It is one of the most iconic British snacks to exist, a biscuit-sized cake first introduced by McVitie's in 1927 - a small circular sponge base, layered with glorious orange flavoured jam and coated on top with chocolate.
The Jaffa Cake has long been rooted in history and boasted success as one of the staple snacks to have in our biscuit jar or even cupboard. As a result - cookbooks, chefs and even philosophers have weighed into the debate of what makes it so great, with supermarkets even trying to replicate the success with their own attempts.
Lovers of the treat will know the controversial history and origins of debate when McVitie's was taken to court over its classification of the Jaffa Cake as a cake to avoid VAT on chocolate-covered biscuits. They even produced a giant version to illustrate their argument.
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Everyone recognises McVitie's as the original king of the Jaffa Cake but its roaring success has led supermarkets to offer their own budget takes in an attempt to have customers swap. We compared all the favourites to find the best Jaffa to see which is truly the best.
McVitie's Jaffa Cakes - 10 for £1.20
The brand accredited to the Jaffa Cake, establishing itself as the recognisable go-to for many shoppers as it is sold in all if not most supermarkets for a value price. Most packs of 10 can be purchased for a pound or under with a twin pack also being on offer for £2 but Sainsbury's had stocked the item at just over.
Containing 8% orange juice, 46 calories per cake and promising a "tangy orangey bit in the middle", 'jaffanatics' have been flocking to the brand for its name and quality product.
One bite into the circular treat and the feels of nostalgia run through your veins as you enjoy the orange fruity centre. You would be foolish to describe it as a biscuit as the soft sponge layer gives no illusion of it being anything other than a cake, although it is enjoyed in the same respect as biscuits with warm drinks.
What's not to love? The tangy Jaffa Cake has always been my go to in my weekly shop and most likely isn't going to change anytime soon.
Rating: 5/5
Sainsbury's Jaffa Cakes - 24 for 84p
The first contender to try and knock McVitie's off its orange coated pedestal, Sainsbury's offers a higher quantity of the cake for a budget value.
Their take on the cake also comes in at the same calories - possibly hoping to mirror the success but only has a 1% concentrated orange juice found within each.
In terms of quantity, Sainsbury's clearly wins but that is where the success ends. The cake layer is a firm and tough bottom to the Jaffa and overtakes the amount of orange delight found within the treat which is severely lacking.
The chocolate layer on the cake was overpowering too, not what I would associate with snack as a layer of dark chocolate masked any orange jam found within the centre.
Rating: 2/5
Tesco Jaffa Cakes - 24 for £1
Another budget supermarket offering a large quantity of the cake for a value price, offering 24 servings for a single pound coin. Sadly the quantity did not match quality as it had similar issues to the previous supermarket chain.
Containing only 1% concentrated orange juice, the cake lacked any tangy fruit filling within the cake and was overpowered by the hard cake layer and dark chocolate layer. The Jaffa Cake tasted stale and dry as if it had been left in the cupboard for several weeks and had little to no redeeming qualities other than there was plenty to snack on. Not one to purchase again as a lot of the reviews left on the product's page on the supermarkets website have similar remarks to the poor quality.
Rating: 1/5
Lidl Jaffa Cakes - 24 for 85p
Advertised as being made with real orange juice, Lidl's Jaffa Cake promises the sweetest filling with 15% orange juice from concentrated within the cake. The supermarket chain is only beaten on price by Sainsbury's by its price match but not on quality. The Lidl Jaffa Cake is by far the sweetest filling with its filling whilst being soft and light to eat.
The Jaffa Cake is a thin take on the staple with a lot less of a cake feel to the treat, the emphasis in the sweet filling which takes over the cake. My only complaint would be how thin it is, if it carried more weight in the soft dough section of the cake it could potentially be a rival and earn a spot on the weekly shop.
Rating: 4/5
Aldi Jaffa Cakes - 24 - 89p
Belmont Biscuits provide Aldi with their Jaffa Cake selection offering a packet of 24 for a respectable 89p. Labelled as "sponge biscuits" with an orange flavoured filling, Aldi looks like it wants to start the biscuit or cake debate all over again.
Made with 12% orange juice from concentrate, the cake or biscuit provides a sweet filling in the centre but is overshadowed by its firm base and chocolate coating on top. When eating the Jaffa Cake there is a real lack of orange jam within and it reflects in it's overall taste, it is a reasonable effort but really needs more filling to be worthy of a top spot.
Rating: 3/5
