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The thread devoted entirely to jaffa cakes and "jaffa cakes"

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    The thread devoted entirely to jaffa cakes and "jaffa cakes"

    So, I bought these today.



    They're nice. Got a kind of Pineapple Cubes (remember them) aftertaste. Usual Mcvitie's jaffa cakes sort-of-cake base and chocolate topping.

    At some point I'm going to venture into the Polski Sklep round the corner and see if I can find the cherry jaffa cakes that Benjm has posted about elsewhere and maybe the mythical banana and white chocolate ones that I don't think anyone on the board has tried.

    I'm going to tag all the people I think might have an interest in jaffa cake goings on, based on the conversations on the Easter Eggs thread. So, feel free to post your feelings about this most epic of snackfoods here ad hoc Sean of the Shed Wouter D hobbes DCI Harry Batt ursus arctos San Bernardhinault S. aureus Nocturnal Submission

    I'm interested to know if anyone has ever had a non-Mcvities / generic jaffa cake that has ever been as good as the Mcvitie's one. I know I never have.

    #2
    McVitie’s shill.

    Comment


      #3
      Like you, PT, I had always thought of McVities as the gold standard but the sponge in the Polish Delisana ones that our corner shop sells seems lighter and fresher somehow. Off brand domestic Jaffa cakes definitely tend to be inferior.

      What do we make of M&S opting for an oblong design? Is roundness an essential component in the Jaffa cake template?

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        #4
        I don't think I've tried the oblong ones, but I don't think M&S are the only ones to do them. I have a feeling I've seen oblong ones in Iceland or somewhere likes that.

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          #5
          Originally posted by MsD View Post
          McVitie’s shill.
          I misread that initially.

          I would point out that I have no professional connection or interest in McVities Bscuits. My interest is strictly unprofessional nom nom nom

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            #6
            Originally posted by Benjm View Post

            What do we make of M&S opting for an oblong design? Is roundness an essential component in the Jaffa cake template?
            I'm all for it - you can get more of them in a sandwich. And the Lemon/Lime and Raspberry versions are awesome - they went down very well with the Book Club.

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              #7
              I assumed this thread was a means of taking the Cake or Biscuit? argument “outside”.

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                #8
                I probably said this before, but the name United Biscuits always made me giggle.

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                  #9
                  We tried these out a couple of weeks ago and they were all kinds of wrong. The 'cake' was too crumbly and the chocolate too shiny.

                  Even for the open minded Jaffa cake consumer, it was proof that you can only push the boundaries so far.


                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Vicarious Thrillseeker View Post

                    I'm all for it - you can get more of them in a sandwich.
                    It's just as well that I wasn't eating a Jaffa cake when I read that.

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                      #11
                      The French equivalent is Pim's, which fancies itself as a bit posh despite the rogue apostrophe:

                      (I think I've managed to find a Belgian one there?)

                      Normally orange or raspberry flavour, though they now do pear and strawberry as well (never seen those anywhere).

                      I had some a few months ago for the first time in ages (I used to gobble them up as a kid), and they were pretty dry and disappointing. Not a patch on McVitie's. Also there's only 9 per packet and they're dear as hell.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Fussbudget View Post
                        they now do pear and strawberry as well (never seen those anywhere).
                        Wait, do you mean pear ones and strawberry ones or pear and strawberry ones

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                          #13
                          Separate flavours, though you've got me daydreaming now.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Fussbudget View Post
                            The French equivalent is Pim's, which fancies itself as a bit posh despite the rogue apostrophe:
                            From my tragically extensive research into the subject, the manufacturers of PiM's seem to have been a bit more on the ball intellectual property wise than McVities. Whereas in the UK anyone can call their product a 'Jaffa cake', French knock-offs seem to have generic names, like 'filled Genoise'.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Excellent thread thanks all. A Polish version offering blueberry flavor possibly with ryegrass vodka would be tempting

                              Comment


                                #16
                                What do we make of M&S opting for an oblong design? Is roundness an essential component in the Jaffa cake template?
                                Awful ersatz taste, worse than supermarket own brand jaffa cakes, and you get less of them.

                                I was tempted by the pineapple ones when I saw them in co-op on Tuesday but I already had a Brookie (half cookie half brownie) bar

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  The M&S ones are more frangible than the McVities (or at least the mini ones are) and I find that pleasant.

                                  I've only had the lemon & lime flavour* though but am intrigued by this talk of raspberry ones.



                                  *Though I will complain again about the hegemony of lemon & lime flavour, I haven't been able to find lemon squash anywhere since the shutdown and am getting by with M&S lemon & lime. While it's still better than orange or the awful apple & pear muck my wife and daughters are drinking.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    What does “frangible” mean?

                                    Edit: with apologies to Ton Ton.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      I've never had an issue with own brand Jaffa Cakes - but then I used to eat the Kwik Save (remember them?) ones for breakfast in my teen years. Back then my breakfast was 6 Jaffas, or 12 if I was hungry, and a cup of tea. Simpler times.

                                      The wife picks up Aldi ones, or Morrison's one, every now and then. I've not had a McVitie's one for some time now.

                                      I am fascinated by the white chocolate and banana ones. I work a couple of hundred yards from an Eastern European supermarket, so when we are back in the office I shall be heading there especially to see if they have some.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by Duncan Gardner View Post
                                        Excellent thread thanks all. A Polish version offering blueberry flavor possibly with ryegrass vodka would be tempting
                                        Duty free shop stalwarts Anthon Berg are bidding for your custom, DG, although they sidestep the cake/biscuit imbroglio by opting for a base made of, erm, marzipan.

                                        (Just to be clear, I am not suggesting that these count as Jaffa cakes.)

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Brittle, more apt to fall to pieces.

                                          Not sure exactly how it applies to Jaffa Cakes, though.

                                          Fussbudget's evocation of Lefèvre-Utile calls to mind their iconic factory in Nantes, which is now a contemporary arts complex (called le Lieu Unique so as to preserve the acronym). As well as the Petit Écolier , of course.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by Sits View Post
                                            What does “frangible” mean?

                                            Edit: with apologies to Ton Ton.
                                            Brittle, or as wiki has it :

                                            "A material is said to be frangible if through deformation it tends to break up into fragments, rather than deforming elastically and retaining its cohesion as a single object. Common biscuits or crackers are examples of frangible materials, while fresh bread, which deforms plastically, is not frangible."

                                            M&S Jaffa Cakes have more of a snap to them than McVities as I recall - though this may be only the mini ones.

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                              Brittle, more apt to fall to pieces.
                                              So (adjusts wig) in your opinion these products go stale when left out in the air, not soften?

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                                                #24
                                                I have no clue. They have never been a part of my diet.

                                                I was just responding to a request for a definition of frangible.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post

                                                  So (adjusts wig) in your opinion these products go stale when left out in the air, not soften?
                                                  Mcvities ones do. Ray de Galles will have to attest to the more frangible ones

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