Coronation Quiche Cupcakes

Coronation Quiche Cupcakes

We made these for a garden party and honestly they disappeared in about four minutes flat. Little pastry cups packed with spiced coronation filling, savory marinated mushrooms, and all that gorgeous golden quiche vibes, but in adorable cupcake form. The marinade on the mushrooms is doing serious work here, smoky and slightly sweet with that tamari depth, and when it all bakes together inside the pastry it's just properly satisfying. These are the kind of thing you bring to a gathering and everyone assumes you spent way more time on them than you did. Make a batch this weekend, trust us on this one.

Cook: 70 min
Serves 16

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • 12-hole muffin/cupcake tin
  • Baking beans or rice for blind baking
  • Blender (powerful)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Large saucepan
  • Cookie cutter (slightly larger than muffin holes)
  • Baking paper
  • Chill for at least 1 hour after baking

Ingredients

  • 1 320g sheet plant-based shortcrust pastry
  • 349g silken tofu
  • 2 tbsp Nooch
  • 1 tbsp oat milk
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • ⅛ tsp ground turmeric
  • 25g plant-based feta
  • 50g roasted red peppers, roasted courgettes, roasted yellow peppers
  • pinch of Salt and pepper
  • 1 large king oyster mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • plant-based butter
  • fresh microherbs or rocket leaves
  • black pepper

Method

1

Marinade the mushrooms

  • Cut the mushrooms into small pieces and place into a mixing bowl.
  • Add the olive oil, maple syrup, tamari, smoked paprika and garlic powder.
  • Mix well and coat the mushrooms before leaving to one side until needed.
2

Make the tart cases

  • Roll the pastry sheet out onto a chopping board.
  • Using a cookie cutter or knife, cut out 12 circles that are slightly larger than the holes in the baking tray (we usually get about 9 from the first roll of pastry then re-roll the pastry and get a final 3).
  • Once you have the circles, press them down into each hole.
  • Put a little piece of baking paper in each case before filling with some baking beans.
  • Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
  • After 15-20 minutes, remove the beans or rice and the baking paper and bake for further 10 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly golden and dry to the touch.
3

While the cases cook, make the filling

  • Drain the silken tofu and put into a powerful blender with the Nooch.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Add the oat milk, cornflour, turmeric, and a pinch of salt.
  • Blend until smooth then set aside until needed.
    Fry the mushroom bacon
  • Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add some plant-based butter.
  • Once melted, drain out any excess marinade from the mushroom chunks and add them to the pan, then mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes until soft.
  • Once cooked, leave to one side until needed.
4

Prepare the rest of the filling

  • Pour the blended tofu mixture into a bowl.
  • Cut the roasted vegetables into small chunks and mix most of them into the bowl (saving some for the top).
  • Crumble in most of the plant-based feta (saving some for the top).
  • Finally, mix through the mushroom bacon pieces and spoon the mixture into the pastry cases (being sure not to overly fill them).
  • Scatter the rest of the vegetables on top (being sure not to overly top them).
5

Cook the quiches

  • Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the tarts start to become set.
  • Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill for at least an hour in the fridge.
    Time to serve
  • Once the tarts have fully set, crumble over some more leftover feta, sprinkle over some more black pepper, microherbs or rocket, and enjoy!

Tips & Variations

  • Give the mushrooms more time: We find the longer you leave them in the marinade the better. Even 20 minutes makes a real difference to the depth of flavour.
  • Use a good non-stick tray: These can stick a bit if your tin is older or light-coloured. A silicone muffin tray or a well-greased non-stick one will save you a lot of heartache when it comes to getting them out in one piece.
  • Make them ahead: These are brilliant for batch cooking. Make them the day before, store in the fridge, and just warm them through at 160C for about 8 minutes before serving. They taste just as good, maybe even better.

Why This Works

The trick is getting that mushroom marinade right and giving it time to really soak in before everything goes into the cases. The maple syrup and tamari together create this caramelised, almost meaty depth that makes people genuinely surprised these are plant-based. Keeping the pastry circles slightly larger than the tin holes is key too, you want enough overhang to get a proper little cup shape that holds everything together without cracking.