• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Rhian's Recipes

  • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Healthy Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    Last updated - July 14, 2021; Published - December 20, 2017 By Rhian Williams 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    A slice of sponge cake topped with chocolate ganache on a green plate

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake is the best sweet treat! It's:

    • easy to make
    • full of orange flavour
    • smothered in a decadent chocolate ganache!

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    I love the combination of chocolate and orange, so Jaffa Cakes have always been one of my favourites. I was keen to try my hand at some gluten-free vegan Jaffa Cakes, but thought they would be too time-consuming and finicky to make.

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    But, I thought, a giant Jaffa Cake would be manageable...it would just be like making a normal sponge cake, but with all the flavours of a Jaffa Cake - win, win!

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    But then the idea of making a sponge first, followed by a layer of orange-flavoured jelly, then waiting for that to set, and finally coating it in melted chocolate and waiting for that to set too didn't particularly appeal to me.

    This is when I thought of the idea of using marmalade in place of the orange jelly - it has the same flavour and similar texture without all the fuss of making a thin sheet of jelly.

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    And to top the cake, instead of a hard crackly layer of dark chocolate, which would be inconvenient to cut, I decided to go for a rich chocolate ganache.

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    The chocolate ganache keeps its silky-smooth texture even days after it's made, and is really easy to make too. If you'd like the cake to be refined sugar free, you can buy a naturally sweetened marmalade or orange spread, and  refined sugar free dark chocolate.

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    For the sponge, I went for my go-to recipe that requires just one bowl and familiar ingredients, and is easily customisable to what you have on hand. It's also moist and fluffy, and makes the perfect base for the citrusy marmalade and indulgent chocolate ganache.

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    And to make it look more like a real Jaffa Cake, you can even create a pretty feathered pattern on the top of the cake using a chopstick or skewer if you want.

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    I hope you'll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake! For more cakes, check out my:

    • Coconut Cake
    • Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • Apple Cake
    • Chocolate Mousse Cake
    • Brooklyn Blackout Chocolate Cake
    • Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
    • Chocolate Orange Cake

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Helpful tools to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake:

    glass mixing bowl

    measuring jug

    18 cm / 7 inch sandwich baking tin

    baking paper

    cooling rack

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake is the best sweet treat! It's easy to make, full of orange flavour and smothered in a decadent chocolate ganache!
    4.25 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: gluten-free jaffa cake, vegan chocolate orange cake, vegan jaffa cake
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 212kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the sponge:

    • 30 g (⅛ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 115 ml (½ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch of salt
    • 75 g (⅔ cup) ground almonds* (almond meal)
    • 75 g (⅔ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 1 heaped teaspoon baking power (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

    To assemble:

    • 3 tablespoons marmalade (refined sugar free if necessary)
    • 40 g (1.5oz) dark chocolate** (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
    • 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)

    Instructions

    For the sponge:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
    • Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
    • Place the mixture into a greased baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 7inch/18cm baking tin)
    • Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen slightly and an inserted skewer comes out clean
    • Once out the oven, leave the sponge to cool completely before applying the next layer

    To assemble:

    • Once the sponge has cooled completely, place on a large plate or cake stand, and cover the top and sides with the marmalade
    • Melt the chocolate either over a bain-marie or in the microwave, add the milk and mix well
    • Pour the chocolate mixture over the top of the cake and spread it around the sides, ensuring that the marmalade has been covered
    • Keep the cake in the fridge for a few hours until the chocolate has set before cutting
    • Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

    Notes

    *You can alternatively use almond flour
    **Use refined sugar free chocolate if necessary
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Jaffa Cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 212
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

    • Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)
    • Gluten-Free Vegan Churros (Baked!)
    • 35 Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes (Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Mel

      May 02, 2018 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      I miss jaffa cakes so much since going gluten-free - will have to try this thanks!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 02, 2018 at 4:00 pm

        Thank you!

    2. Maraika

      April 05, 2019 at 11:36 pm

      Great easy recipe. You can make the cake part ahead of time and freeze. Or freeze several, and just add topping on the day of serving. Thanks very much for sharing.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 06, 2019 at 1:25 pm

        Thank you so much, so glad you like it! That's great to know about the freezing, thank you for sharing.

    Primary Sidebar

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

    Learn more.

    Popular Recipes

    Three vegan blueberry muffins with a bite taken out of one with a bowl of fresh blueberries in the background

    Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)

    A stack of oat flour pancakes topped with desiccated coconut and syrup on a blue plate

    Oat Flour Pancakes (Vegan + GF)

    A loaf of gluten-free rice bread topped with mixed seeds with two slices next to it against a sheet of brown baking paper

    Gluten-Free Rice Bread (Vegan)

    A loaf of coconut flour bread topped with sunflower seeds and poppy seeds with two slices next to it

    Coconut Flour Bread (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan oat bread topped with oats with two slices on the side

    Gluten-Free Vegan Oat Bread

    Five vegan coconut flour pancakes stacked in a pile decorated with fresh raspberries and coconut flakes on a green plate against a grey background

    Vegan Coconut Flour Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of oat flour bread with two slices

    Oat Flour Bread (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    A sliced vegan baked cheesecake topped with wild strawberries and strawberry flowers

    Vegan Baked Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

    Footer

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Copyright Notice

    Newsletter

    • Subscribe for free updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework ·