Gluten-free Jaffa Cakes
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY – Gluten-free, Nut-free, Vegetarian, Low-sugar, Diabetic-friendly
Jaffa cakes are quite the English delicacy. Though you can find them in Australian supermarkets, the heavenly combination of chocolate and orange seems to be a firm British favourite. When he was diagnosed with celiac disease, my husband was pretty upset he could no longer enjoy these zingy biscuit-sized treats that he relished scoffing down a whole pack of from time to time, especially at Christmas when there would be a plentiful supply at my mum’s house! So, naturally, they ended up on the list of celiac-friendly recipes he wanted me to nail.
The process to make jaffa cakes yourself at home is easier than you might think, with a short ingredient list and minimal effort. Even better, if you have diabetes or are trying to watch your sugar intake, homemade jaffa cakes are a great treat as they are pretty low in carbohydrates and sugar, and only around 100 calories per cake. You can adapt the recipe to reduce the sugar and carbs even further by using sugar-free orange jelly instead (Hartley’s makes a good one). I have included the nutritional information per jaffa cake below made with and without sugar-free jelly. These are of course approximate and may vary between brands. If you want to take the extra time, you can also make your own jelly from scratch using orange juice, sugar, gelatine and hot water.
This recipe is inspired by Mary Berry’s classic jaffa cake recipe but with a few gluten-free adaptations and tweaks to the method. You can use plain or dark chocolate to top your jaffa cakes with, depending on how punchy you like your chocolate. The melted chocolate is tricky to pour over the cakes without dripping everywhere, but go with it, they’ll still taste incredible!
Nutrition information (per jaffa cake)
With sugar-free jelly:
Calories - 92
Carbohydrates - 8g
Of which sugars - 5g
With regular jelly:
Calories - 100
Carbs - 10.5g
Of which sugars - 7g
Gluten-free Jaffa Cakes
Ingredients:
- 1 packet of orange jelly, made to pack instructions (you’ll only use around 200g of the set jelly, so enjoy the rest as a separate dessert)
- 1 orange
- Unsalted butter, for greasing
- 2 eggs
- 30g gluten-free plain flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 25g caster sugar
- 100g dark chocolate
Method:
- Make your jelly first by following the packet instructions. Finely grate the zest of your orange into the liquid jelly and stir to mix. Pour your jelly into a shallow baking tray (approx. 12 x 8 inches) and put in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, grease a 12-hole muffin or shallow cake tin with unsalted butter and pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
- In a bowl, mix the eggs and sugar together using an electric hand whisk or stand mixer for around 5 minutes, until pale, thick and fluffy.
- Gently fold in your flour and baking powder until just combined.
- Fill each of your tin holes with the cake mix - around ¼ full for a muffin tin or ½ full for a shallow cake tin. Bake for 7-8 minutes until risen and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Don’t worry if the cakes come out of the oven with a bit of a dome top, this will flatten out as the cakes cool. Leave in the tin for a few minutes then put your cakes on to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once your jelly has set, remove from the fridge and turn out on to non-stick baking paper.
- Using a 5cm-round cutter, cut each of your jelly discs out and carefully sit on top of each of your sponge cakes. Pop back in the fridge while you prepare your chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl set over gently simmering water or in glass jug or bowl in the microwave. Stir until melted then set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
- Spoon your melted chocolate over each of the jelly discs on your sponge cakes then put back in the fridge to set. After 30 minutes, your homemade jaffa cakes are ready to enjoy!