Where are the munchkins? (Mc Vities Jaffa Cakes)

Member Name: Suzela

Product:	Mc Vities Jaffa Cakes
Date:	25/10/07 (471 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Yummy, low fat, high energy

Disadvantages: moreish and a little sweet

I love Jaffa Cakes - always have done and even more so now as they are one of my "allowed" bits of chocolate that I can eat. I would expect that most people have tried these yummy treats but for the uninitiated here is a little review of the original orange version (For your information as I write this review I have a box of 36 in front of me and currently there are only 34 in there - we shall see how many are left at the end of the review!)

McVities Jaffa Cakes are actually owned by United Biscuits who own Jacobs and Hula Hoops to name but a few. They have tantalised the taste buds for over 60 years and have undergone many marketing transformations (hands up who remembers the naughty Munchkins?) but the basic treat itself has remained pretty much in tact.

So what is a Jaffa Cake? Simply they are round cakes (yes they are cakes as McVitie proved to the tax man in 1991 so you don't pay VAT on them!) which have a sponge base, a dark chocolate topping and sandwiched in between is a tangy orange centre. (they are 5.5cm in diameter if you are interested!) When you first open your packet, you get a really lovely comforting chocolate orange/cake smell. The best things about Jaffa Cakes are the taste and the texture. Yes they are sweet but they are tangy and the chocolate adds a slight bitter edge. The sponge helps to marry the two flavours together and adds a lovely rich, warm texture. The chocolate layer has a slightly crackling bite and the orange centre is a jelly like texture. When eating all of this seems to merge into bites of sheer loveliness and although Pringles have the "once you pop you just can't stop" tag line this should also apply to Jaffa Cakes.

Well actually McVitie do recognise the addictive and packet demolishing qualities of this product and for those concerned about their jaffa cake consuming habit you can ring Jaffaholics Anonymous on 0500 011710 (1800 409 317 in Republic of Ireland). I am so tempted to ring this - not because I have a problem (the box now has 33 in it which isn't bad going I don't think) - but just to see what it is all about.

Now how do you eat them?
Yes there are ways of eating them. And here are some of my favourites:

One in the hole:
The simplest way of eating a Jaffa cake is to open your mouth and pop it in whole. Advantage - instant gratification and nice balance of flavours, disadvantage -gone too quickly!

Half Moon:
The two bite option - you take one bite and the remainder that is left is a half moon shape. Advantage lasts a bit longer and nice balance of flavours, disadvantage - still gone too quickly and hard to get the perfect half moon shape!

The Nibbler:
Holding the jaffa cake between thumb and index finger in the centre you take small nibbling bites around the chocolate and cake base that is not touching the orange centre. You must be very careful not to disturb the orange centre too much. Once all of the outer ring is removed you have two options - either pop the remainder in your mouth or continue nibbling. Advantage - lasts longer and is fun, disadvantage - can be messy and you might have to lick the chocolate off your finger.

The Licker:
Holding the jaffa cake between thumb, index and middle with the chocolate side facing you, begin to lick the chocolate off. Once it is melted it reveals the orange jelly centre and the sponge underneath. Gently nibble away the exposed sponge leaving the orange with the sponge underneath. Gently peel off the orange and consume and then eat the remaining sponge. Advantage - this is the ultimate way to eat them as they take age to eat this way, disadvantage - best done on your own and you don't get the right blend of flavours.

The Dunker:
I have seen this method of eating them but even that is too much for me - they should be eaten unadulterated by tea or coffee.

But for all the fun and pleasure that Jaffa Cakes provide there is a more serious side to them. There is a very good reason that I eat them. Firstly they are low fat - there is only 1g of fat in them and because of a medical condition I need to eat as little fat as possible and because of that I can have energy issues especially after exercising. So what was I recommended to eat by my personal trainer and my dietician? Yep you've got it - Jaffa Cakes!

They are quite high in carbs (8.7g - 6.7g of which are sugars) and as such are a great way to receive a quick energy and sugar boost after exercise. If you just ate them and sat around all day then they won't do you any good but eaten in moderation they are great. McVitie do recognise this as well and have listed on their boxes the following website address www.123healthybalance.com which advises on healthy eating and exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have been recommended by my dietician to eat 3 if I feel a bit drained after exercise (how fab a doctor's prescription for jaffa cakes!) And I'm not the only person who eats these to give them energy - they are the official half time snack of the England Football team for all the good it does them (I remember seeing the trainer give Rio Ferdinand some during a Manchester United match once - he was holding the packet whilst playing!).

Currently the packaging is a blue cardboard box with the distinctive orange jaffa cake writing (which looks like orange peel) and "McVitie's The Original Jaffa Cakes" on the side and are sold in boxes of 12, 24 and 36 (they are divided into packs of 12). On my box of 36 (there are now 32 in there) apart from the the name/logo and the current competition that is being run the box bears its proud boast of "Only 1g Fat per cake" (this fact has been pushed in their marketing since 2006 and is why I love them!), together with the usual nutritional and allergy information and contact details ( as well as any phone numbers and website addresses mentioned above).

As I have just mentioned it the Allergy information on Jaffa Cakes is that they contain Milk, Egg, Soya and Gluten. They are also suitable for vegetarians.

You can also buy them in tubes (launched in 1999) and in bags of mini Jaffa Cakes (which was launched in 1994). You can also buy Jaffa Cake Cake Bars (which in my honest opinion are an abhoration and are far too sweet!) and as always seems to happen these days there are new flavours that I have not tried (and not sure that I wish to): Lemon & Lime, Blackcurrant and I saw Apple and Blackberry the othe day as well. I have also seen them with milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.

I would also recommend against cheaper shop brand Jaffa cakes - they are not the same at all and in this instance I would not accept substitutes. I'm sure that many of you would disagree but when it comes to these I am a purist!

Price wise (all prices from my local Sainsburys)
12 pack - 75p
24 pack - £1.38 (the last price I paid for them)
36 pack - normally £1.99 (but 99p at the moment)

In conclusion these are a great treat and taste yummy but to be honest after a few I do find them too sweet and sickly - if I eat too many my teeth feel itchy and I can taste them in my mouth for hours. Unless you have a particularly sweet tooth I would recommend that you eat them in moderation. They are good for you and do a fantastic job of keeping the energy levels up but again only if eaten in moderation or if you exercise regularly otherwise they just become another treat to increase your waistline. But I do love them (I only ate 4 writing this - honest!)

Summary: Yes they are cakes - honest!