If you want gluten-free Dutch breakfast cake without baking it yourself, choose a product with a current ‘gluten-free’ label or the Crossed Grain trademark, and check the other allergens on the packaging too. You can slice an uncut cake at home to suit you, while a bar gives you a set portion. Baking it yourself gives you more control over the recipe, but you’ll need gluten-free ingredients and a preparation process that avoids contact with products containing gluten.
You’re looking for Dutch breakfast cake with a clear gluten-free label, and you check the packaging when you buy it. If you bake it yourself, you’ll also need to make sure the ingredients and kitchen equipment don’t come into contact with products containing gluten.
You want to choose the ingredients and spices yourself, or decide how large to make the portions. On the other hand, you’ll need to choose suitable gluten-free flour and prevent cross-contamination while baking.
You want to take a bar with you without having to slice a whole cake first. So, alongside the gluten-free label, compare the portion weight, nutritional information and any other allergens.
For a packaged product, first check the current gluten-free label and allergen information. Then decide whether you’d rather bake it yourself, portion an uncut cake or take a bar with you.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten and cross-contamination | Read the current ‘gluten-free’ label or check for the Crossed Grain trademark. If you’re baking it yourself, make sure the ingredients, work surface and utensils don’t come into contact with products containing gluten. | If I’m choosing or baking for someone with coeliac disease, I want to be able to check both the product label and the preparation process. For around 42% of consumers, this is the top priority. |
| Recipe and other allergens | Compare the full ingredients and allergen lists. If you’re baking it yourself, choose flour labelled gluten-free and bear in mind that gluten-free flour behaves differently in baking. | Anyone baking to choose their own ingredients and spices will also want to take other allergens into account. For around 33% of consumers, checking the recipe matters most. |
| Portions and nutritional information | Compare the portion weight and packaging. When comparing nutritional values, use the same basis, such as sugars per 100 g. | For taking it out and about, I want a set portion. At home, an uncut cake may be more convenient if I want to slice it myself. For around 25% of consumers, portion convenience and comparing nutritional values come first. |
According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, gluten-free Dutch breakfast cake can be stocked on an ordinary shelf. So, where a cake is placed in the shop doesn’t tell you whether that particular product is gluten-free.
Check the ‘gluten-free’ label or Crossed Grain trademark on the packaging, and read the ingredients list.
The gluten-free Dutch breakfast cakes and bar described also list other allergens, including milk and lupin. Some packaging also warns that other allergens, such as nuts or sesame, may be present.
If other ingredients matter to you, check the current allergen information separately from the gluten-free label.
Ingredients and allergens can change when a recipe is updated. Albert Heijn’s product information itself warns that the packaging may differ from the details shown online.
When you buy it, check the label on the product you’re actually taking home, even if you’ve bought the same cake before.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre and the baking industry say that using iodised baker’s salt is not compulsory in the Netherlands. So, you can’t tell what type of salt has been used just from the name of a home-baked or shop-bought product.
If the type of salt matters to your choice, check the salt label or the product’s ingredients information.
Jumbo lists a 300 g uncut gluten-free Dutch breakfast cake for anyone who wants to slice it at home.
Albert Heijn lists Peijnenburg’s 285 g uncut Dutch breakfast cake as a gluten-free product.
Albert Heijn lists a 65 g gluten-free Dutch breakfast cake bar as a single portion.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a product may be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if the finished product contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. Check the current packaging when you buy it, including for information about other allergens.
According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, the Crossed Grain trademark also gives assurance about the production process. A clear ‘gluten-free’ label is also a relevant product claim; check the current allergen information as well.
Choose flour labelled gluten-free and use a clean work surface and clean utensils to prevent contact with products containing gluten. The Dutch Coeliac Society points out that flour made from naturally gluten-free grains can come into contact with gluten during processing, and recommends choosing flour with the Crossed Grain trademark.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre and the baking industry, using iodised baker’s salt is not a legal requirement in the Netherlands. Check the salt label if you want to know which type of salt you’re using in your Dutch breakfast cake.
