Jaffa Cakes — sponge-orange-chocolate biscuits
Jaffa Cakes are small disc-shaped British baked goods: a thin sponge base topped with a disc of orange jelly and covered with a thin layer of dark chocolate. They are sold in elongated tubes and have been at the centre of a famous British legal dispute about whether they are cakes or biscuits.
i. Origin & history
Jaffa Cakes were created by McVitie's in 1927. In a 1991 VAT tribunal, McVitie's argued (successfully) that Jaffa Cakes were cakes rather than biscuits — biscuits attract VAT, cakes do not. The decisive test was that biscuits go soft when stale, while Jaffa Cakes go hard, like cakes.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 3 large eggs
- 75 g caster sugar
- 75 g self-raising flour
- Pinch salt
- Zest of 1 orange
- 300 ml orange juice
- 60 g sugar
- 6 g gelatin
- 200 g dark chocolate
iii. Method
- Make orange jelly: bloom gelatin in cold water. Warm orange juice with sugar; dissolve gelatin into it. Pour into a shallow tray to 5 mm depth. Chill until set. Cut into 6 cm discs.
- Make sponge: whip eggs and sugar until tripled. Fold in flour, salt and zest. Pipe small discs (6 cm) onto a lined tray.
- Bake at 180 °C for 6-8 min until just-set and pale. Cool.
- Place a jelly disc on each sponge.
- Melt chocolate. Spoon over the top of each disc to cover; texture the surface with a fork.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
- Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
- Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.
v. Variations
Lemon Jaffa Cakes use lemon jelly. Strawberry Jaffa Cakes are seasonal. McVitie's original remains the canonical Jaffa Cake.
vi. Common questions
What is jaffa cakes?
Jaffa Cakes is sponge-orange-chocolate biscuits, from british & irish cuisine. They are sold in elongated tubes and have been at the centre of a famous British legal dispute about whether they are cakes or biscuits
Where is jaffa cakes from?
Jaffa Cakes is from the british & irish dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does jaffa cakes keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: 2 weeks airtight.