For coffee with friends, choose chocolate breakfast cake if you’d rather have a chocolate flavour than the familiar spiced taste. But don’t take ‘dark chocolate’ as proof of a high cocoa content or a less sweet cake. Before serving, check the number of slices, ingredients and allergens on the current packaging too.
If you’d rather serve chocolate breakfast cake than a plain version with coffee, check the exact variety. Lidl lists a Luxury breakfast cake with dark chocolate and nuts. Check the ingredients and any stated cocoa percentage rather than relying on the flavour description.
If you’re serving several friends, it’s worth comparing pre-sliced cakes and resealable packaging. Albert Heijn described its AH Bio chocolate breakfast cake as coming in a resealable pack of seven slices, but notes that this variety has been discontinued.
If you need to take allergens into account or compare sugars and fibre, check the details for the variety you’ve chosen. Albert Heijn lists rye and soya in Peijnenburg Banoffee Choc and warns that it may contain nuts and milk. This doesn’t tell you anything about the ingredients in other breakfast cakes.
First decide whether you want chocolate or spiced breakfast cake with your coffee. Then compare the flavour description with the label and choose packaging that suits your group.
When to choose it: If you specifically want to offer chocolate and nuts; Lidl lists this combination in a Luxury breakfast cake variety.
Bear in mind: The variety name doesn’t confirm a high cocoa content. If any guests have a relevant allergy, check the current allergen information first.
When to choose it: If a chocolate filling and pre-sliced portions are a better fit for your coffee break. Albert Heijn described its AH Bio chocolate variety as coming in seven slices.
Bear in mind: Albert Heijn says this specific variety has been discontinued, so don’t take the description as proof that it’s currently available to buy.
When to choose it: If you don’t need chocolate and would rather serve a version without chocolate alongside your coffee.
Bear in mind: ‘Wholemeal’ doesn’t tell you how much sugar the cake contains. Peijnenburg lists 39 g of sugars per 100 g for its sliced wholemeal variety.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate flavour | Check whether your chosen variety contains chocolate or dark chocolate, and look at any stated cocoa percentage and the ingredients. | I want to taste real chocolate with my coffee, rather than rely on the word ‘dark’. For around 40% of consumers, this flavour choice matters most. |
| Easy to share | Check the number of slices and whether the packaging is resealable. If the variety was listed previously, find out which product is currently available to buy. | When I’m serving several friends, I want to share the cake without much slicing and keep any leftovers fresh. Around 30% of consumers put ease of sharing first. |
| Label information | Check the allergens for your chosen variety and compare sugars and fibre on the same basis, such as per 100 g. | If guests need to take allergens into account, or I’m comparing nutritional values, I want to know exactly what I’m serving. Around 30% of consumers give checking the label top priority. |
A variety name doesn’t tell you how much cocoa the whole breakfast cake contains. So Lidl’s listed combination of dark chocolate and nuts doesn’t, by itself, confirm a high cocoa content.
Look for a stated cocoa percentage on the label and check the ingredients before choosing a cake for its cocoa flavour.
Albert Heijn says its AH Bio chocolate breakfast cake has been discontinued. The seven slices and resealable packaging described on the page don’t mean that this specific product is available again.
Check the current product page and label for any alternative, even if its flavour description is similar to the discontinued variety.
Albert Heijn lists rye and soya in Peijnenburg Banoffee Choc and says that the cake may contain nuts and milk. Allergen information can vary between varieties.
Ask guests in advance whether they need to take any allergens into account, and keep the packaging for the cake you serve to hand.
Peijnenburg lists 5.1 g of fibre and 39 g of sugars per 100 g for its sliced wholemeal variety. So the word ‘wholemeal’ is no substitute for comparing nutritional values.
Compare fibre and sugars separately per 100 g on the packs you’re considering.
Peijnenburg offers plain, wholemeal and flavoured varieties. This gives you a way to decide whether you’re mainly looking for chocolate breakfast cake to serve with coffee or a variety without chocolate.
The supermarket’s own brand gives you a starting point for comparing portions and packaging; assess each breakfast cake variety separately.
Lidl lists a Luxury breakfast cake with dark chocolate and nuts, and also sells breakfast cake under the Tastino name. Variety names are a starting point for comparison, not interchangeable product specifications.
No. The description alone doesn’t tell you how much cocoa the whole breakfast cake contains. Lidl lists a Luxury variety with dark chocolate and nuts; if you’re choosing based on cocoa content, look for a stated percentage and check the ingredients for that specific variety.
Check the current packaging for the cake you’re serving. Albert Heijn lists rye and soya in Peijnenburg Banoffee Choc and warns that it may contain nuts and milk; the information may differ for another variety.
Check the ingredients list for your chosen breakfast cake, and ask the manufacturer which salt it uses if the packaging isn’t clear enough. Don’t assume that every product in the Dutch category uses the same type of salt.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging for your chosen variety. Albert Heijn advises keeping its plain breakfast cake in a sealed tin after opening; don’t automatically apply this product-specific guidance to a different cake.
