Jaffa Cakes

When it comes to the saccharine I am equally as satisfied with a lovely piece of cakey cake as I am with a cheeky biscuity biscuit. So when the opportunity presented itself to try one of the most popular of cake/biscuit hybrids needless to say I jumped at the chance (I actually did a little jump).

I concede that I was more than a little apprehensive when attempting these, as both the jelly and the sponge were somewhat of a voyage into the unknown. My fears though were no more than that, as the process was as pleasing as it was gratifying and much easier than I anticipated. However to be honest, even if the recipe did prove a toil it would certainly be worth enduring, as the resulting cakes are darned delicous!

Prep time: 25 Mins (Plus some chilling time)
Baking time: 10-12 Mins
For the Jelly
135g Orange Jelly
250ml Orange Juice
1.5tbsp Marmalade

For the cakes
110g Caster Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
140g Plain Flour (Sifted)

300g Dark Chocolate (Melted)

First things first is the jelly. Break the jelly into cubes and place in a large heatproof jug, then pour the orange juice into a large saucepan along with the marmalade and place on a low heat. Whilst the orange juice is warming you can line a 28x21cm rectangular baking tin with baking paper. Try and do this with a single sheet of baking paper if you can. When the orange juice is steaming and just bubbling at the edges remove from the heat and pour over the jelly cubes. Mix until the jelly has dissolved, which I admit can occasionally prove a bit of a botheration. If it doesn't seem to be dissolving just pop the jug into the microwave for a minute or so and stir again. When the jelly has melted into the orange juice pour into your prepared tin, leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge to chill for a couple of hours until set.

For the sponge bases preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line two large flat baking sheets with baking paper. Sprinkle the sugar into a shallow heat proof dish and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until hot to the touch. You don't want it melting, just heated. Whilst the sugar is warming crack the eggs into a large bowl then whisk on a medium speed for around 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the hot sugar a little at a time and keep whisking until combined and voluminous. Add the flour and vanilla extract, then fold through until thick and smooth, making sure you get right to the bottom of the bowl when folding. Spoon or pipe the mixture onto your prepared tray. You want to try and aim for little rounds, evenly spaced apart and you should get around 20+ out of the mixture. Bake in the centre of the oven for around 10-12 minutes, until pale golden then remove and set to one side for 15 minutes, before peeling each round from the tray and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

When the rounds are cool you can finish the cakes off. Carefully remove the jelly on the paper then cut into little discs, smaller than the sponge rounds. I use a little (4.5cm) pastry cutter for this. Invert the rounds then peel each jelly disc from the paper and place in the centre of the sponge. Finish by covering generously with melted dark chocolate and leaving to set. Congratulations, you are finished!