Choose a breakfast cake with ginger or pearl sugar if you’re serving it as a noticeable sweet accent. If you’re crumbling it into a stew or sauce, a plain version is a more natural fit. Also compare the sugar, fibre and serving size, as well as the allergen information, on each pack. A label such as ‘luxury’ or ‘wholemeal’ doesn’t, by itself, tell you what the nutritional values or ingredients are.
If you want to crumble the cake into a dish without adding a pronounced topping flavour, start with a plain version and add it to taste. In a Lidl stew recipe, the breakfast cake goes into the pan towards the end of cooking.
For slices served on a sharing platter, choose a flavour and texture you like, such as pearl sugar. Consider whether the extra sweetness will work with the other snacks, and check the allergen information for your guests.
If sugar, fibre or allergens are key to your choice, compare the nutritional information per 100 g and per serving. Also read the current ingredients list and any ‘may contain’ statement; products in the same category can differ.
First decide whether the breakfast cake will be a visible part of the meal or mixed into a dish. Then choose the serving format you want and check the pack for nutritional information and allergens.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour in the dish | Choose between plain and a version with, for example, ginger or pearl sugar; pick a format to suit serving or crumbling. | If I’m adding the cake to a stew, I want to keep control of the dish’s flavour; when serving slices, I’m happy for the cake to stand out more. This flavour role is the top priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Sugar and fibre | Compare sugar and fibre per 100 g and per serving; for versions with no added sugar, also check which sweeteners they contain. | If you’re choosing breakfast cake based on its ingredients, you’ll want to know what a typical serving contains rather than relying on the word ‘wholemeal’. Nutritional value is the top priority for around 25% of consumers. |
| Allergens | Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current pack, including any ‘may contain’ statement. | If I need to avoid rye or another allergen, the label determines whether a particular version is suitable. This is the most important factor when choosing for around 25% of consumers. |
| Format and portions | Check the net weight and whether the cake is sliced, unsliced or individually wrapped. | For a sharing platter, I want to be able to cut my own slices; for individual servings, pre-sliced cake may be more practical. Portion format is the deciding factor for around 17% of consumers. |
Ginger and pearl sugar tell you something about flavour or texture, not how much sugar or fibre a breakfast cake contains. A more distinctive version isn’t necessarily the flavour you want in a savoury stew, either.
First decide what role the cake will play in your dish, then compare the nutritional information for the specific product.
The Peijnenburg version with no added sugar listed by Jumbo contains 4.9 g of sugars and 23 g of polyols per 100 g. The product information warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Check the values per 100 g and per serving, and see which sweeteners the product contains.
Some of the plain versions described by Jumbo and PLUS contain rye. PLUS also states that its unsliced plain version may contain wheat, barley and oats.
If you have an allergy, check the ingredients and any ‘may contain’ statement on the current pack, even if the product is labelled ‘wholemeal’ or ‘zero’.
Jumbo lists Peijnenburg versions including plain, wholemeal, ginger and pearl sugar.
The own-label range includes a 485 g sliced wholemeal breakfast cake.
Here, Jumbo is a retailer selling Peijnenburg breakfast cake, not the manufacturer of these products.
Lidl lists Tastino breakfast cake and shows how to use it as an ingredient in one of its own stew recipes.
ALDI lists Koek & Bakker products including sliced wholemeal breakfast cake and unsliced breakfast cake with pearl sugar.
PLUS describes a 550 g unsliced plain breakfast cake.
These breakfast cakes offer a choice of wholemeal, plain and individually portioned options. Check the packaging to find the flavour, nutritional values and serving format that suit your fakeaway meal.
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An option if you’re looking for pre-sliced portions and a wholemeal version. Compare the sugar and fibre on the current packaging; if you have an allergy, check the ingredients and allergen information too.
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A plain version to consider if you want to serve breakfast cake in individual portions. Before serving, check the flavour, nutritional information and allergens on the packaging, especially if you’re adding it to a savoury dish.
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An option if individual portions would be handy for your meal. Consider the wording on the packaging alongside the current sugar and fibre values per 100 g and per serving, and check the allergens too.
A plain version is a sensible choice if you want the other flavours in the stew to take centre stage. Add the crumbled cake gradually. In a Lidl recipe, two slices go into the pan after 35 minutes of stewing, and the dish then cooks for a further 15 minutes.
No. According to the product information, Albert Heijn’s sliced wholemeal version contains 5.7 g of fibre and 34 g of sugars per 100 g. Compare both values on the packaging of the version you want to buy.
No, these terms don’t mean the same thing. Jumbo lists a Peijnenburg version with no added sugar as containing 4.9 g of sugars and 23 g of polyols per 100 g, with a warning against excessive consumption.
Read the current ingredients list and any ‘may contain’ statement on the specific pack. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how allergens must be listed on the labels of pre-packed foods; some plain versions, for example, contain rye.
