If you mainly want to get started quickly with the children, you can use ready-made Dutch breakfast cake as a base for toppings or decorations. If you want to check the Fairtrade claim for cocoa or chocolate separately, choose that ingredient separately for decorating or for a recipe. Whichever option you choose, check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of every product you use; don’t assume that Dutch breakfast cake always contains iodised baker’s salt.
If you want to know which ingredient a Fairtrade claim applies to, check the packaging of your chosen chocolate or cocoa separately. A claim on that ingredient doesn’t automatically apply to the Dutch breakfast cake you pair it with.
With sliced or individually wrapped Dutch breakfast cake, children can get straight to decorating. Be sure to check the ingredients and warnings for your chosen variety before serving it.
When children are eating together, check the packaging of both the Dutch breakfast cake and any toppings. If you’re making your own batter or dough, also follow the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice not to let young children taste it raw.
First decide whether the children will mainly be decorating or making the batter themselves too. Then choose the Dutch breakfast cake, cocoa or chocolate for each part of the activity, and check the packaging before you begin.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade cocoa | Check which product and ingredient the Fairtrade claim applies to; read any information about mass balance. | If I’m adding chocolate, I want to be able to check exactly what the claim on that chocolate means. For around 36% of consumers, being able to check their cocoa choice is the top priority. |
| Safe participation | Choose between decorating ready-made Dutch breakfast cake and baking from scratch; if you’re making batter or dough, make sure young children don’t taste it raw. | When children are mixing ingredients themselves, I want to supervise the baking so they don’t eat raw batter. Around 29% of consumers give safe participation the highest priority. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and warnings on the Dutch breakfast cake and all toppings. | If we’re sharing the Dutch breakfast cake, I need to know whether the varieties we’ve chosen are suitable for everyone eating them. Checking the ingredients matters most to around 21% of consumers. |
| Preparation and portions | Compare sliced, unsliced and individually wrapped options, based on how much preparation you want to do. | For a short baking session, I want to be able to hand out portions without making dough first. For around 14% of consumers, convenience comes first. |
A claim on added chocolate doesn’t automatically apply to the Dutch breakfast cake. For a separate organic dark chocolate bar, Albert Heijn says that the amount needed for that product was traded and checked as Fairtrade; the product information also explains mass balance.
Check the exact claim on every product you buy, and don’t draw conclusions about the whole combination based on just one ingredient.
The Dutch Commodities Act Decree defines baker’s salt as iodised table salt used in bread and other bakery products. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt.
If you want to know what kind of salt a particular Dutch breakfast cake contains, check the packaging or ask the baker.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that raw batter or dough can be particularly dangerous for young children.
Agree that children can stir, but mustn’t taste the mixture raw. Wash hands before cooking and eating, and after handling raw ingredients.
Warnings can vary between varieties. For example, Peijnenburg’s plain 10-pack may contain milk, hazelnuts, almonds and other cereals containing gluten.
Read the current packaging for the exact Dutch breakfast cake variety, and check added chocolate or decorations separately.
Peijnenburg offers plain Dutch breakfast cake and individually wrapped varieties that can be used as the base for an activity with children.
Albert Heijn stocks both organic Dutch breakfast cake with chocolate and a separate organic dark chocolate bar.
Jumbo stocks Dutch breakfast cake and, separately, Fairtrade Original cocoa powder in its Fairtrade range.
These products are separate ingredients for two ways of making: cocoa powder for baking from scratch, and chocolate to use with ready-made Dutch breakfast cake. Before using them with children, check the current packaging for the exact Fairtrade claim and the ingredients.
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Loose cocoa powder for families who want to make batter with children instead of decorating ready-made Dutch breakfast cake.
125 g pack. Check the Fairtrade claim on the current packaging; don’t let young children taste raw batter.
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A separate chocolate bar for anyone who wants to choose their chocolate independently of the Dutch breakfast cake.
Milk chocolate with caramel and sea salt, 90 g. Check the current packaging for the exact Fairtrade claim and allergen information; also consider whether the bar is suitable for the finish you have in mind.
No, the claim on the chocolate doesn’t automatically apply to the Dutch breakfast cake. Check both packs to see exactly which product and ingredients the claim refers to.
No, you can’t assume that every Dutch breakfast cake does. The Dutch Commodities Act Decree defines baker’s salt as iodised table salt, but according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use it. Check the specific packaging or ask the baker.
Don’t let young children taste raw batter or dough. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that this can be particularly dangerous for them. Children can still help with stirring; make sure they wash their hands before cooking and eating, and after handling raw ingredients.
Read the current ingredients and allergen warnings for the Dutch breakfast cake you’ve chosen, as well as for the chocolate, cocoa or other toppings. Don’t rely on information for another variety from the same brand: for example, Peijnenburg’s plain 10-pack may contain milk, hazelnuts, almonds and other cereals containing gluten.
