Written by Alyson Jackson.

"What is a Chocolate Japonaise 'Jap'?", we often hear you ask. Well, let us tell you some more about one of our most popular fancy cakes.

A Chocolate Japonaise 'Jap' is created by sandwiching together two almond and hazelnut macaroon meringue biscuits with chocolate buttercream, before encasing the 'sandwich' with more chocolate buttercream and coating it in chocolate vermicelli (sprinkles). Finally, they are now topped with a Belgian chocolate 'B' button - once tasted, never forgotten!

A Chocolate Jap is light and moreish. The texture of the meringue biscuits can be soft, sometimes crisp but also a little chewy. We make our own silky chocolate buttercream which encases the meringue biscuits perfectly. The Belgian chocolate vermicelli (sprinkles) creates a delicious chocolate aroma and we source them from a company which supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation, which aims to drive cocoa farmer prosperity and create self-sustaining farming communities. As you can see from the above photograph, we prefer to dive right in but you could enjoy your Jap with a dessert fork. 

 Chocolate Japs are crafted by hand in our Whitby bakery by our skilled confectioners. We make them in batches of one hundred and eighty - you can imagine the delicious chocolate aroma which fills the finishing room! Click on the image above to watch a video of our family baker, Lois Borrett, as she makes a batch in record speed!

You can order a box of four Chocolate Japs to enjoy at home. We individually seal the Japs and pack them carefully for their travels which means a Botham's Chocolate Jap can be enjoyed nationwide. We have one lucky customer who is gifted a box of four Chocolate Japs each month by his family - now that is a present worthy of your wishlist!

Our individual Chocolate Japs are so popular, we started to receive requests for a larger size. So, we marked the recipe with 'go super-sized' and boy did we deliver! Made to the same recipe as the individual Japs, the GIANT Chocolate Jap Cake! measures in at between seven and eight inches in diameter, is four layers deep and serves approximately eight to twelve people.

The GIANT Chocolate Jap Cake! certainly is impressive and it has been a popular choice for celebration tables nationwide. Yes, we did just say 'nationwide'; The GIANT Chocolate Jap Cake! is suitable for posting and we have had superb feedback from customers. Some customers have even ordered a GIANT Chocolate Jap Cake! and put their own candles on top, and, further still, some customers have surrounded a GIANT Jap Cake with individual ones to create a truly impressive birthday surprise fit for any Chocolate Jap fan!

You also asked for Chocolate Japs to be included in set hampers, so the 'Because You Love Chocolate' Gift Tin was born. Lift the lid of the bespoke navy and gold Botham's tin and delight in the chocolate aroma as you feast your eyes upon Chocolate Japs, chunky Chocolate Brownies, moreish Double Chocolate Biscuits and a beautiful jar of Chocolate 'B' Buttons. The only difficulty you will have is working our which to try first!

If you have tried a Chocolate Jap before then you will know what all the excitement is about. If you haven't, what are you waiting for? We can deliver you a box of four direct to your door - the unofficial Chocolate Jap Fan Club is very welcoming of new members!