Low Sugar Jaffa Cakes

Guys, these Jaffa cakes. I first posted this recipe a year and a half ago, and I have to admit, I haven’t made them since. For some reason, in my mind, I’d remembered them as hard work and – while good – not exactly the same as the Jaffa cakes I’d enjoyed so much in my pre-low-sugar days.

But, oh, I was wrong. I’ve since adapted the recipe to make the base a little softer and the jelly (jello) a bit more orange-y. And it is spot.on. One bite and I am digging into a box of Jaffa cakes again. Except, as my husband put it, somehow they are better. They are fresher, more orange-y, more satisfying.

For anyone unfamiliar with Jaffa cakes, they are a popular “cookie” (technically mini cakes) in England that consist of a soft spongy base, an orange jelly (jello) centre and are topped with dark chocolate. They are very sweet and very addictive, and it is so easy to munch your way through most of a packet in one go. No? Just me?

Knowing how easily I ate my own body weight in them in pre-low-sugar days, I knew I just couldn’t buy them and have them in the house, and I usually only eat them on rare occasions I am offered them by others. But I do sometimes miss them.

Well, not anymore. I can have my (Jaffa) cake and eat it, too. Because these are spot on for texture and taste, and they are surprisingly easy to make. There are a couple of steps and it can seem like a faff, but each step takes little time and the result is beyond worth it.

Even if you choose to use rice syrup (which is fructose free but still classed as a “free sugar” by the World Health Organisation) and 85% dark chocolate, these Jaffa cakes ring in at less than 1/2 tsp of free sugars per cookie. So tuck into a couple at tea time and enjoy the low sugary goodness.

Little hands can:

• peel the oranges and push down the blender button to blitz them
• mix the biscuits dough ingredients together
• older kids can measure ingredients and roll out the dough, and if they are comfortable with a stove, they could stir the jelly while it simmers and whisk in the gelatin
• use cookie cutters to stamp out the biscuit base
• top the base with jelly (this can be fiddly so best for older children)
• break up the chocolate into pieces
• pour chocolate over the cakes (again, it’s a bit fiddly and better for older ones)

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Low Sugar Jaffa Cakes

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

A delicious low sugar version of jaffa cakes that tastes just like the real thing! 🙂

Course: Dessert, Snack, Snacks

Servings: 30 small jaffa cakes

Ingredients

For the jelly:

• 2 oranges (or 4 clementines)
• 4-8 tbsp xylitol (or stevia to taste)
• 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 1 tbsp water (skip for low carb and add an extra tsp gelatin)
• 1-2 tsp gelatin*
• 1/2 tsp sugar free orange extract, optional

For the base:

• 150 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour (use almond flour for low carb or gluten free)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tsp sugar free vanilla extract
• 50 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil or softened butter
• 2-3 tbsp rice syrup** (or stevia to taste)

For the top:

• 100 g (4oz) dark chocolate (at least 85%)
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. First, make the jelly (jello): Zest the oranges, and put the zest in a pan. Peel the oranges and discard peel, then blitz the peeled oranges in a food processor until smooth.

2. Pour the blended oranges into the pan with the zest and mix in the xylitol or stevia. Simmer over a gentle heat while you mix the cornflour and water to a paste, then whisk into the orange mix and simmer for another minute or two, until it starts to thicken.

3. Take off the heat and whisk in 1-2 tsp of gelatin and the orange extract (if using), then pour into a cold dish and allow to cool completely before placing in the fridge to set properly.

4. While the jelly is setting, make the base: Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.

5. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until it resembles a soft biscuit dough. If needed, add a little splash of milk to help it come together, but it should be able to come together without.

6. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 2cm (3/4") thick and cut out small circles with a 5cm (2") cookie cutter. Place on a lined baking tray (you may need two, or to cook in two batches).

7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-15 mins, or until cooked and just starting to go a little golden.

8. Allow the cakes to cool on a cooling rack. When they are cool, top each cake with about 1 heaped tsp of jelly (or cut out the set jelly with the same cutter as the biscuits - or better yet, a slightly smaller one if you have one), try to leave a thin outer rim of cake showing to get a more authentic look.

9. Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil and allow to cool slightly. Pour the chocolate over the jaffa cakes and allow to set at room temperature (or chill in the fridge for a minute or two to set extra quickly). For an authentic look, use a fork to mark the tops of the jaffa cakes slightly to create marks on the chocolate.

Recipe Notes

*I use Great Lakes gelatin, which you can get here

**rice syrup counts as a free sugar/added sugar, but is fructose-free so is better metabolised by the liver. And even using rice syrup and 85% dark chocolate, these jaffa cakes have less than 1/2 tsp sugar each!

Want to try some other low sugar cookie recipes? Why not try your hand at my Jammie Dodgers, chocolate bourbons, viennese whirls or gingerbread men? Looking for one that’s lower in sweetener? We love our apple & cinnamon cookies.