It looks like a simple novelty shape — a chocolate ball rolled in coconut — but the Snowball is a specific piece of confectionery construction, and it's easy to misjudge what's actually inside it.
Marshmallow, not cake
There's no biscuit, sponge or wafer anywhere in a Snowball. The centre is a dome of soft, foamy marshmallow made from egg white and syrup whipped to a glossy, aerated finish — the same marshmallow family as a Tea Cake's topping, just without anything underneath it.
Chocolate first, then coconut
The marshmallow dome is dipped in chocolate before being rolled in white shredded coconut, which is what gives the Snowball both its name and its texture contrast — a soft, airy centre under a firm chocolate shell, finished with the slightly fibrous bite of desiccated coconut on the outside.
The Tea Cake's base-free cousin
It's easy to assume a Snowball is just a Tea Cake with coconut on it, but the difference is more specific than that: a Tea Cake sits its marshmallow dome on a biscuit base, while a Snowball has no base at all. Remove the biscuit from a Tea Cake and swap the foil wrapper for a coconut coating, and you're most of the way to a Snowball.
Part of the same Uddingston story
The Snowball followed close behind the 1952 Caramel Wafer, as the Tunnock family — Thomas Tunnock's sons Tom and Boyd among them — kept expanding the product range from their Lanarkshire bakery through the 1950s. Note that a separate Scottish company, Lee's of Coatbridge, also makes a coconut-covered snowball with its own distinct origin story, so the two shouldn't be confused.
A heritage classic, not currently in our range
We don't currently stock Tunnock's Snowballs, so treat this as trivia rather than a shopping guide. If you're after a chocolate-and-coconut treat from the brands we do carry, our chocolate collection is worth a look.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Tunnock's Snowball actually made of?
Egg-white-and-syrup marshmallow, dipped in chocolate, coated in coconut — no biscuit base.
When was it introduced?
The mid-1950s, shortly after the 1952 Caramel Wafer.
How is a Snowball different from a Tea Cake?
A Tea Cake has a biscuit base; a Snowball has none, and swaps the foil wrapper for coconut.
Do you stock Tunnock's Snowballs?
No — this is a trivia piece, not a product listing.