Jaffa Cakes from the Tomb Raider Cookbook

Another of the recipes in Tomb Raider: The Official Cookbook and Travel Guide is for Jaffa Cakes. I knew about them beforehand, having read the Tomb Raider series from Dark Horse Comics that was set between Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise of the Tomb Raider, and introduced more of Lara Croft’s backstory. It established Jaffa Cakes as her favorite food, whereas her classic incarnation loved Beans on Toast (which is also a recipe in the book, and I made, see here).

At one point in the story, Lara travels to Chernobyl to rescue someone and feeds Jaffa Cakes to a deer, who then begins to follow her. Jaffa Cakes make appearances in issues 4, 5 and 12, and are mentioned in a note from Lara’s butler Winston, which is a relic in the Blood Ties DLC for Rise of the Tomb Raider. The writer of 2013 and Rise, Rhianna Pratchett, said that a mention of them in the 2013 game was cut, but she told the comics’ author Gail Simone about it, and Gail incorporated them into the comics. Rhianna also gave Gail a welcome package with Jaffa Cakes, Irn Bru and other British delicacies; alas, the Jaffa Cakes weren’t a hit.

I’d never had Jaffa Cakes before. They’re not as popular overseas, but I could probably find them at an international or UK-themed store if I looked. For the uninitiated, they are circular cakes with three layers: the first is a Genoise (French) sponge base, topped with a layer of orange jam, and then a chocolate coating. Since the name “Jaffa Cakes” wasn’t trademarked, other companies were able to make them with the same name, and this is probably also how Tomb Raider has been able to use the logo in the comics. Unless there was a product placement agreement.

There’s also a debate over whether they qualify as cakes or biscuits/cookies, which probably rivals the debates over if pineapple belongs on pizza or if a hot dog is a sandwich. I’ll leave that up to you.

In any case, my British friends were intrigued as to how these would turn out compared to the store bought kind of Jaffa Cakes. I made them on New Year’s Eve 2023, well before any of the other Tomb Raider recipes. You make an orange jelly ahead of time, and then cook the Genoise sponges in a muffin pan/tin, then you cut a circle of jelly to fit the top of the cakes, and top that with melted chocolate chips before leaving them to set. The cookbook’s recipe for them causes them to be more fluffy and cake-like than I think Jaffa Cakes really are. Not that I’m complaining, because they were very tasty! I see why they’re so popular.

If you want to make this recipe for Jaffa Cakes yourself, you can find it in Tomb Raider: The Official Cookbook and Travel Guide.