Families planning a single baking session
If children mainly want to mix and decorate, a Dutch breakfast cake recipe using bicarbonate of soda or baking powder is a better fit for the activity than a starter that needs looking after in advance.
Which approach suits you?
Families who want to look after a starter
If you’re interested in feeding and monitoring a sourdough starter, it’s fine for the preparation to take longer. Albert Heijn describes a starter as a mixture that needs daily additions of water and flour.
Parents who put ingredients and safe baking first
Check the salt you use, and agree with the children that they can taste the cake only after it’s baked. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt, and raw dough or batter is particularly risky for young children.
What should you consider when choosing?
First decide whether looking after a starter is part of the activity or whether the Dutch breakfast cake needs to be ready in a single baking session. Then check the ingredients and agree how the children can help safely.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Time for the activity | Check whether the recipe needs a starter that has been fed and how much preparation is required outside the baking session. | If I want to bake with children in one planned session, I don’t want to have to look after a starter first. For around 40% of consumers, this short shared baking session comes first. |
| Baking with sourdough | Check whether the recipe actually uses a starter; a separate sourdough recipe doesn’t prove anything about a Dutch breakfast cake product. | I want feeding and monitoring a starter to be part of the activity, even if it takes more planning. This experience is central for around 40% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and food safety | Check the recipe you’ve chosen and the salt label; keep raw batter out of children’s reach. | If children are helping, I want to know what’s going into the batter and make sure they don’t taste it raw. Around 20% of consumers give these checks top priority. |
Common mistakes
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Confusing a starter or sourdough bread with sourdough Dutch breakfast cake
A starter kit or a sourdough bread recipe won’t tell you which ingredients are in a particular Dutch breakfast cake.
If you want to buy sourdough Dutch breakfast cake, look for an explicit mention of sourdough on the packaging or product page, and check the ingredients.
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Letting children taste raw batter
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, raw dough or batter may contain harmful bacteria, including bacteria from flour or raw egg. Young children are particularly vulnerable to food poisoning.
Agree that tasting can happen only after baking. Wash hands before and after handling raw dough, and don’t let children lick spoons covered in raw batter.
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Assuming the cake contains iodine from its name
Descriptions such as artisan or sourdough don’t tell you whether iodised baker’s salt was used. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt.
If you’re baking at home, check the salt packaging. For shop-bought Dutch breakfast cake, read the label or ask the baker which salt was used.
Brands and shops to explore
Peijnenburg
A brand to explore if you’re looking for ready-made Dutch breakfast cake rather than a baking project.
- Albert Heijn lists several Peijnenburg varieties and pack formats in its Dutch breakfast cake range.
- If you’re specifically looking for sourdough, check the ingredients of the variety you choose; a range overview doesn’t tell you how the cake was made.
Albert Heijn
Offers Dutch breakfast cake products as well as baking inspiration, including a Dutch breakfast cake recipe and information about sourdough starters.
- Albert Heijn’s Dutch breakfast cake recipe gives a baking time of 40–45 minutes; allow extra time for the other recipe steps too.
- A Dutch breakfast cake recipe and information about starters don’t mean that a Dutch breakfast cake product contains sourdough.
Jumbo
Has separate recipes for sourdough and Dutch breakfast cake.
- Jumbo’s Dutch breakfast cake recipe uses baking powder; its sourdough recipes offer a different kind of baking activity.
- Check a specific recipe or product if you’re looking for sourdough Dutch breakfast cake: the two are not interchangeable.
Related Joybuy products
Related products coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
Do bakers have to use iodised baker’s salt in Dutch breakfast cake?
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. For shop-bought cake, check the label or ask the baker which salt was used; if you’re baking at home, check the salt packaging.
Can children taste raw Dutch breakfast cake batter?
No. Let children taste it only after baking. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that raw dough or batter may contain harmful bacteria and is particularly risky for young children. Make sure they wash their hands before and after handling raw dough too.
When should I choose a starter instead of a quick Dutch breakfast cake recipe?
Choose a starter if looking after it is part of what you want to do together and you have time to plan ahead. If you want to make Dutch breakfast cake in a single baking session, a recipe using bicarbonate of soda or baking powder is a better fit. Always check the steps and ingredients in the recipe you choose.
Does supermarket Dutch breakfast cake automatically contain sourdough?
No, you can’t tell from the product category alone. Check the packaging or product page for the specific Dutch breakfast cake to see whether sourdough is listed in the ingredients.