Jaffa cake

Jaffa cake

Jaffa Cake is a popular biscuit-sized cake introduced by the British company McVitie's in 1927. Named after the Jaffa orange, it consists of a layer of orange-flavoured jelly, sandwiched between a sponge base and a coating of chocolate.

History

The Jaffa Cake was first produced by McVitie's in the United Kingdom in 1927. The cake was named after the Jaffa orange, a type of orange grown in Jaffa, the modern-day city of Tel Aviv, Israel. The Jaffa Cake quickly became a popular snack in the UK and has remained so ever since.

Composition

A Jaffa Cake consists of three layers: a sponge base, a layer of orange-flavoured jelly, and a coating of chocolate. The sponge base is a light genoise sponge, the orange-flavoured jelly is made with sugar, orange juice, and gelatin, and the chocolate coating is typically dark chocolate.

Tax Status

In the UK, Jaffa Cakes were classified as cakes for tax purposes, following a VAT tribunal in 1991, which ruled that the product should be considered a cake, rather than a biscuit, for tax purposes. This is because cakes go hard when they stale, whereas biscuits go soft.

In Popular Culture

Jaffa Cakes have been featured in various aspects of British popular culture. They were the subject of a question on the quiz show The Million Pound Drop, and have been mentioned in the sitcom Peep Show and the drama series Doctor Who.

See Also

• McVitie's
• Biscuit
• Cake
• VAT tribunal

External Links

• Official McVitie's Jaffa Cakes page