Homemade Jaffa Cakes – A British classic. Biscuit sized cakes topped with an orange jelly and sealed with dark chocolate!
I love Jaffa Cakes. They are biscuit sized cakes that are topped with a tangy orange jelly, and sealed with a layer of dark chocolate. I am being serious when I say it’s not hard to eat a whole packet of them in one go.
They are that good, and addictive!
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try and bake up one of my favourite treats. Well, today’s the day, and I bring you my Homemade Jaffa Cakes.
These are incredibly easy to make with few ingredients. You just can’t go wrong. And dare I say, these taste just like Jaffa Cakes, if not better!
How to make Homemade Jaffa Cakes
Ingredients you’ll need:
- large eggs
- caster/granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- plain/all-purpose flour
- orange juice
- sachet of gelatine
- dark chocolate
To make these Jaffa Cakes, place the sugar and orange juice into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once the sugar has dissolved, sprinkle the gelatine on top and stir it in. Do not boil.
Line a muffin pan with aluminium foil, then pour 1 tablespoon of the orange mixture into each hole. Chill for 1 – 2 hours until set.
In a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, add the eggs and sugar and beat until pale and frothy – about 4 – 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the vanilla, and fold in the flour.
Remove the jelly and foil from the muffin pan, and grease the pan for the cake mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, about 1 tablespoon of batter per muffin hole.
Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Gently remove the jellies from the foil. I shaped out smaller circles from the centre of the jellies before gently pulling them off the foil – You don’t have to, but I wanted my jelly slightly smaller than the cakes.
For the topping, microwave the chocolate until melted and smooth, stirring every 10 – 20 seconds. Allow to cool slightly, then using a spoon, spread the chocolate over the tops of the jelly, gently spreading to the edges of the cakes.
For looks, gently press the tines of a fork on top of the chocolate and lift up. Leave to set.
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, their measurements, and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
These Homemade Jaffa Cakes are:
- quick and easy to make
- deliciously soft and full of flavour
- perfect for sharing and gift-giving
How long will these Jaffa Cakes last? These Jaffa Cakes can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze these Jaffa Cakes? Yes, they also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a ⭐️ review! I’d love to see your take on it — snap a photo and tag me on Instagram or Facebook with #simplybakeblog!
More treats to try!
Craving more sweet treats? Subscribe to my newsletter to receive recipe updates straight to your inbox. You can also keep up to date on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Homemade Jaffa Cakes
Ingredients
For the Cakes
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50g) caster/granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (60g) plain/all-purpose flour
For the Filling
- ¼ cup (50g) caster/granulated sugar
- ½ cup 120ml orange juice
- 1 sachet (12g) gelatine
For the Topping
- ¾ cup (130g) dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
For the Filling
- Place the sugar, and orange juice into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once the sugar has dissolved, sprinkle the gelatine on top and stir it in. Do not boil.
- Line a muffin pan with aluminium foil, then pour 1 tablespoon of the orange mixture into each hole. Chill for 1 – 2 hours until set.
For the Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- In a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, add the eggs and sugar and beat using a hand mixer until pale and frothy – about 4 – 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the vanilla, and fold in the flour.
- Remove the jelly and foil from the muffin pan. Grease the pan for the cake mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, about 1 tablespoon of batter per muffin hole.
- Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cakes are cool, gently remove the jellies from the foil. I shaped out smaller circles from the centre of the jellies before gently pulling them off the foil. You don’t have to, but I wanted my jelly slightly smaller than the cakes.
For the Topping
- Microwave the chocolate until melted and smooth, stirring every 10 – 20 seconds. Allow to cool slightly, then using a spoon, spread the chocolate over the tops of the jelly, gently spreading to the edges of the cakes.
- For looks, gently press the tines of a fork on top of the chocolate and lift up. Leave to set.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this recipe! I made it using brownies too and was also delicious.
These taste great however it is not 12g of gelatine. One sachet of Jelatin brand is 7g and I expect that to be good. I did 12g and it is too chewy.
Instead of using foil to line the muffin pan, do you think I could use cupcake liners to pour the jelly mixture into? Or would it not react well with the paper?
& what about the cakes themselves, instead of putting them directly in a muffin pan, would they cook alright with cupcake liners?
Cupcake liners would work great for both the jelly and cakes!
Can you use a raspberry jelly?
Yes 🙂
I made these last night and have several comments about them. Firstly, the jellies were a NIGHTMARE to remove from the foil. Secondly, they hardly tasted of orange. In the final product, there is little to no orange flavor. Thirdly, the jellies were not the right texture at all. They were closer to a gummy candy than the nice jelly texture in a jaffa cake. Lastly, the cakes tasted very eggy and off putting. I would definitely avoid this recipe and follow a different one. Huge bummer, as this was quite time consuming. Also, shouldn’t the hours of cooling time be considered in the total time it takes to make these?
I’d really love to try to make these! But o don’t see the measurements? I see just a list of the ingredients and instructions.
Hi Kathy! Scroll right down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. You’ll find all of the measurements there 🙂
The jelly is too firm and not orange enough- I melted it down to remake it, this time with orange zest, and 1/4 cup orange juice (condensed from 1/2 cup) added.
For the cake, I whipped it to soft peaks, and that was much too far, leaving the cake with huge holes.
Oh, and temper your chocolate if possible, otherwise it’ll never firm up.