If you want to be able to check the chocolate’s cocoa content, choose a plain egg cake with a separate piece of dark chocolate that states its cocoa percentage. A ready-made chocolate egg cake is more convenient, but the word ‘chocolate’ alone doesn’t mean it has a high cocoa content. If you choose the separate option, check both packs for allergen information and ask about the school or after-school club’s arrangements.
If a rich dark chocolate flavour matters more to you than the convenience of a single snack, pair a plain egg cake with chocolate that states its cocoa percentage. This makes the cocoa content easy to check, but the percentage won’t tell you exactly how the combination will taste.
When you’re packing a snack for a group, up-to-date allergen information and local arrangements matter. Check the egg cake and any separate chocolate individually before packing them.
If dark chocolate isn’t essential, you can compare regular, mini or wholemeal egg cakes by portion size, ingredients and nutritional information. These options won’t necessarily satisfy a craving for a dark chocolate flavour.
Start by deciding whether being able to check the cocoa content matters more than the convenience of a single ready-made snack. Then consider allergens, arrangements for snack time and nutritional information to work out which option suits you.
Choose this if: You’re looking for an egg cake with chocolate filling or decoration and a high cocoa percentage isn’t essential.
The trade-off: The word ‘chocolate’ doesn’t prove that it has a high cocoa content. Check the ingredients and whether the exact variety is available.
Choose this if: You want to choose the chocolate yourself based on its stated cocoa percentage.
The trade-off: You’ll need to portion two products and check the allergen information for both.
Choose this if: You’re looking for an egg cake and chocolate isn’t a requirement.
The trade-off: This option doesn’t offer a dark chocolate flavour. Check the exact variety’s portion size and ingredients.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa content and flavour | Look for an explicit cocoa percentage on the chocolate you choose; don’t infer it from words such as ‘choco’ or ‘dark’. | I want a more pronounced dark flavour, not just the word ‘chocolate’ on the pack. This flavour preference is the deciding factor for around 36% of consumers. |
| Allergens and arrangements | Read the ingredients and allergen information for both products, including ‘may contain’ statements, and ask about the school or after-school club’s arrangements. | If I’m packing something for a group, it needs to meet the arrangements in place and take relevant allergies into account. This check comes first for around 29% of consumers. |
| Its role as a snack | Compare the portion size and nutritional information for the exact variety, including energy and sugars per portion or per 100 g. | For a regular snack, I want to weigh up what I’m giving them rather than judge by the dark colour. This consideration matters most to around 21% of consumers. |
| Buying it again | Check whether the exact variety is available and how many pieces are in the pack; a temporary in-store offer doesn’t mean it’s part of the regular range. | I want to be able to buy the same snack again without having to look for a different variety each time. This is the main concern for around 14% of consumers. |
A chocolate filling or cocoa-based confectionery doesn’t automatically make an egg cake a high-cocoa product. Albert Heijn states that its Gulden Krakeling Choco filled egg cakes contain 11% cocoa-based confectionery, including 1,55% skimmed cocoa powder.
If you’re choosing based on cocoa content, look for the explicit percentage on the exact chocolate product, not just its name or pack colour.
The egg cakes reviewed contain different allergens. Any separately added chocolate will also have its own ingredients list and may carry warnings about other allergens.
Check the current packaging for both products and, if there’s a relevant allergy, make your choice in line with the individual arrangements.
Jumbo marks its listing for chocolate egg cakes as no longer available online. So a product page or temporary in-store offer isn’t necessarily a reliable basis for buying the same snack again.
Check that the exact variety is available shortly before buying if you want to pack the same snack regularly.
If you have to look for a different variety after all, that takes extra time and means checking the ingredients and allergens again.
The chocolate flavour doesn’t tell you how a product fits into a regular snack routine. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends vegetables and fruit as snacks for children.
If you’re planning a regular afternoon snack, consider the portion size and nutritional information separately. Don’t base your choice on the chocolate name alone.
Worth considering if you want to compare regular, mini and wholemeal egg cakes as separate varieties.
Worth considering if you want to compare a standard egg cake with chocolate-filled products sold by Albert Heijn.
Worth considering if you want to try Brosse Egg Cake as a different type of egg cake, rather than as a dark chocolate option.
Worth considering if you want a separate piece of dark chocolate with an egg cake, rather than as an egg cake brand in this comparison.
Worth considering if you want to look at standard egg cakes and check the exact pack and availability.
Worth considering if you want to compare a standard pack of free-range egg cakes.
Check whether a cocoa percentage is stated for the chocolate in the exact variety; the name ‘chocolate egg cake’ alone isn’t enough. Jumbo’s listing for chocolate egg cakes doesn’t give a cocoa percentage, while Albert Heijn states that Gulden Krakeling Choco filled egg cakes contain cocoa-based confectionery with skimmed cocoa powder. Choosing a separate chocolate product with a stated percentage is another way to check the cocoa content.
First, check the school or after-school club’s arrangements and the allergens in your chosen snack. Schools may have their own rules about treats, so if you’re unsure, ask what applies to that particular snack time and group.
Check the portion size and nutritional information for the exact egg cake, and weigh it up against other snacks. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends vegetables and fruit as snacks for children. A dark chocolate flavour doesn’t change an egg cake’s nutritional information or make it a recommended everyday choice.
Read the current labels for both products, including information about what they contain and what they may contain. According to Albert Heijn, AH Egg Cakes contain egg, milk and cereals containing gluten, among other ingredients. Verkade states that Extra Puur contains soya and may contain milk and hazelnut. Other varieties may have different ingredients.
