Giant Jaffa Cake

What sort of cake do you make for your own kids, who see so many for other people that there's no longer any novelty in a decorated cake?  They don't actually like to eat sugarpaste, so I'm always seeking an alternative.

If there's ever a packet of Jaffa Cakes in our house there would nearly be a fight over them so I thought a giant Jaffa Cake might go down well.

I have included the recipe and instuctions below.  You will need a 12" round cake tin, lined with silicone paper and a large bowl - the one I used had a diameter of over 9" not far from the bottom - lightly oiled and lined with cling film.

Preheat your oven to 150C.






Sponge Base
9 oz/250 g butter
9 oz/250 g caster sugar
4 large or 5 small eggs - crack and weigh and add milk if necessary to make the total weight up to 9 oz/250 g
few drops good-quality vanilla extract
4 1/2 oz/125 g self raising cake flour (sometimes called sponge flour - a finer, lower-gluten content flour specifically designed for cakes)
4 1/2 oz/125 g self raising flour (the normal stuff)

Melt the butter in a jug in the microwave until just melted.  If it has been overheated and is warm, leave aside to cool to room temp.

Put caster sugar and both types of flour in a mixer bowl and mix gently to combine and break up any lumps. 

Crack and weigh eggs, adding milk if necessary and vanilla extract.  Whisk lightly with a fork.

Keeping the mixer at a low speed, gradually pour in the eggs followed by the melted butter.  Once the mixture is just combined, turn the speed up and beat on medium/high for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes light and airy.  Spread the mixture into the lined 12" round cake tin and level the top.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the cake is risen, slightly domed in the centre and light golden.  Press gently in the centre - the cooked cake should spring back up when pressed.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool overnight in the tin.

Orange Jelly Layer
2 x Hartleys orange jellies
8 oz/225 g shredless orange marmalade

Make up the two jellies with 1 pint of boiling water in total (half the recommended amount on the packet).  Stir in the marmalade until dissolved.  Pour the jelly into the bowl lined with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Assembling the Cake - make the Chocolate Ganache Covering
200 ml double cream
160 g plain chocolate
160 g milk chocolate

Weigh the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place the cream in a small saucepan.  Bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate.  Leave for 5 minutes then stir well until the chocolate has melted; leave the ganache to cool to room temperature - do not allow to set. 

Remove the cooled sponge cake base from the tin and very gently round the top edge with a sharp serrated knife.











Remove the set jelly from the bowl using the cling film to help lift it out and set on a spare cake board or plate covered with a piece of silicone paper (sorry there is no photo of this stage as it was tricky and took both hands to lift it out).

Place the bottom of the cake (flat side) on top of the jelly so the domed part is facing upwards - you are then going to flip the entire thing over onto the serving plate so that the domed part becomes the bottom, using the board underneath to support the jelly.

Once the cake and jelly is on the serving plate, place spare pieces of silicone paper around the sides of the cake to protect it from the chocolate ganache covering.

Spread the soft ganache all over the sponge and jelly - start with the sponge around the outside and work upwards, then mark some lines gently with a palette knife across the top - one way then the other to represent the detail on an actual jaffa cake.

When the ganache is set, remove the silicone paper and serve!