If someone with coeliac disease is joining your fakeaway night, choose breakfast cake with an explicit gluten-free claim and check the current packaging for other allergens too. An unsliced cake is easy to share, while a breakfast cake bar is a single portion. All the varieties discussed here list milk and lupin, so gluten-free doesn’t mean they’re suitable for every guest with an allergy.
If you’re buying breakfast cake for someone with coeliac disease, a clear gluten-free claim and the information on the packaging matter more than the cake’s shape. Check for any other allergens that may be relevant to your guest too.
If you want to put slices out for several guests, an unsliced cake lets you cut your own portions. Albert Heijn lists nine portions for the Peijnenburg cake reviewed, while Jumbo lists twelve for its Lekker Vrij variety.
An individually wrapped breakfast cake bar is another option for one guest or when you’d rather not cut the cake. The AH Glutenvrij bar reviewed weighs 65 g; even with an individual bar, check the allergens on the packaging.
Start by checking the gluten-free claim if someone with coeliac disease is joining you. Then choose between a cake you can share and an individual portion, and check for other allergens before serving.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free claim | Look for the term ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging and read the ingredient and allergen information. | If someone with coeliac disease is joining me, I don’t want to rely on the name or appearance of an ordinary breakfast cake. A clear gluten-free claim is a priority for around 46% of consumers. |
| Shareable pack | Compare the net weight and stated number of portions for unsliced cakes. | If several guests want a slice, I want to be able to cut the cake myself and serve it for everyone to share. This is the most important factor for around 27% of consumers. |
| Individual portion and allergens | Check whether the format suits one guest, and read the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements for relevant allergens. | For one guest, I want to serve a portion without having to cut anything, but first I need to know which other allergens are listed on the packaging. Around 27% of consumers pay most attention to this combination of portion convenience and ingredients. |
The Peijnenburg cake, Jumbo Lekker Vrij cake and AH Glutenvrij bar discussed here also list milk and lupin. Jumbo’s product information also mentions the possible presence of other allergens.
Before serving, check both ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ on the packaging you’ve bought, paying attention to the allergens relevant to your guests.
The ingredients and allergen information on a webpage may differ from what’s on the packaging you actually bring to the table.
So, check the ingredients list and allergen information on the physical packaging before serving the breakfast cake.
Albert Heijn describes the gluten-free breakfast cake reviewed as an unsliced 285 g cake with nine portions.
The gluten-free breakfast cake reviewed is an unsliced 300 g variety with twelve stated portions.
Albert Heijn sells the 65 g gluten-free breakfast cake bar reviewed as an individual portion.
Under European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a food can be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if it contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. The label says nothing about milk, lupin or other allergens, so check the packaging separately for those.
No. All three varieties discussed — Peijnenburg, Jumbo Lekker Vrij and AH Glutenvrij — list milk and lupin; the AH bar also lists lactose. If someone has an allergy, check the current packaging and choose another product if it lists the relevant allergens.
An unsliced breakfast cake is a good choice if you want to cut slices for several guests; a bar works well as a single portion that needs no cutting. Albert Heijn lists nine portions for the Peijnenburg cake reviewed, and Jumbo lists twelve for the Lekker Vrij cake reviewed. Check the allergens on the packaging for either format.
No. The gluten-free label doesn’t tell you whether baker’s salt was used in a particular breakfast cake or how much iodine it contains. Check the ingredients list or ask the manufacturer about the product’s composition if you need this information.
