Wednesday, 25 January 2012

Burns Night tribute: Deep Fried Tunnocks Tea Cakes

Yes, other chocolate bars were definitely harmed in the making of this gooey, melty, chocolate treat. We're already fans of Tunnock's Tea Cakes and given that it's Burns Night (work with us here) we thought we'd try to give them the same treatment as we've heard is meeted out to Mars Bars, pizzas and other delicacies in Scotland. By far, the tea cake is the victor.

Make your batter as gluey and thick as possible, and coat the tea cake well. I used our mini-deep fryer but you could also heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Whichever method you use, remember to be really careful around the oil as it's going to be extremely hot!  Also it's best if you can chill, or ideally freeze the tea cakes for a couple of hours beforehand so that they'll have a little more resistance to the hot fat.

Does it look unappetising? Ok, a little. That's chocolate and disintegrating marshmallow trying to escape out the top right there in the picture. Does it taste good? Oh. Yes. Indeed. In a filthy, deep fried, melting chocolate, runny marshmallow-fluff centre type way. 

I nearly made the batter with Irn-Bru. But thought that might be going just a little too far...

You will need:
  • Tunnock's Tea Cakes, frozen or chilled
  • Milk
  • Plain flour
  • Corn flour
  • Oil for frying 
Make it!
  1. Heat the oil, and while it's coming to temperature, make the batter
  2. Start with 50ml of milk, and sieve in 100g of cornflour, whisking constantly to avoid lumps - top up with some plain flour until it's got a very stiff consistency
  3. Check the oil is ready by dropping in some batter - it should sizzle immediately
  4. Liberally coat the tea cake with the paste-like batter and lower carefully into the hot oil
  5. Fry until golden brown

14 comments:

  1. Oh god. It looks disgusting and brilliant all at once.

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  2. There is a tear in my eye. I have never been this happy.

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  3. Be still my (no longer beating due to deep fried teacake induced coronary) heart!

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  4. You should have done Irn Bru! Irn Bru and Tunnock's Teacakes are PERFECT together.

    However, yum. *puts on Scottish chip shop girl hat* If you want the chocolate and mallow not to explode out so much, freeze the chocolate bar for half an hour. It won't go solid, but it will go hard enough that you don't lose chocolate, and the mallow should still melt.

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  5. Love it, though not sure it fits in with the January weight loss plan!

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  6. Hi Lisa-Marie - we did freeze it! But the chocolate shell on the tea cake is quite fragile. Perhaps another way to do it would be coat the tea cake in chocolate to equivalent thickness of a Mars Bar, then freeze it then batter it....

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  7. Scottish people don't eat deep fried chocolate. This is a complete modern day myth! We do love tunnocks teacakes though, and that, quite frankly, is a waste of a teacake. Glad you all seemed to enjoy it though, each to their own :-)

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  8. I'm Scottish and had many a deep fried chocolate bar in my youth!

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  9. Oh we don't think it's a regular thing, Anon! We've done lots of other less silly recipes for Burns night. This was really just a little bit of fun that turned out to work surprisingly well!

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  10. Is there anything the Scots won't deep fry? My first taste of haggis was a slice deep-fried from a chip shop near the train station in Glasgow. Thanks for reminding me that it is Burns Night. Almost forgot.

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  11. Is there anything the Scots won't deep fry? My first taste of haggis was a slice deep-fried from a chip shop near the train station in Glasgow. Thanks for reminding me that it is Burns Night. Almost forgot.

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  12. Gail, you are right, they are very breakable. I think it would ruin the teacake though, as it's have to be Tunnock's chocolate. Maybe leaks are best!

    Anon, I am Scottish, and worked in a chip shop, and MANY people ate deep fried chocolate. Also, the best chipper in Glasgow still does deep fried chocolate bars if you ask. :)

    kSto. No. We enjoy batter! :)

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  13. Irn Bru batter? It's a crazy idea but it might just work. :-)

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