If you want to add Dutch breakfast cake to biscuits for a rich chocolate note, check the current packaging for information about the chocolate, cocoa or cocoa mass content, and make sure your recipe is suitable for breakfast cake. A chocolate name alone is no guarantee of a high cocoa content. Baking your own breakfast cake gives you more control over the cocoa you use, but it also takes time and a little experimentation.
You want to add Dutch breakfast cake to a biscuit recipe and are looking for a clear cocoa or chocolate note. Compare the stated chocolate, cocoa or cocoa mass content: the product name doesn’t tell you how much of it the breakfast cake contains.
You also eat breakfast cake outside of baking and want to compare sugars, fibre and ingredients across products. Check the nutritional information per 100 g and, if provided, per portion.
The grains and other allergens in the specific variety matter when making your choice. Read the current packaging, even if you’ve bought a different breakfast cake from the same brand before.
First decide whether the cocoa flavour or how the cake works in your recipe matters most. Then compare the nutritional information and check any ingredients that are relevant to you.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is it most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa or chocolate flavour | The stated chocolate, cocoa or cocoa mass content and the ingredients list. | I want the chocolate note to come through in my biscuits, so I won’t judge by the dark packaging alone. This flavour is the main priority for around 36% of shoppers. |
| How it works in the recipe | Whether the recipe calls for slices, pieces or crumbs, and whether sliced or unsliced cake is suitable. | My recipe calls for a particular form of breakfast cake; without that match, I can’t assume I’ll get the result I want. Around 29% of shoppers prioritise how it works in the recipe. |
| Sugars and fibre | The nutritional information per 100 g, the portion size and the ingredients of the variety you choose. | I also eat breakfast cake on its own, so I want to compare sugars and fibre across products. This is the first consideration for around 21% of shoppers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | The current allergen information and, if it matters to your choice, whether baker’s salt is listed. | I need to know before baking whether the ingredients suit my personal dietary requirements or other considerations. This is the main priority for around 14% of shoppers. |
Albert Heijn’s product information stated that Peijnenburg Banoffee Choc contained 4% chocolate in the breakfast cake. That’s not the same as the cocoa content of that chocolate.
Check the percentage on the current packaging and what it refers to.
At the time of checking, the pages for AH Bio Ontbijtkoek Chocolade and Peijnenburg Banoffee Choc stated that these varieties had been discontinued.
If you’re looking to buy a product now, check its availability, ingredients and packaging again.
These labels answer different questions from the one about cocoa content. A variety’s name also doesn’t tell you how much sugar the product contains overall.
Check the nutritional information and ingredients separately from the cocoa or chocolate information.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t tell whether it’s present just from the product category.
Check the label or ask the baker which type of salt was used if it matters to your choice.
These brands offer some useful options when comparing Dutch breakfast cake, but a brand name alone doesn’t guarantee a rich cocoa flavour.
Dutch breakfast cake, including wholegrain and flavoured varieties.
A supermarket own-brand option that has also included a chocolate breakfast cake.
A range with different shapes and separately labelled varieties.
Own-brand varieties for comparing things like product shape and nutritional information.
Plain Dutch breakfast cake with listed ingredients and nutritional information.
No. Albert Heijn stated that Peijnenburg Banoffee Choc contained 4% chocolate in the product as a whole, without specifying the cocoa content of that chocolate. Check the current packaging to see which cocoa, cocoa mass or chocolate percentage is meant.
Use ready-made breakfast cake as an ingredient when your recipe explains how to add it, for example in pieces or as crumbs. Don’t assume it behaves like the ingredients in biscuit dough; if you’re unsure, try a small amount first, following your recipe.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging of the specific breakfast cake. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that allergens must be listed on food labels; another variety from the same brand may contain different ingredients.
You can’t tell from the product name. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the label or ask the baker which type of salt was used in that particular breakfast cake.
