Raspberry Jaffa Cakes: How They Differ From the Orange

McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Raspberry: One Layer Changed

Only one layer moves in this Jaffa Cake, and it is the layer that gives the whole thing its character. Trade sharp orange for raspberry and the cake runs sweeter, which changes what belongs in the cup beside it.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Raspberry: One Layer Changed, in summary: The familiar sponge, jelly and chocolate build, with a raspberry flavour jelly that is rounder and sweeter than orange. Ten cakes in 110g: keep them sealed, eat them dry and pour a strong tea without sugar.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Only one layer moves in this Jaffa Cake, and it is the layer that gives the whole thing its character. Trade sharp orange for raspberry and the cake runs sweeter, which changes what belongs in the cup beside it.

Raspberry where the orange used to be

The sponge base and the thin chocolate top are the same idea as ever. The difference is the set jelly, and raspberry behaves quite unlike citrus in there. It reads more like jam than fresh fruit: soft, round and sweet, with no sharp edge cutting back through the chocolate. Some people count that as an improvement and others as a loss, depending on which quality drew them to Jaffa Cakes in the first place.

With less acidity in the middle, the dark chocolate, listed at 19%, carries almost all the bitterness and does more of the balancing. The label holds a small surprise: concentrated orange juice is still on the list, alongside natural raspberry flavouring and anthocyanins among the colours. The allergen statement lists wheat (gluten), milk, egg, soya and sulphites.

Still a cake, and it keeps like one

There is a simple test for the old cake-or-biscuit question. A biscuit fails by drawing in moisture and going soft; a cake fails by losing moisture and going hard. Leave one of these out overnight and by morning it has hardened, which is cake behaviour. That is why it is better kept in its own pack than tipped into a tin with crisp biscuits.

The pack holds ten cakes in 110g. Keep it sealed in a cool, dry cupboard until you want it, and once it is open plan to finish it promptly, within a sitting or two, because a sponge keeps for less time than a biscuit. Because the flavour change is a matter of taste, we would buy these alongside the orange original rather than as a straight replacement.

Eat it dry, beside a strong cup

Dunking is a poor idea twice over. The sponge soaks up tea instantly and the chocolate top slides away, leaving you fishing in the mug. Serve them on a plate next to the drink rather than in it, ideally when the pot has had time to brew properly.

Our first choice is a strong, unsweetened English breakfast or Assam, because its briskness backs up the thin chocolate layer instead of adding more sweetness. A black tea with a slice of lemon is worth trying too, since it puts back some of the sharpness that raspberry leaves out. Black coffee works on the same principle, with bitterness in place of acidity.

The packs we stock

McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Raspberry Flavour, 10 Cakes 110g (barcode 5000168041605)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Raspberry Flavour, 10 Cakes 110g says it contains wheat (gluten), milk, egg, soya and sulphites. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredients, as published: Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Dark Chocolate (19%) [Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea), Butter Oil (Milk), Cocoa Butter, Emulsifiers (Soya Lecithin, E476), Natural Flavouring], Sugar, Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Whole Egg, Dextrose, Concentrated Orange Juice (Sulphites), Glucose Syrup, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Palm), Humectant (Glycerine), Acid (Citric Acid), Gelling Agent (Pectin), Raising Agents (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dried Whole Egg, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Natural Raspberry Flavouring, Colour (Curcumin, Anthocyanins), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin).

Typical values per 100g	Per 100g
Energy	375 kcal
Fat	8.1g
of which saturates	4.0g
Carbohydrate	69.3g
of which sugars	49.8g
Fibre	2.1g
Protein	5.1g
Salt	0.27g

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

Yorkshire Tea Original Everyday Blend, 80 Tea Bags 250g: A strong, plain everyday black tea, taken without sugar, that backs up the thin chocolate top.
Twinings English Breakfast Decaffeinated 40, 109g: The same brisk breakfast style for an evening plate of these, with the caffeine taken out.
L'Or Nespresso Compatible Espresso Supremo Aluminium Coffee Intensity 10, 10 Capsules: A short, intense black coffee whose bitterness stands in for the sharpness the raspberry jelly gives up.
Yorkshire Tea Cherry Bakewell Brew, 40 Tea Bags 112g: A cherry bakewell flavoured black tea that leans into the jam-and-sponge mood of the cake.

Elsewhere in the McVitie's range

The full range is on the McVitie's brand page.

FAQ

What is different about raspberry Jaffa Cakes? Only the jelly. It is raspberry flavoured rather than orange, rounder and sweeter, while the sponge base and thin chocolate top keep the familiar construction.

Why do raspberry Jaffa Cakes list sulphites? The sulphites are declared against the concentrated orange juice, which is still on the ingredient list alongside the raspberry flavouring. The full published list gives wheat (gluten), milk, egg, soya and sulphites.

How many cakes are in the pack? Ten cakes, 110g in total.

Do raspberry Jaffa Cakes work dunked? No. The sponge takes up tea at once and the chocolate slides off, so keep them beside the cup.

Should I switch from the orange ones? We would keep both. People who swap entirely are the ones most likely to miss the citrus bite.

Curator's note: Put a plate of these next to a plate of the orange ones and let people choose. If the raspberry tastes too soft for you, a slice of lemon in a black tea puts the edge back. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Raspberry: One Layer Changed

Field	Detail
Brand	McVitie's
Packs we stock	10 Cakes 110g
Category	Chocolate Biscuits
Allergens (as published)	It contains wheat (gluten), milk, egg, soya and sulphites.
Dunkable	No, the sponge soaks and the top slides
Best with	Strong tea without sugar, or black tea with lemon
Buy it	Alongside the orange original