If you’re hosting a guest with coeliac disease, choose Dutch breakfast cake that is explicitly labelled gluten-free. Keep it separate from gluten-containing snacks on a mixed buffet. A whole, unsliced cake works well when several guests want a slice, as long as you can cut and serve it separately with clean utensils. For one or two individual portions, gluten-free breakfast cake bars are more practical.
You’re looking for Dutch breakfast cake that is explicitly labelled gluten-free, and want to avoid crumbs from ordinary bread or cake getting onto it when it’s served. The Dutch Coeliac Association also highlights the importance of preventing cross-contamination.
If several guests would like a slice, you can cut a whole, unsliced gluten-free breakfast cake into portions. For a get-together with gluten-containing snacks, you’ll need a separate, clean chopping board and a clean knife.
For one or two guests, a gluten-free breakfast cake bar means you won’t need to cut the cake at the table. Check the latest packaging, and keep an individually wrapped bar separate from gluten-containing snacks too.
First, check that the specific breakfast cake is labelled gluten-free. Then choose a whole cake or individual bars based on the number of portions you need and how easily you can serve them separately.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Check the current packaging to see whether the specific breakfast cake is labelled gluten-free; a sugar claim tells you nothing about this. | If a guest has coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the cake’s name or appearance. For around 50% of consumers, this assurance that the product is gluten-free comes first. |
| Serving separately | Decide whether you can use a clean chopping board, a clean knife and a separate plate, or choose an individual portion. | When there’s ordinary bread and cake on the table too, I want to stop crumbs getting onto the gluten-free portion. Around 30% of consumers give separate serving their top priority. |
| Size and availability | Check which gluten-free options are available and whether a whole cake or a bar is right for the number of guests. | Once I’ve settled on a gluten-free option, I want to be able to buy the right amount from a shop I can visit. This is the main follow-up question for an estimated 20% of consumers. |
‘Zero’ and ‘no added sugar’ describe something different from the gluten content. ALDI describes its Koek & Bakker Ontbijtkoek Zero with a sugar claim; that doesn’t automatically make the product suitable for a guest with coeliac disease.
Look for an explicit gluten-free label on the packaging of the exact product before comparing other features.
The Dutch Coeliac Association says crumbs can get onto gluten-free food via a chopping board, knife, hands or shared plate.
Use clean utensils and a separate plate. Cut the gluten-free cake separately, and don’t place the portions among gluten-containing snacks.
Albert Heijn notes in its product information that ingredient, nutritional and allergen details may change. If you’re buying for someone with coeliac disease, it’s therefore important to check the packaging of the option you’ve chosen.
Read the latest packaging before serving the breakfast cake.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre describes how baker’s salt contributes to iodine intake through bread. This doesn’t tell you how much iodine a particular gluten-free breakfast cake contains.
For information about the ingredients in breakfast cake, check the details for the product you’ve chosen rather than relying on information about bread.
Peijnenburg offers a 285 g gluten-free, unsliced breakfast cake. This option is listed by Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS.
Jumbo lists a 300 g Lekker Vrij gluten-free unsliced breakfast cake with the crossed-grain symbol.
Albert Heijn lists a 65 g gluten-free breakfast cake bar and a breakfast cake bar in a 2-pack.
Choose breakfast cake that is explicitly labelled gluten-free on the latest packaging. The Dutch Coeliac Association says that a product labelled ‘gluten-free’ contains less than 20 mg of gluten per kg. Also make sure the cake doesn’t come into contact with gluten-containing crumbs when it’s served.
Cut and serve the gluten-free breakfast cake separately, using clean hands, clean utensils and a separate plate. The Dutch Coeliac Association says crumbs on a used chopping board or a shared knife can also cause cross-contamination.
No. ‘Zero’ on its own isn’t a gluten-free label. ALDI’s Koek & Bakker Ontbijtkoek Zero is described as having a claim about added sugars; if you’re buying for a guest with coeliac disease, always check that the specific breakfast cake is explicitly labelled gluten-free.
