Paul Hollywood’s Chocolate Marshmallow Teacakes

After watching “The Great British Bake Off”  I was desperate to make Paul Hollywood’s Chocolate Marshmallow teacakes. They reminded me so much of the ones we used to eat when I was a child.  The only problem was that I couldn’t find the silicone moulds in South Africa.  On a recent trip to Johannesburg I eventually managed to source a mini half dome silicone mold.  Although these teacakes were really quite difficult to make because the moulds were so tiny, they were well worth the effort, and I think I prefer the idea of a small teacake, as they are very decadant and rich.

 The biscuits are a delicious digestive using wholemeal and plain flour.  If you prefer they can be made using just the plain flour, but I loved the crunchy wholemeal taste.  Make sure you cut the biscuits the exact size of the silicone moulds and they must be chilled in the fridge before cooking, so that they are firm and don’t spread or shrink when cooked. These biscuits would be great just baked and spread with any chocolate of your choice to make amazing chocolate digestives. Try a selection of white, milk and dark chocolate.

If you are interested in more of celebrity chef and  Baker , Paul Hollywood’s delicious baking recipes, check him out at Paul Hollywood.  I was thrilled with my attempt and  hope I have done his recipe justice.

Chocolate Tea Cakes Author: Paul Hollywood Recipe type: chocolate, cookies Serves: 6 or 12 Prep time: 40 mins Cook time: 6 mins Total time: 46 mins This is Paul Hollywood's marshmallow and chocolate teacake recipe from The Great British Bake Off Ingredients

• 400g Bournville dark chocolate with around 40% cocoa solids
• 50g wholemeal flour
• 50g plain flour
• pinch salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 25g caster sugar
• 25g oz butter
• 1 tbsp milk
• For the marshmallow
• 3 free-range eggs, whites only
• 150g caster sugar
• 6 tsp golden syrup
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ vanilla pod, seeds only

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF/179ºC.
2. Melt 300g of the chocolate over a bowl of simmering water. Allow to cool slightly . If the chocolate is too soft it wont line the moulds.
3. Mix the flours, salt, baking powder and caster sugar together in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips.
4. Add the milk and stir together to form a smooth ball .
5. Roll out your dough on a floured surface to about 5mm/1/4in thick. If you are making mini teacakes like I did, make sure your dough is very thin.
6. Cut out six rounds with a 7.5cm/3in straight sided round cutter, or 12 rounds using a smaller cutter for the mini biscuit bases.
7. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Your biscuits need to be perfectly round and well chilled to ensure that they dont spread or shrink when you bake them.
8. Bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes. They do need to be hard, not soft as they form the base of the teacake.
9. Cool on a wire rack.
10. Next coat your moulds with the melted chocolate. I used the back of a spoon to do this. Its quite messy but dont worry about the chocolate spilled on the top of the mold it just peels off.
11. Paul says to set aside and not refrigerate, but I found mine were perfectly shiny when set in the fridge.
12. Dip the cooled biscuits in the remaining melted chocolate, covering them completely This is a seriously messy business, but you will eventually get the hang on it.
13. TO MAKE THE MARSHMALLO
14. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water).
15. Whisk with an electric hand whisk for 6-8 minutes, it must be very stiff so it will hold when piped.
16. Spoon the marshmallow mixture into a piping bag, and the remaining chocolate into another one.
17. Pipe the marshmallow into each chocolate-lined mold just up to the top.
18. Carefully pipe some chocolate on the marshmallow and a rim of chocolate around the biscuit base and then put your biscuit on top together.
19. Wait until completely cold before you peel the tea cakes from the mold.