Still obsessed with the Great British Bake Off. Even if Mary and Mel and Sue aren’t there.
If I could go anywhere in the world, there is a 99.9% change I would choose the baker’s tent in Berkshire, where I could spend all day making pretty bakes for Mary Berry, herself. Maybe my Victoria Sandwich would be tasty enough to earn me another day in the tent.
What are jaffa cakes?
I had never even heard of jaffa cakes until they made an appearance as the technical challenge on Great British Bake Off. Apparently you can get them at any corner shop in Great Britain. Kind of like my beloved ho hos here in the States. But . . . now that I have had jaffa cakes . . . I am SUPER devastated that I can’t just march down to 7-Eleven for late night munchies. I’m not aware of any American equivalent, but chocolate and orange have always been my favorite. (Hello chocolate orange cake with pistachio mascarpone.) And now jaffa cakes will forever be on my go-to list of fun, individual-sized party cakes.
For those not in the know, jaffa cakes have three main components:
- Light sponge cake
- Orange “jelly” (think of a more firm gelatin – like the chocolate covered orange sticks you buy at Christmas time)
- Semi-sweet chocolate
I’ve included the American measurements for jaffa cakes below, since just about all of the recipes I found online used weighed volume and us weirdos in the States don’t always have a kitchen scale. Miss Mary Berry’s recipe simply used Hartley’s orange jelly . . . which is very difficult to find in the States. Unless you decide to make jaffa cakes in advance and have time to order Hartley’s via Amazon. (Kudos to you. My cravings don’t give me prior notice.) So for my faux American jaffa cake recipe, I experimented with envelopes of plain, unflavored gelatin, which worked like a charm!
I loved these jaffa cakes so much, I’m already wondering about a flavor mix-up. Anybody out there ever tried a raspberry chocolate jaffa cake? Is it still a jaffa cake if it’s not orange?
Steps for How to Make Jaffa Cakes:
- Set the eggs out to come to room temperature. (Cheater’s Tip: Place eggs in a bowl of warm tap water if you’re in a hurry.)
- Make the orange jelly and chill.
- Whip the eggs and sugar to “ribbon” stage. (Tip: Beat at least six minutes. Don’t skimp.)
- Fold in the dry ingredients.
- Bake the jaffa cakes.
- Cut orange jelly disks and place on top of each cake.
- Temper chocolate and top each jaffa cake!
- Try not to eat them all in 24 hours . . . like I did. O.o
mikaela | wyldflour
12-16 Jaffa Cakes
Jaffa Cakes! Light sponge cake topped with orange jelly and semi-sweet chocolate.
1 hrPrep Time
10 minCook Time
1 hr, 10 Total Time
Save Recipe4.8 based on 4 review(s)
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (50 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar (75 g)
- 3/4 cup pure orange juice (180 ml)
- 2 1/4 envelopes or 5 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder (18 g)
- zest of 1 1/2 small oranges
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Set the eggs out to come to room temperature.
- Make the filling! Heat orange juice, orange zest, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering and the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and slowly sprinkle the unflavored gelatin powder into the juice while whisking vigorously and continuously. Pour the jelly into an un-greased 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Chill for at least one hour until set and firm to the touch.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 12-hole, shallow bun tin with soft butter.
- Beat the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl for six minutes, until pale, fluffy, and ribbon stage. (Looks like early whipped cream stage - the batter should ribbon off the beaters.) Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and fold into egg mixture.
- Spoon two tablespoons of mixture into each bun cup, at least three-quarters full, and smooth the tops. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until well risen and the top of the sponges spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from the oven, let cool in the tin for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with any remaining batter. (*See Notes.)
- Remove the jelly from the refrigerator and use a 2-inch biscuit cutter (or jar lid) to cut at least 12 disks out of the jelly. Use a spoon to carefully scoop the jelly disks up from the bottom of the baking dish. (The jelly will be the consistency of very firm gelatin. Scrape the spoon along the bottom of the dish and peel away the excess jelly from the disks.) Place one disk on each sponge cake.
- Melt the chocolate chips by placing them in a small bowl and microwaving at 50% power for 30 second intervals. Stir well after each interval--the last of the chocolate bits should melt as you're stirring. Spoon a tablespoon or so of chocolate onto each jaffa cake, using the back of a spoon to push the chocolate to the edge of the jaffa cake, sealing the orange jelly inside. Set the cakes back on a wire rack to let the chocolate set. When the chocolate is almost set, use the tines of a fork to gently dab the criss-cross pattern on the top.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes
The yield of this batter will vary greatly, depending on the precise size of your eggs and how diligently you whipped air into them. If you have leftover batter, chill the batter while the first batch bakes and just pop a second batch into the oven! (And remember to cut a number of jelly disks equal to the number of cakes you bake!)
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