The recipes are aim to be as low carb as possible too so they are all grain and gluten free – (except for one rogue cake that slipped in!).
Aug 18, 2023
I made these magnificent beasts for a tea party recently. I’m happy to report they went down mightily well. In the sugary days of yore, whilst I might have happily snaffled a Jaffa Cake if one was on offer, they wouldn’t necessarily have been my first choice. These freshly baked ones though, with just the tiniest hint of warm ginger and their generous layers of chocolate and zingy orange jelly are in another league. They ooze flavour!
They were born by accident. While I was trying to come up with a humble biscuit recipe, there was a sudden turn in the road as they came out the oven. These biscuits had a cheeky squidge, reminiscent of the jaffa cakes of old. It turns out to have been a very successful detour.
If you’re contemplating taking a break from sugar or quitting it altogether – cast out any thoughts now that this has to involve some kind of deprivation. On the contrary, things usually taste much better when you’re not walloped with sweetness. Go on - pop that apron on and see for yourself.
The Cakey Bit at the Bottom
100g almond flour
50g hemp flour
3 tbsp sweetener*
1 ½ eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 rounded tsp ginger powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
65g melted butter
Pinch of salt
The Orange Jelly Layer
2 gelatine leaves
Juice of 2 oranges
The Thick Choc Topping
200g no added sugar plain chocolate
10 drops caramel essence (optional)
*Natural sweetener options could include xylitol, erythritol, allulose. See Alternative Sweeteners page for more info. Each will have slightly different levels of sweetness. Adjust to taste.
The Cakey Bit at the Bottom
Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/180C
Mix the eggs, sweetener, butter and vanilla paste together.
In a separate bowl mix the flour, hemp seeds, salt, ginger powder and baking powder. Add to the wet mixture and blend.
Cover a large oven tray in baking paper. (Mine was 30cm x 38cm). And fill a bowl in cold water, ready to keep your hands wet.
Take a spoonful of the mixture and mould it into a ball with your hands. Flatten the mixture on the oven tray into a biscuit shape.
If the mixture starts to stick on your hands, moisten them again in the water.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they have gently browned.
Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Once cooled, turn them upside down so the flat surface of the biscuit is facing upwards – ready to receive the yumptious toppings!
The Orange Jelly Layer
Cover 2 sheets of gelatine in cold water and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
Warm the orange juice in a pan until it’s just starting to simmer. (Don’t let it boil!).
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the gelatine sheets.
Decant the jelly into a bowl and pop it in the fridge for 30-45 minutes until the jelly is just starting to set.
Spoon the jelly over the top of the biscuits.
The Thick Choc Topping
Break the chocolate into a heat proof bowl. To melt the chocolate, pop the bowl into a pan of hot water. Bring the water to simmering point stirring the chocolate until it’s fully melted. Add a few drops of caramel essence.
Take a teaspoon and pour the chocolate carefully over each biscuit. Leave the jaffa cakes to cool and then store in a sealed container the fridge.
