When I read about Jaffa Cakes, I wanted to make them right away under the alphabet’ J ‘ for A – Z Baking around the World. Jaffa Cakes are biscuit sized cakes with a layer of sponge, a layer of orange jelly and finally a layer of chocolate. These are very popular in United Kingdom and the name Jaffa comes from Jaffa Oranges.

I decide to make a giant Jaffa cake and saw a couple of videos too. It was Juhi’s birthday and a perfect occasion to bake a large cake. I followed the recipe of the Genoise Cake as it makes a beautiful sponge, but perhaps it was a wrong day for a cake. I forgot the major ingredient sugar and only remembered at the last minute. I did mix it in , but when the cake came out it was not edible. I just dumped it. Now don’t tell me I could have made pops or a dessert…seriously I could not have ! Anyway I gave up the idea of baking a cake and got a ready cake from the bakery downstairs.

I could see the Orange jelly sitting in my frig..it looked so beautiful . The next day I decided to bake a small Genoise cake and make mini Jaffa Cakes. This time I made sure I did not miss anything. The cakes turned out perfect. I cut the jelly according to the size of these mini cakes .I layered the cakes with jelly and then poured melted chocolate over it. The garnish was simple dried orange and mint.

The Jaffa cakes are absolutely stunning. I loved them. I made the Orange jelly at home with orange squash , agar agar and some dried oranges. I have always loved the chocolate and orange combo and this one is a treat . While making these my only doubt was while pouring the melted chocolate over the jelly. I did not want the jelly to melt . After melting the Chocolate I waited for it to come down to room temperature, and then poured. It did not give the perfect clean finish but I did not want to take any risk. A cake which is a must make.

Jaffa Cake

Ingredients

Genoise cake 1/2 recipe
( baked in a 4″ pan )
Orange jelly
Melted chocolate
Garnishing

Orange Jelly

250 ml orange juice
5 gms agar agar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Few drops orange essence
Few drops orange colour ( optional)
Dried orange strips

Method

Add sugar to the orange juice and mix well till it melts.
Wash the agar agar , add water and let the agar agar melt.
Add orange juice and immediately remove from fire.
Add essence and colour.
Add chopped dried orange strips.
Pour into moulds.
Let cool and then place in the frig.

Assembling the Jaffa Cakes

Place the cake on the counter.
Place the layer of jelly on cake layer.
Pour melted chocolate over it.
Garnish with dried orange and mint.
Let  set.
Place in frig for a couple of hours before serving.

Notes

I had made the jelly in a big mould as I was to make a Giant Jaffa Cake, so I cut it to size with a lid, but you could use a loose bottom tin of the same size as you have baked the cake in .