If you’re serving a group or baking at home
You’ll want to know how many portions you can serve, and whether you can use ready-cut slices or would rather make your own cubes and crumbs.
Who are these sizes suited to?
If you compare nutritional information
You may want to check sugars, fibre, salt and ingredients before choosing a larger pack. A label such as ‘wholemeal’ doesn’t tell you everything about what’s in it.
If you need to consider allergens
Check the variant you’ve chosen before sharing your breakfast cake. Even a gluten-free cake may contain allergens such as milk or lupin.
What should you look for when choosing?
First, decide which shape you need for serving or baking. Then compare the nutritional information and check the allergens for each variant.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is it important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Size and whether it’s sliced | Compare the weight and, for sliced cake, the number of slices. Choose an unsliced cake if you want to cut it into your own shapes. | If I’m serving cake to a group or using it in a recipe, I want to know in advance how I can portion it. For around 42% of consumers, size and whether it’s sliced would be the main consideration. |
| Nutritional information | Check sugars, fibre and salt per 100 g, and compare these with the portion you plan to eat. | When buying a larger pack, I want to compare what’s in my usual portion rather than relying on the front of the pack. For around 33% of consumers, the ingredients and nutritional profile would matter most. |
| Allergens | For the variant you’ve chosen, check both ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ on the current packaging. | When I’m sharing breakfast cake with others, I need to know first whether everyone can eat the variant I’ve chosen. For around 25% of consumers, checking allergens would come first. |
Common mistakes
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Looking only for a ‘sharing bag’
A large cake may be more suitable for sharing or baking than a pack with a specific sharing label. The shape also determines how much cutting you’ll need to do yourself.
Search by pack weight too, and check whether the breakfast cake is sliced, unsliced or individually wrapped.
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Treating a claim on the front as a complete nutritional assessment
A mention of fibre or wholemeal ingredients doesn’t tell you everything about the product. The Consumentenbond warns that fibre claims can give a more favourable impression than the overall nutritional information warrants.
Read the nutritional values per 100 g, and also check the ingredients and the portion you plan to serve.
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Confusing gluten-free with allergen-free
According to PLUS, the 285 g gluten-free Peijnenburg breakfast cake contains milk and lupin. Other variants may contain different allergens.
Before sharing, check the allergen information for the exact variant you’ve bought.
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Assuming the product category tells you whether it contains iodine
According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So the fact that a product is breakfast cake doesn’t tell you whether it contains iodine from baker’s salt.
Check the ingredients on the packaging if this information matters to your choice.
Brands to consider
Peijnenburg
This range includes large pre-sliced cakes, individually wrapped portions and an unsliced gluten-free variant.
- Jumbo lists around 18 slices for the 550 g pre-sliced plain cake; the 10-pack contains individually wrapped slices.
- According to PLUS, the 285 g gluten-free variant contains milk and lupin. Always check allergens for each variant.
Bolletje
The 500 g pre-sliced breakfast cake is an option if you want slices ready to serve.
- Jumbo lists around 14 slices per pack.
- The product information lists rye, wheat and lupin, and notes that it may contain nuts.
Koek & Bakker
ALDI lists pre-sliced 485 g breakfast cake variants, including a wholemeal option.
- Ready-sliced portions can be served without any cutting.
- Check the ingredients, nutritional information and allergens on the packaging of the variant you choose.
AH
The 500 g Bakkersontbijtkoek is a large own-brand cake in Albert Heijn’s range.
- The product information lists 42 g of sugars per 100 g, making it easy to compare with other cakes.
- The product information lists rye and wheat and notes that it may contain nuts. Check the current packaging if this is relevant to the people you’re serving.
Breakfast cake at Joybuy
These options show different ways to enjoy breakfast cake: cut it yourself for a recipe, serve ready-sliced portions or hand out individually wrapped portions.
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g'woon unsliced breakfast cake, 550 g
For recipes where you want to choose the thickness of the slices or the shape of the pieces yourself. Before using, check the current allergen information on the packaging; rye is listed in the product information.
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g'woon sliced wholemeal breakfast cake, 485 g
For anyone who wants to serve slices without cutting the cake themselves. Check the label for the number of slices and the nutritional value per 100 g. Also check the allergen information, as rye is listed.
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Snelle Jelle Breakfast Cake Less Sugar-Free, 250 g
An option for handing out individual portions of breakfast cake, rather than using one large cake for a baking recipe. Don’t treat the wording in the product name as nutritional information: check the sugars per 100 g on the packaging and check the allergens too.
Frequently asked questions
What size breakfast cake is best for sharing?
A larger pre-sliced cake is handy if you want to serve slices straight away; individually wrapped portions are better for handing out separately. Check the weight and the stated number of slices or portions, rather than relying only on the pack name.
Should I choose sliced or unsliced breakfast cake for a baking recipe?
Choose sliced breakfast cake if you need slices without any extra cutting. An unsliced cake lets you choose the thickness and shape yourself, for example if you want to use pieces or crumbs.
Does all breakfast cake contain iodine from baker’s salt?
You can’t tell from the product category. The Voedingscentrum says bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt, so check the ingredients of the specific cake if this matters to your choice.
Is gluten-free breakfast cake also free from other allergens?
No. Gluten-free doesn’t mean free from all other allergens. According to PLUS, the 285 g gluten-free Peijnenburg variant contains milk and lupin; always read the current label on the pack you’ve chosen before serving it.