For your snack night, choose a Dutch breakfast cake with cocoa or chocolate if that flavour is your priority. But don’t rely on the name ‘choco’ or ‘dark’: check the ingredients and look for a stated cocoa percentage if intensity matters most. If you’re more concerned about the ingredients, compare wholemeal options too, and check the sugars, sweeteners and allergens. Choose between pre-sliced cake and individually wrapped bars depending on how you plan to serve it.
They’re looking for a cocoa or dark chocolate note in their Dutch breakfast cake. Peijnenburg lists cocoa ingredients in its Choco bar, while Lidl offers a variety with dark chocolate and nuts. If you want a pronounced cocoa flavour, check the ingredients and any stated cocoa percentage on each pack.
They want to compare sugars, fibre and sweeteners, even if a wholemeal option doesn’t have the dark chocolate flavour they’re after. Check the nutritional information for the specific cake rather than relying on the product name alone.
They want to serve portions without much preparation. Pre-sliced Dutch breakfast cake makes it easy to hand out slices; Peijnenburg says its Tussendoor+ Choco pack contains four individually wrapped bars.
For a snack night, first decide whether the chocolate flavour, ingredients or ease of serving matters most to you. Then compare the packaging and nutritional information of the options that suit your priorities.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa or chocolate flavour | Check which cocoa or chocolate ingredients are listed. Look for a cocoa percentage if it matters to your choice. | If you’re after a dark chocolate note for the evening, don’t rely on the word ‘choco’ alone. Around 40% of consumers put this flavour preference first. |
| Sugars, fibre and sweeteners | Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and per portion, and check which sweeteners have been used. | If the ingredients matter more than the chocolate flavour, you’ll want to be able to compare the differences between cakes. For around 30% of consumers, this is the first consideration. |
| Portions and serving | Check whether the cake is pre-sliced or the bars are individually wrapped, and look at the portion size. | If you want to lay out the cake or give it to people to take away, the packaging can make preparation easier. Around 20% of consumers prioritise this convenience. |
| Availability and quantity | Check whether the option you want is available and how many slices or bars are in the pack. | If you’re shopping for several people, you’ll want to know whether your chosen option is available and how many portions it provides. Around 10% of consumers give this the highest priority. |
A flavour name doesn’t tell you how much cocoa a Dutch breakfast cake contains. Peijnenburg lists chocolate with sweetener and cocoa beans in its Choco bar; Lidl lists an option with dark chocolate and nuts. Neither description, on its own, gives a cocoa percentage.
If cocoa intensity is key to your choice, look for a stated percentage and read the ingredients list.
The wholemeal option described by Peijnenburg contains xylitol. The product information warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Compare the amount of sugars, the sweeteners and the portion size on the current packaging.
Peijnenburg’s Choco bar lists soya in the chocolate and warnings for milk and nuts, among other things. Ingredients and warnings may differ for another option.
If you have an allergy or food intolerance, always read the ingredients and allergen information on the pack you’re buying.
Alongside Dutch breakfast cake, its range includes a Tussendoor+ Choco bar and a wholemeal option.
The product description for AH Bio chocolate Dutch breakfast cake mentions organic ingredients, Fairtrade chocolate and seven slices in a resealable pack.
Its luxury Dutch breakfast cakes include an option with dark chocolate and nuts.
ALDI describes a pre-sliced wholemeal Dutch breakfast cake by Koek & Bakker in a 485 g pack.
Its Dutch breakfast cake range includes plain, wholemeal and pre-sliced options, as well as bars.
No, those words alone don’t tell you how much cocoa it contains. Peijnenburg lists chocolate with sweetener and cocoa beans in its Choco bar, while Lidl lists an option with dark chocolate and nuts. Look for a stated cocoa percentage if the amount of cocoa will determine your choice.
Not necessarily: the wholemeal option described by Peijnenburg contains xylitol. Compare the sugars and sweeteners on the current pack, and read the warning about excessive consumption.
Check the ingredients and allergen information on the specific pack. Peijnenburg lists soya from the chocolate in its Choco bar and warnings for milk and nuts, among other things. Don’t assume that every chocolate Dutch breakfast cake has the same ingredients.
You can’t tell from the product type alone. Check the ingredients list of the option you want to buy if the type of salt used matters to you.
