Deliciously Dark Chocolate Jaffa Cakes - Gluten, Dairy, Nut and Grain Free with Natural Orange Jelly (includes Thermomix method)

Think Jaffa cakes - but with a rich dark base instead of a light sponge, and an orange filling made from fresh orange juice and zest, topped with delicious dark chocolate...

These started out as a pleasant accident with coconut flour chocolate cookies (i.e. they turned out more like cakes than cookies!) - which I decided would be great as a base for dark chocolate Jaffa-style cakes, but with a natural orangey filling. I'd seen a handful of recipes for 'normal' sponge-based Jaffa-style cakes in the past (i.e. wheat flour, sugar and butter), but these all had a suggestion of using a packet of orange flavoured jelly melted with less water than usual - and to be honest, I never really liked the flavour of artificial tasting packet-jelly even as a child.

So I plotted and I schemed, and I decided that reducing down some freshly squeezed orange juice, along with the grated zest would have a much nicer taste (and far fewer colourings and flavourings!) as the orange filling, and given that the chocolate 'cake' part was made with coconut oil rather than butter, putting dark chocolate on the top would keep it dairy free.

If you're not looking to make the GF DF variety, and just want normal cake bottoms, you could make plain or chocolate cake batter, and just put a tbsp or so in the bottom of muffin tins instead - or, you could make Jaffa muffins by using the orange and melted chocolate toppings on top of muffins - or even better, on top of chocolate Magic Bean Cake muffins, for a really delicious twist! See here for MBC recipe.

This recipe makes 16 dark chocolate Jaffa style cakes at 137 calories each (if you're counting) [calories in square brackets].

The initial cookie fail - texture like cake!

N.B. Coconut flour is available from all good health food shops and if you wonder what else to do with it, you could always try my Coconut and Lemon Magic Bean Cake! The recipe is here, and it is also gluten, grain and nut free, and can be made dairy free too with coconut oil.



Ingredients
For the bases
30g cocoa powder (e.g. Green & Black's Organic) [104]
65g coconut oil (extra virgin - you could try using other neutral tasting oils, such as sunflower etc. but I haven't tested them, if you're not cooking dairy free, you could use ghee or butter) [604]
3 medium eggs (c58g each) [263]
65g golden caster sugar (I also tried these with rapadura, but the taste was way too overpowering for the cocoa and gave a much denser result so I'm not recommending it, unless you're addicted to the stuff. If anyone would like to trial coconut sugar, or anything else and it goes well, do let me know!) [260]
1/2 tsp vanilla extract [7]
Pinch of salt
35g coconut flour (I used Tiana brand, home made, or coarse coconut flours may yield different results) [129]


For the filling (or, of course, you could melt a packet of orange jelly with 125ml water and a tbsp marmalade)
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated (if you're juicing your own, you could use 2, if you want it really zesty!) [4]
225ml orange juice (about two large oranges, if freshly squeezing) [101]
25ml lemon juice [7]
25g orange marmalade (i.e. 1 very heaped tsp) [68]
4* leaves gelatine to set 1 pint / 570ml liquid - check packet (my preference, or you could use 1 sachet gelatine powder, or 2 tsp agar powder / 2 tbsp agar flakes for vegetarians - check packet either way, whether using gelatine or agar - you the correct quantity to set 1 pint / 570ml) [10]

*Gelatine leaves vary in size - small ones require 4 to set a pint / 570ml, with large ones, you may only need one - check the instructions on the back

For the topping
20g marmalade [54]
100g 70% dark chocolate (dairy free, if required) [580]

Equipment required (beyond usual kitchen equipment)
Silicone fairy cake / cupcake cases - either individual, or a couple of 12-hole baking trays with a base around 4.5cm wide (you need enough to make 16 jelly discs - alternatively, you could pour the jelly mix into an oiled dish and cut out small circles with a cookie cutter, but you would have wastage unless you cut squares). I used individual ones from Tesco, which were about £2 for a pack of 12, and also useful for making cakes, mini-quiches etc.
A 7.5ml measuring spoon will come in really useful if you have one (UK 1/2 tablespoon measure)
Pastry brush, or silicone brush

Method
See below for Thermomix method in italics

Make the orange filling first
Put the orange juice and zest, lemon juice and marmalade into a small-ish pan, bring to the boil, and reduce by half. While the juice is reducing, put the gelatine leaves into a bowl of cold water for 5-7 minutes, until softened (if using gelatine powder, or agar powder/flakes, follow manufacturers instructions). Keep an eye one the juice, it will take around 5-10 minutes depending on your pan / stove (but don't worry if you over-reduce, you can add water back). Once reduced, check the volume by pouring into a measuring jug - you want 125-135ml - if it's less, then top up with a little hot water. Squeeze out the gelatine leaves, add to the hot juice making sure they're submerged, and leave for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, give them a good stir (a small whisk is good for this) and make sure they're fully dissolved.

 If using individual cupcake moulds, set out on a tray, and make sure there is space in the fridge to put them, or the silicone cupcake trays. Divide the jelly between the moulds - it's easiest to do this using a 7.5ml spoon (half a tbsp), which will give you a couple of extra just in case! Or just divide the last drops between the 16 cases. Put into a fridge, until set firmly (if they don't have long enough, they will be difficult to get out of the molds - the advantage of having a tester or two!!) - an hour and a half should be more than enough.

Make the bases (cakes)
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180C / 160C fan oven and line a baking sheet or two with greaseproof baking paper (you will probably need two, unless you have a huge oven and baking sheets!). It's easiest to make this in a food processor or mixer if you have one, but not difficult to do it by hand either. Gently warm the coconut oil in a pan, until it's just melted and runny (you don't want it hot), pour into a bowl (or a food processor/mixer), sift the cocoa powder in, and mix in until there are no lumps left. Beat the eggs, and mix into the bowl along with the sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Mix the coconut flour in thoroughly, and then leave to stand for 5 minutes.


Once rested, give another quick stir, and then use a couple of teaspoons to put 16 dollops onto your lined
baking tray/s. They won't spread much, so give a quick swirl on the top to flatten them lightly into circular shapes. Put into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through, then leave for a couple of minutes, before using a fish-slice or spatula to remove them to a wire rack to cool down completely. (Tip - you can keep the baking paper you used to put under the rack to catch the drips when you top the cake with melted chocolate)


Assemble
Once your bases (cakes) are completely cool, and your jelly toppings are completely set, it's time to put it all together. First, break the dark chocolate into chunks, melt in a bowl (over a pan of hot water, or in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time, standing in between), and set aside to cool (if it's too hot, it will melt your jelly when you're trying to put it on top).

Melt the marmalade in a small pot (i.e. a glass ramekin in the microwave for 20 seconds is easiest). Turn each cake upside-down on the rack, so the flat side which was on the baking tray is uppermost, and using a pastry brush paint a very thin layer of marmalade on the flat side of each cake. To get your jellies out of the moulds, slide a blunt butter knife (you don't want to cut though your moulds!) around the edge, and then slip
underneath the jelly and carefully remove it on the knife. You can either do this as you go, or get them all out first before topping the cakes. Either way, the jelly doesn't want to sit on the cakes too long before you put the chocolate on top. I prefer to get them all out first, and I wrap a plate (with a rim) in clingfilm tightly (think drum!) to put them on, so that they're really easy to pick up.

Put the jellies (with the most rounded edges of the jelly uppermost, like a dome) on top of the bases. At this point, if you struggle with doing fiddly things and have time, you could put them into the freezer for half an hour or so, to help keep everything together when you paint it with chocolate. Otherwise, get going!


It's easiest to pick each cake up to put the chocolate on, so you can tilt
and turn it to make sure it's all covered. Put about one rounded tsp of melted chocolate onto the orange centre, and using the back of the spoon quickly spread it around the jelly and over the edges onto the side, to seal it in.

When you've covered them all (here was a moment of inspiration, when drizzling more chocolate on top of the white ones didn't work to make the pattern!), take a fork, and lightly touch the top of each cake with the flat prongs, which will give you nice raised lines on top.

Leave to cool and set, and enjoy. Once cool, store in an airtight container, between layers of greaseproof paper. Tip, if you cool in the fridge, the chocolate will have more of a dull look to it.




Thermomix instructions

Make the orange filling first
Whizz the orange zest in the TM on speed 9 if you prefer to peel it off rather than grate it, then scrape down and leave in the bowl. Weigh the 225g orange juice, 25g lemon juice and 25g marmalade into the bowl with the zest. Cook 12 minutes / Varoma temp / Speed 2 / MC off. While the juice is reducing, put the gelatine leaves into a bowl of cold water for 5-7 minutes before it's finished, until softened (if using gelatine powder, or agar powder/flakes, follow manufacturers instructions). Squeeze out the gelatine leaves, add to the hot juice when it's finished cooking (it should have reduced to 125-135ml) making sure they're completely submerged, and leave for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stir for 15 seconds / Speed 2.5.

 If using individual cupcake moulds, set out on a tray, and make sure there is space in the fridge to put them, or the silicone cupcake trays. Divide the jelly between the moulds - it's easiest to do this by pouring the jelly mix into a small bowl, and using a 7.5ml spoon (half a tbsp), which will give you a couple of extra just in case! Or just divide the last drops between the 16 cases. Put into a fridge, until set firmly (if they don't have long enough, they will be difficult to get out of the molds - the advantage of having a tester or two!!) - an hour and a half should be more than enough.

Make the bases (cakes)
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180C / 160C fan oven and line a baking sheet or two with greaseproof baking paper (you will probably need two, unless you have a huge oven and baking sheets!).

Weigh the 65g coconut oil and 30g cocoa powder into the clean TM bowl, and cook 2 minutes / 37C / Speed 1. Add the 3 eggs, along with weighing in the 65g  sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Mix for 15 seconds / Speed 4. Scrape down, then weigh in the 35g coconut flour and mix 15 seconds / Speed 4, scrape down, mix again 15 seconds / Speed 4, and then leave to stand for 5 minutes. 

Once rested, mix one final time for 5 seconds / Speed 3, and then use a couple of teaspoons to put 16 dollops onto your lined baking tray/s (a nice, bendy silicone spatula helps to get all the batter out). They won't spread much, so give a quick swirl on the top to flatten them lightly into circular shapes. Put into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until cooked through, then leave for a couple of minutes, before using a fish-slice or spatula to remove them to a wire rack to cool down completely. (Tip - you can keep the baking paper you used to put under the rack to catch the drips when you top the cake with melted chocolate)

Assemble
Once your bases (cakes) are completely cool, and your jelly toppings are completely set, it's time to put it all together. First, break the dark chocolate into chunks - you can choose to melt it in the TM if you blitz on Speed 8 / 10 seconds (MC on) scrape down then melt 30 seconds / 50C / Speed 2.5, then scrape down and repeat, or do it the 'old fashioned' way, as it's easier to work with it in a small ball when you need it. To do so, melt in a bowl (over a pan of hot water, or in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time, standing in between), and set aside to cool (if it's too hot, it will melt your jelly when you're trying to put it on top). 

Melt the marmalade in a small pot, (i.e. a glass ramekin in the microwave for 20 seconds is easiest, unless you'd rather wash out and re-use your TM, but not really worth it for a spoonful of jam). Turn each cake upside-down on the rack, so the flat side which was on the baking tray is uppermost, and using a pastry brush paint a very thin layer of marmalade on the flat side of each cake. To get your jellies out of the moulds, slide a blunt butter knife (you don't want to cut though your moulds!) around the edge, and then slip
underneath the jelly and carefully remove it on the knife. You can either do this as you go, or get them all out first before topping the cakes. Either way, the jelly doesn't want to sit on the cakes too long before you put the chocolate on top. I prefer to get them all out first, and I wrap a plate (with a rim) in clingfilm tightly (think drum!) to put them on, so that they're really easy to pick up.

Put the jellies (with the most rounded edges of the jelly uppermost, like a dome) on top of the bases. At this point, if you struggle with doing fiddly things and have time, you could put them into the freezer for half an hour or so, to help keep everything together when you paint it with chocolate. Otherwise, get going!

 

It's easiest to pick each cake up to put the chocolate on, so you can tilt and turn it to make sure it's all covered. Put about one rounded tsp of melted chocolate onto the orange centre, and using the back of the spoon quickly spread it around the jelly and over the edges onto the side, to seal it in.

When you've covered them all (here was a moment of inspiration, when drizzling more chocolate on top of the white ones didn't work to make the pattern!), take a fork, and lightly touch the top of each cake with the flat prongs, which will give you nice raised lines on top.

Leave to cool and set, and enjoy. Once cool, store in an airtight container, between layers of greaseproof paper. Tip, if you cool in the fridge, the chocolate will have more of a dull look to it.

You could experiment with using white chocolate as a topping too, but firstly, it's not usually dairy free, secondly, it didn't look quite so nice once cooled and set, and thirdly, it just didn't taste as good, which is why I haven't put it as a suggestion - it was my favourite Green & Black's organic white chocolate as well!