Vegan Jaffa Cakes

Vegan jaffa cakes - fluffy sponge cake topped with orange jelly and coated in chocolate. This vegan version of the classic British cake/biscuit is easy to make and so tasty!

There is no need for anyone to miss out on these iconic treats with my eggless and dairy-free recipe!

These vegan jaffa cakes are so much quicker and easier to make than you might think and use mostly basic ingredients.

While not exactly the same as the shop-bought (not vegan) ones, they are pretty darn close and are certainly extremely delicious and very more-ish!

For those of you who aren't British, jaffa cakes are one of the best selling cakes/biscuits in the UK.

They were introduced in 1927 by McVitie's and consist of a mini genoise sponge base topped with orange jelly and chocolate. They are sadly not vegan-friendly, but my recipe is so easy to make there is no need to miss out!

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Jaffa Cakes?:

Jelly:

Orange juice: Either freshly squeezed or from a carton is fine.

Agar agar: This is what is used in place of gelatin to set the jelly. Please note that the recipe requires agar agar POWDER, not flakes.

Lemon juice: A dash of lemon juice helps to intensify the orange flavour.

Sugar: You can use more or less sugar to suit your tastes.

Sponge:

Flour: I like to use a mixture of plain (all-purpose) flour and cornflour (cornstarch) as it gives a nice texture. You can use all cake flour or plain flour instead if you want.

Baking powder: A bit of baking powder makes the sponges light and fluffy.

Sugar: Either caster or granulated sugar is best here.

Oil: Any neutral flavoured oil will work. I use either olive or sunflower.

Milk: Any unsweetened non-dairy milk will work but I prefer soy.

Orange extract: A bit of orange extract gives these a flavour closer to a regular jaffa cake. You can use vanilla extract instead if you don't have any orange.

Chocolate: To coat the jaffa cakes. I recommend dark chocolate but a mix of dark and milk will also work. I think that all milk chocolate would be too sweet.

How To Make Vegan Jaffa Cakes:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Start by making the jelly. Place the agar agar powder in a saucepan and gradually whisk in the orange juice.

Whisk in the lemon juice and sugar then bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour the jelly into a lined 20cm square cake tin and refrigerate until set (about 1 hour).

To make the cakes, sift together the plain flour, cornflour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar, milk, oil and orange extract and whisk with a balloon whisk until smooth.

Divide the batter between a greased 12 hole bun or muffin tin, about 1 Tablespoon of batter per hole. Bash the tin on the counter to burst any air bubbles.

Bake for 12 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of one of the cakes comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the jelly is set, use a 4cm round cutter to cut out circles.

Use a sharp serrated knife to trim the tops of the cooled cakes to level them.

Place a jelly circle on top of each cake. Use a teaspoon to spread a little melted chocolate over the top of each cake, making sure that the jelly is fully enclosed.

Use the back of a fork to gently make an indentation in the top of the chocolate (optional, purely for looks) then leave them to set before serving.

Top Tips:

All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

You will need either a 12 hole shallow bun tin or muffin tin.

It's less authentic but if you want you can replace the jelly with a dollop of marmalade. Pop the cakes in the freezer for 15 minutes after adding the marmalade before topping with the chocolate.

The jelly recipe makes more than you will need for the jaffa cakes. If you have more than one muffin or bun tin then you can make 1 ½ times the sponge recipe to make 18 jaffa cakes which will use most of the jelly. Increase the chocolate to 150g if doing this.

If you want the chocolate to be smoother, shinier and less melty then you will need to temper it. I don't bother.

How To Store Them:

The vegan jaffa cakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They don't need to be stored in the fridge unless it is very warm out.

They can be frozen - freeze in a single layer on a tray. Once frozen solid transfer them to a container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature to serve.

More Classic British Treats:

I have loads of vegan versions of classic British recipes, you can find them all on my British recipes page. Here is a selection:

• Vegan cherry bakewells
• Vegan Belgian buns
• Vegan rock cakes
• Vegan jam doughnuts
• Vegan Battenberg cake
• Vegan Welsh cakes
• Vegan scones

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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