In my version of Jaffa cakes, Jaffa cupcakes, I start with mini vanilla cupcakes, top them with an orange jam frosting, dip the whole thing in semi-sweet chocolate, and dust with a little orange zest.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. It's supposed to be that way.)
Fill mini cupcake liners 3/4 full.
Bake for 10 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.
Orange Jam Buttercream Frosting Instructions
Beat butter on high speed in a medium-sized mixing bowl for three minutes.
Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time.
Add jam and mix until fully incorporated.
Pipe a swirl onto cooled cupcakes using a large round tip. I used Wilton tip number 1A, but if you don’t have a tip, you can just cut the end off of a sandwich bag.
Place the cupcakes in the freezer for 20 minutes or until the frosting is frozen solid.
Chocolate Topping Instructions
Place chocolate chips and oil into a tall microwave-safe cup (I used a two cup Pyrex measuring cup).
Microwave for twenty seconds at a time (stirring in between) until all of the chocolate is melted.
Take the frosted cupcakes out of the freezer. One by one, grab the cupcakes by their wrappers, turn them upside-down, and dunk them into the cup of melted chocolate - making sure that all of the frosting gets covered. (If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear them squealing, “Wheeee!”) Let the cupcakes hover over the cup of chocolate until all of the excess chocolate drips off.
Sprinkle with orange zest while the chocolate is still wet.