Jaffa Cakes launches divisive new flavour inspired by Gen Z and Millennial ‘swicy’ food trend

Jaffa Cakes are a much-loved British institution. They first hit the scene in 1927 courtesy of McVitie and Price – now just McVitie’s -- and have scarcely been altered in the century since.

A little bit of cake topped with dark orange-flavoured jelly and crowed with a top layer of chocolate, they’re a bankable favourite on these shores that gets some outrageous criticism from our friends overseas.

Hot Honey Jaffa Cakes (McVitie's)

If you don’t want to have your opinion on Zendaya spoiled, it’s best not to watch her reaction to eating a Jaffa Cake for the very first time. In short: she’s so wrong.

It seems that our nationwide love for the things doesn’t extend to riffs on the old classic, with a new flavour riling all kinds of consternation among social media users.

If you haven’t kept up with the latest social media trends – and that’s no cause for criticism – there’s a wave of sweet and spicy, or ‘swicy’ foods taking TikTok and the like by storm.

The idea is that the sweetness offset the spiciness, giving you the best of both worlds. Hot honey, or honey infused with chilli, is a top example of the trend, and it’s particularly common on grilled halloumi.

A brave soul at McVitie’s has seen fit to fold this trend into Jaffa Cakes, yielding the Hot Honey Jaffa Cake,

The limited-edition flavour sees the hot honey blended into the orange jelly, with the cake and dark chocolate remaining the same as ever.

In an increasingly-competitive confectionary market, the move has certainly caused a stir as McVitie’s seeks to cement itself in the hearts and minds of Gens Z and Alpha. It follows hot on the heels of last year’s Cola Bottle Jaffa Cake launch, with that variant still available and offering a delicious twist on the classic.

You can pick up a pack of 10 Hot Honey Jaffa Cakes at Asda for just £1.50, but it’s unclear for how long they’ll be available.

It seems the new flavour might be too hot to handle for some, with plenty of Facebook users slamming the idea before they’ve tried it.

“Noo leave Jaffa Cakes alone,” said one user. Please note that regular Jaffa Cakes are still available, folks.

A little spice might be nice (Jakob Berg/Getty Images)

“Hot Honey is the new Salted Caramel,” said another sneering at the trend-hopping.

“These can't be real!” exclaimed another. “Why would you want a spicy Jaffa Cake?!”

“If it was just honey, wouldn't be so bad, but they added chili in this, so no way in hell,” said another who’s afraid of new things.

Another chimed: “Oh so it is true! They are going to overdo hot honey, like they did with Salted Caramel, then Biscoff.”

“Hot Honey doesn't belong in everything,” said yet another.

And that’ll do it for Facebook comments for one day.