Blood Orange Jaffa Cakes

For those of us who take our novelty and nostalgia in edible form, Blood Orange Jaffa Cakes from @cake.onmyface are a clever twist on a classic sweet treat.

Serves: 24 cakes
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Medium

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These are a bit fiddly to put together, but there’s a kind of euphoria in making something as novel as a homemade Jaffa cake. And once you make them, you’ll realise that the shop-bought ones can’t compare.

Method

Ingredients

Step 1Start with the Jelly. Line a 30 x 30 cm square baking tray with enough clingfilm that it hangs over the sides of the tray. Heat the citrus juice and sugar in the saucepan until the sugar has dissolved - just a minute, with a bit of light stirring. Add the zest to the juice. Working quickly, pour the boiling water straight from the kettle into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine into the hot water, and whisk vigorously with a fork until the gelatine is dissolved. Mix the liquid gelatine into the citrus juice, then pour everything into the lined baking tray. Chill in the fridge until set (roughly 2 hours).
Step 2To make the cake bases, turn the oven to 180°C/160°C. Grease two 12-hole muffin tins. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar with electric beaters at high speed, until very pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Gently stir in the vanilla extract, salt and melted butter. Sift in the flour, then fold it into the batter. Divide the mixture between the two muffin trays – you’ll get a generous heaped tsp in each muffin hole. Bake for 6–7 minutes, until lightly golden and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. Allow the cakes to cool.
Step 3Now assemble the Jaffa Cakes. Tip the chilled and set tray of jelly upside down on the kitchen counter, then peel off the cling film. Using your round cutter, cut out 24 circles of jelly and place one on top of each cake base.
Step 4Chop the chocolate and melt it over a bain marie (a pan of boiling water, or in the microwave). Allow the chocolate to cool slightly – it needs to still be liquid but not be hot, or it will melt the jelly.
Step 5One by one, spoon melted chocolate over each Jaffa Cake, easing the chocolate over the jelly, to coat the top of the cakes. Try to work a little quickly here to avoid the jelly melting – not a disaster if that starts to happen, just stick the tray of cakes in the fridge, then try again. You might need to re-melt the chocolate at some point; just remember to let it cool slightly before topping the cakes.
Step 6Give the Jaffa Cakes an hour or two to sit at room temperature before serving, to let the chocolate set and the jelly re-solidify.

For the jelly
400ml / 420g citrus juice – from about 5 large blood oranges and 1 large lemon
1 tbsp caster sugar
Zest of 1 orange
60g boiling water
12g powdered gelatine (or a vegetarian equivalent)
For the cake
40g unsalted butter
80g caster sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
Large pinch of salt
70g self-raising flour
Assembly
400g dark chocolate

Tip: Store the Jaffa Cakes in an airtight container, layered between sheets of greaseproof paper, for up to 5 days. They may start to weep a bit from the chocolate layer; this is perfectly normal and comes from the jelly underneath - loosen the lid of the container they sit in to help reduce this.

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“I find these are best the day or two after they’ve been made, when the sponge has had a chance to soften and the chocolate and jelly a good chance to set.”

— Caitlin Carrick-Varty, Recipe Creator

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