JAFFA Cakes are a staple sweet treat in many kitchen cupboards, but can a supermarket dupe beat the real thing?
The classic snack contains a layer of dark chocolate, on top of a layer of sugar and tangerine oil on a bed of Genoise sponge.
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The snack has caused controversy in the past with debates over whether it is really a cake or biscuit.
But the question was answered in an infamous case, and they’re officially a cake, according to the taxman.
The sweet treat is another item that most major supermarkets typically make their own versions of.
I put seven of them to the test against the original Jaffa Cakes and scored them based on taste, price and chocolate to orange jam to cake ratio.
My favourite could slash your grocery bill, as it costs a third less than the real deal.
Lidl
- 300g
- 79p
- Price per 100g: 26p
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Lidl’s Jaffa Cakes really weren’t bad.
They came in a box of 24 with two packets of 12 and are the cheapest dupe on offer from all the supermarkets.
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The orange jam tasted really tangy, but disappointingly there was only a tiny amount.
This is my favourite part so I would have preferred more in each cake.
The dark chocolate on top had a nice crunch to it though.
This is still a good option if your budget is tight and you’re a Jaffa Cake fan.
- Taste: 6/10
- Ratio: 5/10
- Price: 10/10
- Overall score: 21/30
Aldi
- 300g
- £1.05p
- Price per 100g: 35p
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Aldi‘s Jaffa Cake scored the highest out of all of the ones we tested.
It was really yummy and the cake had a nice thickness to it.
The orange centre was really tasty and had a lovely fruit kick to it.
If you’re a cake lover then these Jaffa Cakes certainly felt more cake-like – it was bouncy and fluffy.
It actually came second for taste, and closely followed Morrisons – but the ratio and price meant it topped the charts overall.
It came as a box of 24 with 12 per packet.
- Taste: 9/10
- Ratio: 9/10
- Price: 9/10
- Overall score: 27/30
Tesco
- 282g
- £1.35
- Price per 100g: 47p
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Tesco’s Jaffa Cakes were quite dense and felt really heavy so I wasn’t as impressed with their version.
The cake bit was also too dry for my liking.
There could have been less cake in comparison to the chocolate and orange jam.
It did taste nice but there wasn’t as much of a tang with the orange jelly.
While I would eat it again, it just didn’t stand out to me as being one of the best.
It also is quite expensive in comparison to the other options.
Tesco’s came as a box of 24 with 12 per packet.
- Taste: 4/10
- Ratio: 3/10
- Price: 7/10
- Overall score: 14/30
Marks & Spencer
- 250g
- £1.75
- Price per 100g: 70p
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Unlike the original Jaffa Cake, the Marks & Spencer jaffa cakes were rectangular shape and this was quite exciting following the circular ones.
It was tangy and zesty and I really liked the orange flavour although it wasn’t as tangy as Aldi’s or Morrisons’.
The ratio was quite good though I would have liked to have seen a little more chocolate.
I also knocked a point off value for money as M&S only has 22 Jaffa Cakes whereas the others have 24 – cheeky!
- Taste: 7/10
- Ratio: 8/10
- Price: 4/10
- Overall score: 19/30
Waitrose
- 125g
- £1.40
- Price per 100g: 11p
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The Waitrose jaffa cakes were also different because they were miniature size and came in a packet, rather than a box.
I could easily see myself eating the entire packet in one sitting because they are so small.
They taste yummy and I liked the size of them, but they were dryer than the other jaffa cakes I’ve tested.
Although, you could really taste the dark chocolate so if you prefer more of a bitter taste then these are the ones for you.
The ratio of chocolate to jam to cake was good, not as good as Aldi or Morrisons, but still good.
They came out on top at being the cheapest per 100g – at a tiny 11p.
- Taste: 5/10
- Ratio: 7/10
- Price: 10/10
- Overall score: 22/30
Sainsbury’s
- 282g
- £1.30
- Price per 100g: 46p
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Sainsbury’s dupes are usually pretty decent but these jaffa cakes really let me down.
They tasted almost burnt and I wasn’t sure if that was the dark chocolate or something else.
The ratio was quite off too – there was way too much cake for my liking and it was pretty dense.
The orange bit was nice though and for the price, it isn’t awful.
Sainsbury’s came as a box of 24 with 12 per packet.
- Taste: 3/10
- Ratio: 4/10
- Price: 7/10
- Overall score: 14/30
Morrisons
- 300g
- £1.70
- Price per 100g: 56p
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Morrisons came out on top as having the best taste.
The ratio was spot on and the orange bit was really yummy.
It had the perfect balance of tangy and sweet.
The cake bit was really fluffy, the chocolate was delicious and there was a nice ‘crack’ when you bit into it.
Morrisons scored top marks for ratio and taste but what let it down was the price – at 56p per 100g this was one of the most expensive ones.
There were 24 per box and 12 per packet (within the box).
- Taste: 10/10
- Ratio: 10/10
- Price: 5/10
- Overall score: 25/30
Original
- 150g
- £1.20 – £1.50
- Price per 100g: 80p – £1
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The original Jaffa Cake was impressive and didn’t let me down much.
However, it came with 10 cakes in comparison to the others which came with 12 per packet, except for M&S.
The price really let it down as it was one of the most expensive ones per 100g – ranging from around 80p to £1 depending on where you buy them from.
The flavour was really good though it wasn’t as tangy as some of the others.
The cake was light in your mouth and it didn’t feel like it would get sickly after a while.
If you like to stick with what you know, then this is still a good option – though do consider some of the dupes.
- Taste: 8/10
- Ratio: 6/10
- Price: 3/10
- Overall score: 17/30
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