Egg Cakes for Oliebollen: Batter and Fairtrade Cocoa

Who is this relevant to?

Home bakers who want to make oliebollen

You’re looking for ingredients for a batter that can rise and be deep-fried. Albert Heijn Allerhande’s oliebollen recipes don’t use ready-made egg cakes for this.

Shoppers who want to check their Fairtrade cocoa

You want to know whether the cocoa or chocolate you choose carries a Fairtrade certification mark. Fairtrade Netherlands advises checking the information on the back of the packaging when the logo has an arrow.

Egg cake fans comparing ingredients

You buy egg cakes as a separate snack and check which ingredients and allergens are relevant to you. For example, Albert Heijn lists regular and gluten-free egg cakes as different products.

What should you look for when buying?

Make your own oliebollen batter

Choose this if: you want to make oliebollen; Albert Heijn Allerhande uses a batter made with ingredients such as flour and yeast.

Bear in mind: the batter needs to rise and then be deep-fried; an egg cake doesn’t replace those steps.

Choose cocoa or chocolate separately

Choose this if: you want to add cocoa or chocolate alongside your oliebollen and check the Fairtrade status of that product.

Bear in mind: a claim about cocoa doesn’t automatically tell you anything about all the ingredients in a multi-ingredient product.

Serve egg cakes separately

Choose this if: you want to eat or serve egg cakes separately from your oliebollen recipe.

Bear in mind: a ready-made egg cake won’t replace oliebollen batter; compare the ingredients in the snack you choose.

What to consider	What to check before buying	Who it matters to
Suitable oliebollen batter	Check that you’re buying flour, yeast and the other ingredients for your oliebollen recipe, or a mix designed for the job.	I want to make oliebollen and need a batter that can rise; a separate egg cake won’t help with that. Suitable oliebollen batter would be the top priority for around 50% of consumers.
Fairtrade cocoa or chocolate	Check the certification mark on the product you choose and, if the Fairtrade logo has an arrow, read the information on the packaging.	If I add cocoa or chocolate, I want to know exactly what the Fairtrade claim applies to. This verifiable choice would come first for around 30% of consumers.
Egg cakes as a separate snack	Compare the ingredients and allergens on the current packaging; check for a gluten-free label if that’s the version you’re looking for.	I want to eat egg cakes separately and need to be able to judge whether the version I choose suits my dietary preferences. This snack choice would be the main consideration for around 20% of consumers.

Common mistakes

Mistaking egg cakes for oliebollen batter

An egg cake is already baked. Albert Heijn Allerhande’s recipes for homemade oliebollen call for a batter that needs to rise before being deep-fried.

Start your shopping list with an oliebollen recipe or an oliebollen mix. Only add egg cakes if you want to eat them separately.
Assuming a general cocoa claim means the whole product is Fairtrade

For a product with multiple ingredients, you may need to read the packaging information to understand what the Fairtrade certification applies to.

Check the specific product. For a Fairtrade logo with an arrow, Fairtrade Netherlands points shoppers to the explanation on the back of the packaging.
Treating all egg cake varieties as the same

Regular and gluten-free egg cakes are different products. A gluten-free label also won’t answer every question about other ingredients or allergens.

Read the current packaging for the specific variety and check the ingredients that matter to you separately.

Brands to consider

These brands offer different product options: egg cakes as a snack, and cocoa or chocolate as a separate purchase. A claim for one product doesn’t automatically apply to another.

Albert Heijn

Egg cakes, including regular and gluten-free varieties.

The product page for AH Eierkoeken lists ingredients including wheat flour, sugar and free-range egg; Albert Heijn also offers a separate gluten-free variety.
Albert Heijn says the cocoa in its own-brand products is Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade certified. For a specific egg cake, check separately whether it contains cocoa and what claim appears on the packaging.

Bolletje

Egg cakes as a snack, including Brosse Eierkoek Kaneel.

Bolletje says Brosse Eierkoek Kaneel is baked with free-range eggs.
That product description doesn’t make the egg cake an ingredient for oliebollen batter. Check the packaging of the variety you choose for any Fairtrade claim.

Verkade

Chocolate as a separate option alongside egg cakes and oliebollen ingredients.

Verkade says it uses Fairtrade-certified cocoa in its chocolate bars; Albert Heijn lists Fairtrade cocoa in a Verkade milk chocolate bar.
A cocoa claim for chocolate says nothing about the Fairtrade status of an egg cake. Check the ingredients and allergens on the bar you choose, too.

Jumbo

A place to buy cocoa powder separately.

Jumbo lists Fairtrade Original Cacao Poeder in a 125 g pack and says the cocoa is sourced under Fairtrade terms using the mass balance principle.
Cocoa powder doesn’t replace oliebollen batter. Whether you use it depends on the recipe for the separate cocoa element you want to make.

Lidl

Egg cakes and a separate Way To Go product range.

Lidl describes its Way To Go products as Fairtrade certified.
That claim doesn’t automatically apply to egg cakes. Check the certification mark on the specific product you buy.

ALDI

Barn-egg cakes and separate Fairtrade products.

ALDI lists Heerlijck Banket Scharreleierkoeken in a pack of 12 and lists Fairtrade chocolate separately in its range.
The Fairtrade claim for chocolate doesn’t apply to the barn-egg cakes; check both products separately.

Joybuy products for a separate cocoa choice

This cocoa powder is an option if you want to choose a cocoa element separately from making oliebollen. You’ll still need ingredients for the oliebollen batter itself.

Fairtrade cocoa powder 125 g

This cocoa powder is for a separate cocoa element in your baking, not as a substitute for oliebollen batter.

Size: 125 g. Check the packaging for the Fairtrade certification mark and details of the claim for this specific product.

View at Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Can you use egg cakes as a base for homemade oliebollen?

Not as a substitute for oliebollen batter. Albert Heijn Allerhande’s recipes use ingredients for a batter that needs to rise; an egg cake is already a ready-made product.

How can you check whether cocoa or chocolate is Fairtrade?

Look for the Fairtrade certification mark on the specific product. If the logo has an arrow, Fairtrade Netherlands advises reading the information on the back of the packaging to see what the claim applies to.

Are all the ingredients Fairtrade if chocolate contains Fairtrade cocoa?

A claim about cocoa alone doesn’t tell you that. For a product with multiple ingredients, read the certification mark and the information on the packaging before drawing conclusions about the other ingredients.

What should you check on a gluten-free egg cake?

Check the gluten-free label as well as the other ingredients and allergens on the current packaging. Albert Heijn describes its gluten-free egg cakes as being made in a completely gluten-free environment, but that alone doesn’t answer questions about other ingredients.