Jaffa Cakes, as a popular snack in Europe, are not only loved by the general public but also have royal fans and are hailed as the progenitor of the “European Pie.”
Today, I would like to recommend the British McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes to everyone. It’s not only because McVitie’s cakes are the most delicious, but also because of its legendary mysterious origin.
British Jaffa Cakes are biscuits that taste like cake. Named for the use of Jaffa oranges as one of the ingredients, Jaffa Cakes consist of two layers of sponge cake with orange-flavored jam and chocolate-flavored snacks, which are very popular in the UK.
However, whether this Jaffa Cake is a biscuit or a cake has been a long-standing issue that has troubled the British.
Is it a cake? Or a biscuit?
In terms of taste and texture, Jaffa Cakes seem more like a cake, at least to me, but I know many people don’t think so. Yet its packaging is that of biscuits, and you can usually find it in the biscuit section for sale, not in the cake area. Why is that?
According to British tax law, the British government only levies Value Added Tax (VAT) on chocolate biscuits, not on chocolate cakes. Therefore, the factory owner who invented and produced Jaffa Cakes—McVitie’s company—decided to use “cake” in its brand name. Although in reality, its packaging and sales are more like biscuits.
But is this Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? It’s not up to the manufacturer to decide. After a period of litigation in court, the judge ruled that the Jaffa Cake is a cake and the brand name can continue to use “cake.”
