If you want to control the cocoa flavour in a cake or dessert, make a batter with unsweetened cocoa powder. ProVeg Nederland uses cocoa powder as a separate ingredient in its chocolate breakfast cake recipe. Ready-made chocolate breakfast cake is an option if its ingredients, flavour and shape suit your baking plans. A chocolate bar, however, is not the same as a cake that you can slice or crumble.
If you don’t want banana or caramel to define the flavour of your cake or dessert, check which cocoa or chocolate ingredients the breakfast cake contains. Adding cocoa powder to your own batter lets you control the amount.
If you want to use slices, cubes or crumbs, check the product’s form. An uncut breakfast cake is portioned differently from pre-sliced pieces or an individually wrapped bar.
If you’re baking for others, check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information for the variety you choose. Breakfast cakes and chocolate bars can differ in their sugars, sweeteners and allergen warnings.
Choose this if: you want to control the amount of cocoa and the other ingredients yourself.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to mix and bake it yourself, and the finished flavour will also depend on the rest of the recipe.
Choose this if: you want to slice or crumble a breakfast cake and its existing flavour suits your bake.
Bear in mind: you can’t change its ingredients, and chocolate may be combined with other flavours, such as banana and caramel.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who does this matter to? |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa flavour | Check whether cocoa powder, cocoa mass or chocolate is listed in the ingredients, and look out for flavours such as banana and caramel too. A dark-sounding name doesn’t tell you the cocoa percentage. | If I want a cake with a pronounced cocoa flavour, I don’t want banana or caramel to dominate; this flavour choice comes first for around 45% of consumers. |
| Shape and preparation | Check whether you’re buying an uncut cake, slices or an individually wrapped bar, depending on how you want to slice or crumble the product. | I want to add breakfast cake to my dessert without much preparation; a usable shape matters most to around 33% of consumers. |
| Label and allergens | Compare the sugars per 100 g, sweeteners, allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the packaging. | If I’m baking for others, I want to know which ingredients and allergens will be in the finished bake; checking the label is the main concern for around 22% of consumers. |
The Peijnenburg banoffee-choc breakfast cake described by Albert Heijn contains 4% chocolate, as well as banana and caramel. This combination may give your dessert a different flavour from the one you’re looking for.
Read the full ingredients list. If you want to control the amount of cocoa yourself, use a suitable recipe with unsweetened cocoa powder.
Peijnenburg Tussendoor+ Choco is a bar containing grains and seeds. The manufacturer lists sweeteners and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Check the product’s form, ingredients and usage warnings before adding bars to a bake or serving them to others.
Ingredients and allergen information can change. This is particularly important when you’re baking for someone who needs to avoid certain ingredients.
Check the packaging of the breakfast cake you’re actually using just before you bake.
According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t assume a product contains iodine simply because it’s a breakfast cake.
Check the label of the specific breakfast cake or ask the manufacturer.
Peijnenburg offers breakfast cakes in different shapes and flavours. When baking, it’s important to distinguish between an uncut cake and a chocolate bar.
Albert Heijn provides product information for its breakfast cake varieties, including an organic breakfast cake with a chocolate filling.
Jumbo Ontbijtkoek Naturel, 280 g, is a plain cake that could work as a base if you add a cocoa ingredient to your bake yourself.
No. The name or appearance doesn’t tell you how much cocoa a particular breakfast cake contains. Check the ingredients and any percentage given: the Peijnenburg banoffee-choc described by Albert Heijn contains 4% chocolate, alongside banana and caramel.
Use a recipe that adds cocoa powder to the batter as a separate ingredient. In its chocolate breakfast cake recipe, ProVeg Nederland uses two tablespoons of cocoa powder. Follow the rest of your chosen recipe, as the other ingredients also affect the flavour.
Check the current packaging of the variety you’re using. For Peijnenburg banoffee-choc, Albert Heijn listed rye and soya among the ingredients, with possible traces of milk and nuts. Jumbo lists gluten, rye and wheat in its plain breakfast cake.
No, you can’t assume this applies to every breakfast cake. According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the label or ask the manufacturer about the ingredients in the specific product.
For its own recipe, Albert Heijn says it will keep for four days in an airtight container or bag. This guidance applies to that homemade breakfast cake; for a shop-bought product, follow the storage instructions on the packaging.
