For a sharing board, choose sliced wholegrain breakfast cake if wholegrain rye and fibre are your priorities, but compare the sugar content per 100 g too. If you’re mainly looking to limit added sugars, consider a variety labelled ‘no added sugar’ and check the ingredients, nutritional information and serving size. To cater for guests with different preferences, serve the breakfast cake separately and let everyone choose their own toppings. Lidl, for example, pairs it with mature cheese, apple syrup and cress.
You’re looking for slices that are easy to serve and top. A Lidl recipe pairs breakfast cake with mature cheese, apple syrup and cress. When choosing toppings, bear your guests’ preferences and allergies in mind too.
Check the proportion of wholegrain rye flour and the fibre per 100 g, without overlooking the sugars. Product information from Peijnenburg and Albert Heijn shows that wholegrain varieties can differ from one another.
Compare varieties labelled ‘no added sugar’ by checking their ingredients and nutritional information. Peijnenburg lists xylitol and chicory root fibre among the ingredients in its wholegrain variety labelled this way. This may be worth considering when choosing for your guests.
Decide what matters most for your sharing board: wholemeal flour and fibre, limiting added sugars or ease of serving. Then compare the nutritional information per 100 g and the size of each slice or bar.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal flour and fibre | The proportion of wholegrain rye flour, and the fibre and sugars per 100 g. | If I want to serve wholegrain breakfast cake, I want to know how much wholemeal flour and fibre it contains without losing sight of the sugar content. Around 36% of consumers prioritise this trade-off. |
| Added sugars | The claim on the packaging, the sugars per 100 g and the ingredients list, including any sweeteners. | For guests who keep an eye on added sugars, I don’t want to rely on the front of the pack alone; the ingredients need to suit them too. This is the main consideration for around 36% of consumers. |
| Easy to serve | Whether the product is pre-sliced or comes in individual bars, and how many slices or bars the pack contains. | When I’m preparing several drinks-party snacks, I want to be able to portion the breakfast cake quickly and add toppings separately. For around 28% of consumers, ease of serving is the deciding factor. |
Peijnenburg lists 39 g of sugars per 100 g for its sliced wholegrain breakfast cake. Albert Heijn lists 34 g of added sugars per 100 g for AH Volkoren. Note that these are two differently described values.
As well as checking the proportion of wholemeal flour, read the nutritional information per 100 g and check the size of each slice.
Peijnenburg lists xylitol and chicory root fibre in its wholegrain variety with no added sugars. Its ingredients are therefore different from those in the regular wholegrain variety.
Read the full ingredients list if your guests’ taste preferences or ingredient requirements will affect your choice.
The product category alone won’t tell you which salt has been used in a particular breakfast cake.
Check the ingredients list or ask the manufacturer about the composition of the product you want to serve.
Peijnenburg offers sliced wholegrain breakfast cake and a sliced wholegrain variety with no added sugars.
AH sells sliced wholegrain breakfast cake under its own label.
PLUS sells sliced wholegrain breakfast cake under its own name.
ALDI describes a sliced wholegrain breakfast cake and a sliced Zero variety under this name.
Jumbo stocks its own breakfast cake varieties alongside products from other brands in its breakfast cake range.
These individually wrapped breakfast cake bars can be served as single portions. They’re a different way to serve breakfast cake from pre-sliced portions on a sharing board with toppings.
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Individual bars are handy if you want to serve breakfast cake without slicing it first. Pre-sliced portions offer a different way to serve topped snacks.
The pack contains five individually wrapped 50 g bars. The product description says they have a distinctly spiced flavour, so bear your guests’ preferences in mind.
Don’t assume the sugar content from the variety name. Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and per bar on the packaging, and check the ingredients and allergens before serving.
No. Peijnenburg lists 39 g of sugars per 100 g for its sliced wholegrain variety, while Albert Heijn lists 34 g of added sugars per 100 g for AH Volkoren. Compare like-for-like values and check the serving size too.
As well as checking the claim, read the ingredients list and nutritional information for the specific variety. For its sliced wholegrain variety with no added sugars, Peijnenburg lists xylitol, chicory root fibre, 4,9 g of sugars and 17 g of fibre per 100 g.
Serve sliced portions with toppings separately, so guests can choose their own combinations. Lidl, for example, has published a recipe pairing it with mature cheese, apple syrup and cress. When choosing toppings, check the ingredients and allergens in the complete snack too.
