The Jaffa Cake debate is SETTLED: ChatGPT reveals whether the snack a biscuit or a cake – so, do YOU agree with its answer?

With their sweet disk of orange jelly, comforting sponge base and delicate layer of chocolate, there’s no doubt that Jaffa Cakes are a delicious British treat.

But what’s more up for debate is their identity – are they cakes or biscuits?

Well, the mystery may finally be solved this National Cake Day thanks to the world’s most popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.

“Jaffa cakes are cakes,” ChatGPT said, largely because they become tough when stale, which is “a feature of cakes, not biscuits.”

Google’s Bard – ChatGPT’s main competitor – seemed more adamant, saying: “Jaffa cakes are a cake, not a cookie.”

Both Bard and ChatGPT pointed to a legal decision from more than 30 years ago to support their answer.

In 1991, McVitie’s, which has been making the orange-flavored dessert since 1927, went to court to demand that Jaffa Cakes be classified as cakes.

McVitie’s has been challenged over its classification of orange and chocolate sweets as ‘cakes’ by Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise.

ChatGPT said: “The distinction is important for tax purposes as in the UK; cakes are considered a staple food and are not subject to VAT, whereas biscuits are.

“The court ruled in favor of McVitie’s, saying that Jaffa Cakes are indeed cakes.”

“So, in the eyes of the law, Jaffa Cakes are Jaffa Cakes.”

“This was determined by a court case in 1991, where HMRC challenged McVitie’s classification of Jaffa Cakes as cakes,” Bard agreed.

“So, next time you enjoy a Jaffa Cake, you can rest assured that you are eating a cake, not a cookie.”

This is not the first time that artificial intelligence has been enlisted to help resolve the controversy surrounding conscription, which has been described as “one of the greatest causes of discord between British families.”

“Jaffa cakes are cakes” largely because they become tough when stale, which is “a feature of cakes, not biscuits,” ChatGPT said.

Dr Heloise Stephens, from the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford, trained the algorithms with nearly 100 recipes for traditional cakes and biscuits in 2021.

She then ran two java cake recipes through the algorithms, which unambiguously identified them as cakes “without a doubt.”

According to Dr Stephens, it was reported that McVity’s arguments during the 1991 court case were “not scientifically motivated” and were merely a ruse to avoid paying VAT.

This evidence is therefore often dismissed by those who claim that Jaffa Cake is a biscuit – and even the most adamant members of the cake camp must admit that they have a case.

Many people think of Jaffa Cakes as biscuits because they are traditionally served with tea and can be found in the biscuit aisle of supermarkets.

They are also the same size and shape as biscuits such as Digestive, Hobnob and Rich Tea.

Moreover, Jaffa Cake can be held and dipped without leaving much residue on fingers, unlike a slice of cake or a cupcake.

“Most cakes will be sticky, and as a result, the experience of eating a Jaffa cake will be more similar to that of a traditional biscuit,” Dr. Stephens said in her research. Research paper.

Dr. Stefans trained two algorithms on 100 traditional cake and biscuit recipes. Below are visual examples of the Cakes and Biscuits category

Famous people who believe that Jaffa cakes are biscuits include cookery writer Nigel Slater, who once said: “Jaffa cakes are all biscuits.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also sparked controversy when she said in 2018: “In my humble opinion, jaffa cake is definitely a biscuit.”

Meanwhile, those in the cake camp include actor Stephen Fry, screenwriter John O’Farrell and chef Nigella Lawson, who say they are “cakes disguised as biscuits”.

MailOnline has contacted the owner of McVitie’s – which goes by the name United Biscuits – for comment.

You’ve been eating Jaffa cakes wrong! McVitie reveals the chocolate is underneath – but fans aren’t convinced

For a harmless little dessert, Jaffa Cakes can generate a lot of controversy.

Is it biscuits? Is it a cake? Should you eat it all at once or bite the rim before the jelly?

These are questions being asked in households across the UK, and while they may always remain a mystery, McVitie’s fans were stunned in 2020 by putting an end to one debate.

The Edinburgh Biscuit Company has revealed that chocolate is actually present at the bottom of its Jaffa Cake, contrary to popular belief.

In a screenshot of a photo saved on Twitter that was shared widely on Facebook groups in the UK, McVitie’s appears to have confirmed the presence of chocolate at the bottom of the Jaffa Cake.

A UK social media user known as David claimed he asked the Jaffa Cake team to confirm the top side of the dessert via Facebook Messenger.

In screenshots that have since been shared widely, they said: “Hey David, our Jaffa Cakes go through a tank of chocolate, so the chocolate is the bottom, thanks Jaffa Cakes,” to which David quickly replied: “WTF.”

The post was then shared on the Facebook group Tricks and tips for household insuranceMany people disagreed with the news.

‘Lol no I really don’t accept this. “The cake part is the bottom,” one person said.

“Oh my god, this is like eating a ham salad sandwich with ham on the bottom and salad on top. This is all wrong,” another added.

A third said: “I refuse to accept this.”

“The bad news keeps coming.” What a year, wrote a fourth.

“Their ad shows the chocolate side on the plate!” Note the fifth.

Users also took to Twitter to share their shock, with one writing that they were “horrified” by the news.

The post was then shared in the Family Lockdown Tricks and Tips Facebook group, where many took issue with the news

McVitie’s has previously weighed in on the debate, revealing that not only Jaffa Cakes, but all of their desserts have chocolate underneath.

Marketing director Kerry Owens previously told MailOnline: ‘When we make McVitie’s chocolate biscuits – whether that’s Hobnobs, Chocolate Digestives or even Jaffa Cakes – they go through a tank of chocolate on the production line.

“This essentially ‘floods’ the bottom of the chocolate – so we can make sure the chocolate is officially at the bottom of the cookie.”