Bake Off Bake Along: Week 1 - Jaffa Cakes

And so there it is, the Great British Bake Off is back again for another summer in the tent of dreams. With week one starting as cake week, I thought the title of Star Baker would be an absolute steal.

I was super tempted to make a drizzle cake or something with a super glossy mirror glaze. But, in the name of challenge, I tried my hand at making my own jaffa cakes. Finesse and patience just isn't my way but that's exactly what I love about baking along with the show, you get to try things you wouldn't normally bake.

And do you know what? They aren't as difficult as they look. A super quick sponge bottom that bakes up in just 5 minutes, a homemade orange jelly and a coating of dark chocolate. The only difficulty is getting the perfect topping. Whilst these aren't the most uniform, there's absolutely no comparison to shop bought, sorry McVities!

J A F F A C A K E S
(Recipe adapted from The Guardian, makes 12 jaffa cakes)

For the sponge:

1 large egg, plus one extra yolk

40g caster sugar

40g plain flour

zest of 1 orange

For the orange jelly:

100ml orange juice

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 orange

3 tbsp caster sugar

1 packet gelatine powder

2 tbsp thin cut marmalade

100g dark chocolate (I love using Lindt Excellence's dark chocolate with orange and almond in)

Grease a 12 hole muffin tray and line the bases with circles of baking paper. Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
Beat together the eggs and sugar on a medium-fast speed until the mixture doubles in size and reaches ribbon stage, where a ribbon of the cake mixture sits on top for a few moments before sinking back in to the rest of the mix.
Add the flour and gently fold until just combined before adding the orange zest.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin tray and bake for 5-6 minutes, until the cakes just start to turn golden and shrink away from the sides. Leave to cool in the tray.
To make the jelly, add the orange juice, lemon juice and zest to a small saucepan. Add the sugar, marmalade and whisk in the gelatine and bring to a simmer on a low heat. Remove from the heat immediately and divide between the cakes. Leave to set in the fridge for 10-20 minutes.
Use a small knife to run round the edges to release each cake from the muffin tray.
Melt the chocolate over a pan of barely simmering water. Leave to cool slightly before spooning over the jaffa cakes gently rounding off the edges as neatly as you can.
Leave to set once more, in the fridge if you're short on time before serving.