The most difficult question ever !?

Question

I know this may be a touchy subject but it is a question that needs to be asked. Jaffa cakes , are they cakes or biscuits. This has puzzled man for many years and this afternoon, we together, could solve this mystery once and for all. So people let me know your thoughts on this. And if we had more time we could touch on the subject of flapjacks , but thats just madness.

Answer 1

Biscuits and cakes are considered a necessity by UK law and are zero rated for VAT (value added tax). Chocolate covered biscuits however are a luxury and subject to VAT at 17.5%. McVities and HM Customs & Excise argued over whether the Jaffa Cake was a cake (no VAT) or a chocolate biscuit (lots of VAT). The argument had to be taken to a Tribunal (kind of like a court) to be resolved. In the end McVities baked a 12" Jaffa Cake which convinced the Tribunal Chairman of the general cakeiness of the Jaffa Cake. - So cake wins!

Answer 2

Jaffa Cake: The ''creme de la creme'' of biscuits yet a lame excuse for a cake! The Jaffa Cake is niether a biscuit nor a cake even though it has the word cake in its title! It therefore has its own independant right to be called a Biscake! Invented by Mr Humpfrey Jaffa himself it is second to none, being the envy of all other biscakes including the lengendary Wagon Wheel! The Jaffa Cake is the most famous of its kind especially in Germany where they hold yearly Jaffa Cake eating competitions, the record being 1024 of the old Jaffa's in one sitting! Crikey hey?

Answer 3

MMMMMmmmmmmmmm, love em, in fact just ate half a packet this morning. But good question, l read once that even the British Government ( Or someone working in the gov) had to justify this because if classed as a cake it is a luxury item and therefore had to be taxed, but as a biscuit it is more of a necessity and no VAT. I think in the end they deciced it was actually a cake. Well the story was something along those lines, so l might not be acurate, another boring piece of useless onformation for you.

Answer 4

This was covered in a court of law in the UK concerning if VAT should be charged on the product.

The end result was that Jaffa Cake is actually a cake.

The way in which it was determined in the house of lords was that if left outside overnight a cake goes hard and a biscuit goes soft.

A jaffacake turns hard and thus is a cake.

Secondary note:

In the court case Mcvites actually baked a giant cake and took it into the courtroom for the jury to eat... cool or what? :P

Answer 5

I must say, I have been perplexed by this gritty issue for many years but I officially conclude that jaffa cakes are in fact cakes because of their spongy base. Biscuits tend to be of the crunchier species. This leaves us with the question, why oh why are they kept with the digestives and rich teas in a supermarket and not given pride of place next to the Mr Kiplings?

Answer 6

You'd need to send me some to try so that I could be sure but I think they are a bit small for a cake yet much nicer than a biscuit ... I will go with cake.

Answer 7

The British Government classify the jaffa cake as a cake.....

Answer 8

they're cakes....I think. But they're small so like fairy cakes? And as for flapjacks, they're biscuits. Actually flapjacks are going to end up being classified as a 'traybake' as they are baked in a tray and marked out when cooked. but its such a foul name that let's just call them biscuits. Of course the definition could change according to how long they've been cooked and whether they then break your teeth or just gum them up...

Answer 9

They are just plain evil and a part of a plan to take over the world as once you open that pack you have too eat them all. they contain mind bending drugs and eventually we will all be enslaved by the king of the jaffa cake empire

You have been warned.

Answer 10

Cakes, biscuits can be dunked into tea, jaffa cakes are not good eaten this way