75mm cutter, and a 75mm silicone dome. I had a 70mm right sized dome, but the cutter was 78mm (the closest I could get to with my set). In retrospect I should have gone for a smaller cutter (I have a 68mm cutter, and it looks to be about right).

I need to investigate the best way of enveloping a biscuit in chocolate. It's a messy old business, and I think the end result is too thick (the word elegant will never be used). I sort of half-dunked, half spread them, and they look a bit rural.

Finally, I ran out of dough...this may be down to me taking "5mm thickness" too literally, or perhaps the slightly-too-big cutter, but biscuit number 12 was a bit of a runt. 

The Marshmallow

This was probably the most successful bit. I should have mixed it for longer, to get it stiffer, and I think less golden syrup will help as well. I was a little nervous making it up, as I was doing a double-portion, and had serious concerns about going over the bowl.

The Chocolate

First things first, it's bloomed massively where it's been in the silicone dome. In some places it's also de-tempered. There are loads of possible reasons for this. I was using a different chocolate brand to normal (Cadburys Bourneville, rather than Lindt Plain Cooking Chocolate), and it's possible I over-heated it when melting it (it was in a bain-marie, but as it was a double-batch it's possible that some was overheated before the rest melted). The coverage on the biscuits is (at best) amateur, and the lining of the domes was lumpy. I suspect a lot of this comes down to correct working temperature.

I have a suspicion that the silicone moulds are slightly contaminated with a release agent. I washed them before, and after, but there is still a slightly grainy feel to them...I'll give them a thorough soaking in soapy water, and see if that helps.

Where Next?

Obviously I'll do them again...next time it will be a single-batch (makes 6, not 12), and I'll do the amendments noted above (and again below in the recipe, highlighted in bold).

Chocolate Marshmallow Teacakes - Recipe

• Pre-heat oven to 170'C
• Line a baking tray with baking parchment

Biscuit Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• ½tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt 
• 25g caster sugar
• 25g butter
• 15-30ml milk

1) Place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl

2) Rub in the butter until you get to the breadcrumb stage

3) Stir in the milk until a firm dough forms (you may not need all the milk...I needed all of it)

4) Form a flattened disc, wrap in clingfilm, and chill for 10 minutes in the frigde

5) Roll out the biscuit dough on a slightly floured surface to 3mm thickness

6) Using a cutter the same size diameter as your silicone moulds, cut out 6 rounds, and place on teh baking tray

7) Bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven

8) Remove to a wire rack to cool

Chocolate

• 350g 40% chocolate (I prefer Lindt cooking chocolate, it just seems to behave well)

1) Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (note - I think I over-heated mine a bit. Keep stirring, and as soon as it's melted remove it from the heat)

2) Allow it to cool until it's really gloopy (should have taken the temperature!)

3) Using a teaspoon, spread chocolate around the inside of the mould, making sure the sides and bottom are even thickness

4) Allow the moulds to set slowly (ie, don't stick them in the fridge).

5) Envelop the cooled biscuits in chocolate, trying to keep the thickness even (I ended up dunking them with my fingers, scraping off excess with a teaspoon, and then sort of spreading over my finger marks once it as on the greaseproof paper). place the coated biscuits on a sheet of greaseproof paper to cool.

6) Put the remaining chocolate into a small piping bag, ready to use during assembly.

Marshmallow filling

• 100g egg white (I used bottled stuff, this would be ~3 large egg whites)
• 150g caster sugar
•  4tsp golden syrup (about 60g)
• ½tsp salt
• ½ Vanilla pod seeds

1) Place all the ingredients in a large heatproof bowl

2) Place the bowl on a bain-marie and whisk for 6-8 minutes, until very thick and stiff (my advice is keep going until it's really thick. I stopped probably a minute too early). It really needs to be able to hold it's shape.

3) Spoon the mixture into a piping bag, ready for assembly. Let it cool.

Assembly

1) Pipe marshallow into the chococlate domes, until it's just below the level of the top.

2) Pipe a circle of chocolate around the edge of the chocolate dome

3) Place a biscuit on top of the marshmallow, so that it connects all the way round to the circle of chocolate.

4) Allow it to cool completely

5) Very carefully, pop the completed teacakes out of the moulds.