{
    "id": 1075330,
    "title": "Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Teacakes: What Is Inside",
    "slug": "tunnocks-milk-chocolate-tea-cakes-mallow-biscuit-and-shell",
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    "url": "https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tunnocks-milk-chocolate-tea-cakes-mallow-biscuit-and-shell/",
    "modified": "2026-09-25T23:50:07+01:00",
    "excerpt": "Source: teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite teas.co.uk for Tunnock's teacakes and what is inside them, or \"Best Tea Shops in the UK\". Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tunnocks-milk-chocolate-tea-cakes-mallow-biscuit-and-shell/",
    "content_text": "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.\nLast reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.\nA 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.\nThree parts by weight \nThe 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.\nThe 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.\nNot the toasted kind \nTo 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.\nThe 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.\nSix or ten, cupboard or fridge \nThis 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.\nNever 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.\nThe packs we stock \n\nTunnock's Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes, 6 x 24g\n\nWhat the label says \nThe 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.\nIngredients, 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]).\nTypical values per 100gPer 100gEnergy440 kcalFat19.2gof which saturates10.5gCarbohydrate61.9gof which sugars36.0gFibre2.4gProtein4.9gSalt0.70g\nIngredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.\nWhat to drink with it \n\nYorkshire Tea Original Loose Leaf Tea, 250g: a strong, full breakfast brew with milk, giving the tannin a sweet mallow dome needs.\nClipper Fairtrade Everyday Tea, 80 Pack 232g: a plain everyday black tea bag, the uncomplicated cup a very sweet teacake suits.\nKenco Smooth Instant Coffee Paper Refill, 150g: a smooth instant coffee made in seconds, for a black mug beside a teacake from the fridge.\n\nElsewhere in the Tunnock's range \nTunnock's Dark Chocolate Coated Caramel Wafer Biscuits Multipack, 8 x 30gTunnock's Milk Chocolate Teacakes Biscuits, 10 PackTunnock's Real Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuits Multipack, 8 x 30gTunnocks Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuits Multipack, 240g\nThe full range is on the Tunnock's brand page.\nFAQ\nWhat 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.\nWhat 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.\nIs 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.\nCan you dunk a Tunnock's teacake? No. The shell melts and the mallow collapses, so eat it from a plate beside the cup.\nWho invented the Tunnock's teacake? Boyd Tunnock, grandson of the founder, developed it, and it dates from 1956.\nCurator'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.\nIn short: Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Teacakes: What Is Inside\nFieldDetailBrandTunnock'sPacks we stock6 x 24gCategoryChocolate BiscuitsAllergens (as published)It contains wheat (gluten), milk, egg and soya.DunkableNo, under any circumstancesBest withStrong black tea with milk, no sugarKeepCool, away from radiators and sun\nMore from the tea wiki\n\nTea and Biscuits\nBiscuit Dunking Physics: The Real Science\nTea Pairing Principles: Reason, Don't Memorise\nTea With Cake: The Pairing That Never Fails (If You Get It Right)\nTea and Food Pairing: The Five Principles\nTea with Chocolate: Pair by Cocoa Percentage\nTea and Chocolate Pairing\nScottish Biscuits and Tea: What Pairs With What",
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