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| | | Subject: jaffa cakes - cakes or biscuits?
Posted Apr 23, 2004 by devilish_uk
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33
  | | Glad someone finally raised the issue about where you find Jaffa Cakes in a supermarket.
Functionally, they are biscuits, not cakes. They are always eaten alongside a cup of tea (probably), and as such fulfill basic criteria for being a biscuit.
If you fancied a bit of cake, even just a small round bit, you wouldn't immediately turn to Jaffa Cakes. But, if you fancied yourself a bit of biscuit (maybe to go along with that cup of tea), a Jaffa Cake might well fit the bill.
So - technically cake, but for practical and functional purposes, and in common definition of the term, they are biscuits.
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| | | Subject: jaffa cakes - cakes or biscuits?
Posted Apr 22, 2005 by datafreek
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39
| | the soft/hard issue is irrelevant in determining the nomenclature of baked articles. Any abandoned baked edible, be it biscuit, cake, cookie, or even a slice of bread, will strive to reach an equilibrium with its surroundings. For the case in question (jaffa cake) the most noticeable characteristics which change over time are temperature and humidity. Due to the fact that the cake has not been eaten, but abandoned (this circumstance occurs very rarely in nature)we may observe:
that if a freshly baked biscuit with low water content, say 0.34 percent, is left somewhere with a high relative humidity, say Borneo, it will gain moisture and become soggy.
if a freshly purchased Jaffa cake with water content of 1.71 percent (I work in a Physics lab, and was able to measure this using a mass spectrum hygrometer - destroyed the jaffa cake though - shame) is left in a very dry environment, say a kitchen cupboard wrapped in protective kitchen roll, it will lose moisture and eventually will reach the same level as it's surroundings, and will more closely resemble a biscuit in texture.
from this research several conclusions may be drawn:
1. whether a jaffa cake is in fact a cake or a biscuit is irrelevant.
2. they taste good.
3. everyone should eat them.
4. one should follow the instructions on the packet and consume within minutes.
5. If you live in Borneo, the Amazon, or Miami, keep your jaffa cakes in a sealed tin.
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