Aldi Strawberry Jaffa Cakes Review
Author’s Note: This is not a paid review. These are my own strange little opinions. Mu-aw-ha-ha-haaa! I have no affiliation with Aldi.
Made with real strawberry juice.
If you’ve never had Jaffa Cakes before, they’re a delight. Basically a tender layer of cake, topped with a fruit jelly, and smothered in chocolate. What’s not to love?
I grew up eating those chocolate-covered orange jelly sticks, and this reminds me of those candy treats. Except better. Because, cake.
A year ago, I tried the Orange version of these Jaffa Cakes from Aldi. They were delicious, of course. “Orange” is the original Jaffa Cake flavor from 1927, although it was initially created using apricot jam and tangerine oil.
I didn’t expect to like the strawberry version better than the orange. But, I do. This strawberry flavor is fantastic. It’s bright and zingy, with a strong strawberry aroma. I was pleased to see real strawberry juice concentrate in the ingredients.
(You know what else has a great strawberry flavor? These strawberry-yogurt pretzels. I called them “vivacious” in my review. Because there’s no law against that.)
The jelly is softer than a gummy bear, but more structured than jello. It melts in the mouth, but is firm enough to hold a shape. There are no seeds, just fruity-soft smoothness. Luscious.
And yes, the jelly is actually red inside. It’s just hard to tell from my photos.
The cake doesn’t have much flavor, but I love the spongey softness. It’s airy and light, and gives some calm stability to the noisy flavors of the strawberry and chocolate. We all need someone in our lives like this cake.
Speaking of chocolate, this is sturdy stuff. Mine didn’t melt at all while handling the cookies. I have to store almost every other chocolate treat in my refrigerator to keep it from melting in my 83 degree house. But I did not need to do that with these cookies. Durable treats.
What did I do with my Jaffa Cakes?
Historically, Jaffa Cakes were served as a British tea time treat, or as a snack. In 2023, researchers determined Jaffa Cakes were “the most dunkable” of British cookies. They survived 116 consecutive dunks before falling apart. So, there’s that. Hey, we all measure our self-worth differently!
(Also, how does one get a job as a “Jaffa Cake Researcher”? I would like to, erm, volunteer.)
Anyway. I added my Jaffa Cakes to this grazing board, AKA charcuterie board. The self-contained, tidy shape makes them perfect for tucking between less structured items. (Other items on this board I’ve also reviewed include Belgian Butter Waffle Crisps and Jalapeno Stuffed Olives.)
I enjoy these as a hybrid cookie-candy treat. The way they straddle “chocolate candy” and “biscuit” reminds me of these Belgian Luxury Cookies I previously reviewed from Aldi.
Ingredients in Aldi Benton’s Strawberry Jaffa Cakes
Here are the ingredients, from the label:
- Glucose Syrup
- Sugar
- Wheat Flour
- Water
- Chocolate Liquor
- Eggs
- Palm Fat
- Cocoa Butter
- Sorbitol
- Strawberry Juice Concentrate
- Wheat Starch
- Pectin
- Acidifier (Citric Acid, Sodium citrates)
- Emulsifiers (Mono and Diglycerides, Soy Lecithins)
- Natural Flavor
- Tapioca Starch
- Leavening (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate)
- Salt
These are made in Germany. The chocolate is Rainforest Alliance Certified.
Nutrition Facts
A serving is 2 cookies, and contains just 100 calories. You get 2.5 grams of fat (1.5 grams saturated fat) and less than 1 gram of protein. There are 18 grams carbohydrates, of which 13 grams are sugar (all of which are “added sugars”). And, just 1% your daily value of sodium.
Price and Servings
I bought my 300 gram (10.58 ounce) box at my local Aldi for $2.49. Since there are 12 servings per container, each serving costs 21 cents. Per cookie, that is about 10 cents.
Aldi has also sold Jaffa Cakes under their German “Deutsche Küche” store brand. This newer “Benton’s” brand is very similar, just packaged in a different label.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my package allowed only 2 months to consume, which is far, far less than I expected. Alas.
I will add that, after opening, the cookie-wafer-cake-stuff starts to dry up immediately. So, they will taste stale pretty quickly. It’s best to open them and eat them within a few days, if possible.
I appreciate that these cookies come in two individually-sealed plastic sleeves. This way, I can keep the unopened cookies fresher and eat them over a longer period of time. Great for single folks like me. I would have liked it even better if they came in FOUR sealed packets. Ahem.
Dramatic Conclusion
I love the flavors and textures of these Jaffa Cakes. The strawberry is at least as good as the orange variety. It’s hard to beat the price at just 10 cents per cookie. On my highly scientific “Awesome-o-Meter,” these score a “Yaaas.”
The End.
More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other strawberry-ish reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. That’s fine, too:
