This chocolate and orange layer cake is inspired by Jaffa Cakes – the popular little biscuit-sized cakes.

Jaffa Cake divide? We are split down the middle in our house. My son Sam adores Jaffa Cakes above all biscuits and I kind of love them myself. Anya and my husband on the other hand would not touch them even if there are no other treats in the house (this happens, rarely). For those not familiar with Jaffa Cakes, they aren’t cakes at all but sponge cookies topped with orange filling and covered in dark chocolate. If you love the combination of orange and chocolate, then you will probably be in the first camp. And even if Jaffa Cakes don’t light your fire, I am positive you would love this cake! Where do you stand on thedivide? We are split down the middle in our house. My son Sam adores Jaffa Cakes above all biscuits and I kind of love them myself. Anya and my husband on the other hand would not touch them even if there are no other treats in the house (this happens, rarely). For those not familiar with Jaffa Cakes, they aren’t cakes at all but sponge cookies topped with orange filling and covered in dark chocolate. If you love the combination ofthen you will probably be in the first camp. And even if Jaffa Cakes don’t light your fire, I am positive you wouldthis cake!

I got it in my head to recreate the Jaffa Cake experience in actual cake form – a lovely light sponge, layered with the best Seville orange marmalade and smothered with a mirror-like chocolate glaze. I am glad to report that this really surpassed my expectations – a delicious cake that is very easy to whip up. I wanted the sponge cake to be really soft and springy so I went with the classic method of whisking whole eggs – six of them! – over heat to produce a batter that is light as air. No other raising agent is added here so you have to whip the eggs within an inch of their lives. I added a little melted butter to give the cakes some moisture, but you could leave the butter out if you prefer to create a fatless sponge. This type of cake really benefits from being brushed with a little simple syrup – don’t skip that step!

I baked this in my smallest cake tins (15cm/6in) and produced 4 layers (only used three in the photos). You can use 20cm (8in) tins to produce 2 large layers instead. I would like to thank King’s Fine Foods for supplying me with some amazing Amedei chocolate and wonderful citrus oils which I used in this recipe.

Some random thoughts…

• If you are not a fan of orange marmalade, these cakes can easily be filled with the jam of your choice instead – raspberry and chocolate work really well together.

• The recipe for the chocolate glaze makes more than you will need. You can add some to the layers to increase the chocolate factor or reserve to use for topping ice cream. The glaze will set as it cools so you will need to reheat it very gently.

• Instead of orange or simple syrup you could use an orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier to brush over the cakes. Because the sponges don’t contain a lot of fat they tend to dry out over time – best eat the cake while it is fresh! Not that I think you will have a lot of trouble with that.

Where do you stand on the Jaffa Cake divide? If you are a fan make sure to check these amazing chocolate & orange recipes…

Blood Orange Cheesecake from Vikalinka

Jaffa Cake Entremet from Patisserie Makes Perfect

Chocolate Jaffa cake from Scarlet Scorch Droppers

Chocolate and orange truffles with coconut from Tinned Tomatoes

Triple chocolate and orange cake from Tin and Thyme

Chocolate and orange Swiss roll from Casa Costello