What Is in a Tunnock's Teacake? Mallow, Biscuit and Shell

Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Teacakes: What Is Inside

A Tunnock's teacake is three parts that only work together: a biscuit to stand on, a mallow dome that is mostly air, and a chocolate shell that holds it in. The label shows how evenly those three are balanced by weight.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Teacakes: What Is Inside, in summary: A dome of mallow set with egg white, on a thin biscuit round, inside a milk chocolate shell: by weight 38% mallow, 34% chocolate, 28% biscuit. Keep them cool, eat from a plate and pour strong tea.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

A Tunnock's teacake is three parts that only work together: a biscuit to stand on, a mallow dome that is mostly air, and a chocolate shell that holds it in. The label shows how evenly those three are balanced by weight.

Three parts by weight

The published ingredient list gives the teacake's make-up in plain figures: mallow 38%, milk chocolate 34% and biscuit 28%. By eye the dome of mallow is nearly the whole thing, yet it is only just the largest share by weight, because a set foam is mostly air. The chocolate shell weighs almost as much as the mallow it covers, and the thin biscuit round underneath is the smallest part.

The mallow is simple: sugar, glucose syrup and egg white, which is what sets the foam. The coating is milk chocolate made with whole milk and skimmed milk powder, and the base is fortified wheat flour with palm and rapeseed oil, sugar and raising agents. The label's allergens are therefore wheat (gluten), milk, egg and soya.

Not the toasted kind

To plenty of shoppers a teacake means a toasted, buttered fruit bun, and some do order these expecting one. The Tunnock's version comes from the family bakery in Uddingston, where it joined the range in 1956. It was developed by Boyd Tunnock, the founder's grandson, who was knighted in 2019, and for many people it is the Tunnock's product they feel most fondly about.

The construction explains the shape. Marshmallow cannot hold a dome without help, so it stands on a firm biscuit and is held in by a thin chocolate shell set hard enough to crack rather than bend. Without the base or the shell, the dome would simply slump. The foil matters too, because so delicate a shell cracks easily, and the wrapper is what gets six of them home intact.

Six or ten, cupboard or fridge

This six-pack of 24g teacakes is the smaller box; we also stock a ten-pack for a bigger household or an office. Keep either away from sunshine and radiators, because a warm teacake slumps. Left in the cupboard, the chocolate breaks with a clean crack over a soft dome; chilled, the mallow firms up and the shell splinters. Both have their loyal fans, so try one of each.

Never dunk one: the chocolate gives way first, then the mallow, and the biscuit turns soggy last. Serve it from a plate with a strong black tea, milk in, brewed for three or four minutes so there is enough tannin to meet the sweetness. Black coffee works for the same reason, and a glass of cold milk suits a child.

The packs we stock

Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes, 6 x 24g

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes, 6 x 24g says it contains wheat (gluten), milk, egg and soya. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Mallow (38%) (Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Egg White), Milk Chocolate (34%) (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Standardised Whole Milk, Skimmed Milk Powder, Palm Oil, Shea Butter, Emulsifier [Soya Lecithin], Flavouring), Biscuit (28%) (Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Vegetable Oil [Palm, Rapeseed], Sugar, Raising Agents [Sodium Bicarbonate, Disodium Diphosphate]).

Typical values per 100g	Per 100g
Energy	440 kcal
Fat	19.2g
of which saturates	10.5g
Carbohydrate	61.9g
of which sugars	36.0g
Fibre	2.4g
Protein	4.9g
Salt	0.70g

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

Yorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf Tea, 250g: a strong, full breakfast brew with milk, giving the tannin a sweet mallow dome needs.
Clipper Fairtrade Everyday Tea, 80 Pack 232g: a plain everyday black tea bag, the uncomplicated cup a very sweet teacake suits.
Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Paper Refill, 150g: a smooth instant coffee made in seconds, for a black mug beside a teacake from the fridge.

Elsewhere in the Tunnock's range

The full range is on the Tunnock's brand page.

FAQ

What is a Tunnock's teacake made of? A dome of mallow on a round biscuit base, covered in milk chocolate. By the published list it is 38% mallow, 34% milk chocolate and 28% biscuit.

What is the mallow in a Tunnock's teacake set with? Egg white. The published ingredient list gives the mallow as sugar, glucose syrup and egg white.

Is a Tunnock's teacake the same as a toasted teacake? No. A toasted teacake is a fruit bun; this is chocolate-covered mallow on a biscuit.

Can you dunk a Tunnock's teacake? No. The shell melts and the mallow collapses, so eat it from a plate beside the cup.

Who invented the Tunnock's teacake? Boyd Tunnock, grandson of the founder, developed it, and it dates from 1956.

Curator's note: Let a child smooth the foil flat on the table before the first bite; that is half the ritual. Then pour a strong cup and settle the fridge-or-cupboard question for yourself. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Teacakes: What Is Inside

Field	Detail
Brand	Tunnock's
Packs we stock	6 x 24g
Category	Chocolate Biscuits
Allergens (as published)	It contains wheat (gluten), milk, egg and soya.
Dunkable	No, under any circumstances
Best with	Strong black tea with milk, no sugar
Keep	Cool, away from radiators and sun