For a late-night sweet snack, choose by the portion and chocolate format you want: the McVitie's Original twin pack listed by Waitrose gives figures per cake, Waitrose Mini Jaffa Cakes give figures per 25g serving, and M&S describes its Extremely Chocolatey Jaffa Cake Bars as fully coated in milk chocolate. These are different ways to portion a snack, so compare the exact pack's nutrition and allergen label before deciding.
If you would rather decide on one cake than measure a serving, the McVitie's Original twin pack listed by Waitrose gives nutrition figures per cake. Check the figures on the pack you buy, particularly if you choose a different pack size.
Waitrose describes its Mini Jaffa Cakes as orange-flavoured jelly and sponge covered in dark chocolate. Its nutrition figures use a 25g serving, so compare that quantity with the amount you expect to eat.
M&S describes its Extremely Chocolatey Jaffa Cake Bars as fully coated in milk chocolate. Consider the bar format separately from a standard cake when checking portion and nutrition information.
Start with the format you would enjoy, then compare the portion shown on each pack. Use the per-100g figures for a like-for-like label comparison.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion reference | Look for figures per cake or per stated serving, and check how many cakes that serving contains. The NHS notes that a manufacturer's portion may differ from yours. | I'd like to decide how many cakes to have. Waitrose lists 41 kcal and 5.4g sugars per cake for its McVitie's Original twin pack; its Mini Jaffa Cakes list 104 kcal and 12.8g sugars per 25g serving. |
| Chocolate and shape | Distinguish chocolate on top from a coated mini cake or a fully coated bar. Waitrose describes the McVitie's Original cakes and its dark-chocolate minis; M&S describes its bars as fully coated in milk chocolate. | For a familiar single cake, I'd choose the standard format. If coating matters more to me, I'd compare the dark-chocolate minis with the milk-chocolate bar. |
| Sugars and saturates | Compare the same per-100g measure, then check the portion you would eat. The NHS defines more than 22.5g total sugars or 5g saturates per 100g as high on a food label. | I want the label figures for the amount I'm likely to eat, rather than assuming dark chocolate changes the sugar figure. The cited McVitie's Original, Waitrose Mini and M&S Dark Chocolate products list 50.0g, 51.1g and 47.2g sugars per 100g respectively, according to Waitrose and M&S. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients, highlighted allergens and precautionary statements on the exact physical pack; recipes and pack information can change. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, I can't treat different Jaffa Cake varieties as interchangeable. I'll check the pack rather than rely on the chocolate type or brand name. |
Waitrose and M&S list 47.2g to 51.1g sugars per 100g across the cited dark-chocolate Jaffa Cake products. The NHS food-label threshold for high sugars is more than 22.5g per 100g.
Compare per-100g labels, then check the per-cake or per-serving figure for the quantity you plan to have.
M&S describes its Extremely Chocolatey Jaffa Cake Bars as fully coated in milk chocolate. A bar and a single standard cake are different portions, so the latter's per-cake figures do not describe the bar.
Check the bar's own portion information if fuller chocolate coverage is what you want.
The cited products have different ingredient and precautionary information, which matters when choosing between varieties.
For an allergy or intolerance, read the label on the exact pack before eating it.
The Original Jaffa Cakes twin pack listed by Waitrose has sponge, an orange centre and dark chocolate on top.
Waitrose Mini Jaffa Cakes are described as sponge and orange-flavoured jelly covered in dark chocolate.
The cited M&S range includes Jaffa Cakes half-covered in dark chocolate and separate Jaffa Cake Bars fully coated in milk chocolate.
These McVitie's packs are options if you want the standard Jaffa Cake format. Compare their pack sizes and check each pack's portion, nutrition and allergen information; this selection does not cover the mini cakes or fully coated bars discussed above.
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The 80-cake pack is worth considering if you want several portions from one purchase. Check its own per-cake figures, ingredients and storage instructions rather than applying figures from a different pack size.
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Six three-cake packs give you a defined pack unit for occasional snacking. Check the nutrition serving size and allergen statement on this variant's pack.
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The 330g triple pack offers another quantity of the standard format. Use its own label to check the portion you intend to eat, alongside its ingredients and per-100g figures.
The McVitie's Original twin pack listed by Waitrose gives figures per cake: 41 kcal and 5.4g sugars. If you buy another pack or variety, check its own label before using those figures.
No. The NHS defines more than 22.5g total sugars per 100g as high on a food label. Waitrose lists 50.0g per 100g for the cited McVitie's Original pack and 51.1g for its Mini Jaffa Cakes; M&S lists 47.2g for its Dark Chocolate Jaffa Cakes.
Read the ingredients and precautionary statements on the exact pack before eating it, because Jaffa Cake varieties differ. The cited Waitrose Mini Jaffa Cakes list wheat, egg and soya and may contain milk; M&S says its cited Dark Chocolate Jaffa Cakes are unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergy.