For a Sunday breakfast with only a few people, start by choosing a pack you can finish after Sunday too. The breakfast cakes reviewed here, weighing between 280 and 345 g, provide around 9 to 12 portions. Then check the label of your chosen variety for sugars, fibre, ingredients and allergens. A smaller size or a ‘no added sugars’ claim doesn’t automatically make a product suitable for everyone.
If you have breakfast with one or a few other people on Sunday, compare the weight and number of slices with how much you’ll actually eat. Jumbo lists around 11 portions for its 280 g breakfast cake; Albert Heijn lists 12 slices for a sliced Peijnenburg variety weighing 345 g.
If you’re mainly interested in sugars, fibre and wholegrain ingredients, the information for the specific variety is more useful than the name ‘breakfast cake’ alone. For example, Albert Heijn’s product information shows differences between its regular and wholegrain Peijnenburg varieties, both weighing 345 g.
If you need to avoid rye or gluten, the full allergen information for the pack you choose is what matters. The gluten-free Peijnenburg variety listed by Albert Heijn also contains milk and lupin.
Work out how many slices you expect to eat on Sunday and over the following days. Then compare only the breakfast cakes that meet your requirements for ingredients and allergens.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity and leftovers | Compare the net weight, number of slices or portions, and storage instructions. A ‘half’ breakfast cake doesn’t have a standard size. | With only a few people eating, I don’t want to open more cake than we can finish over the next few days. A small stock of food is the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Nutritional information | Check sugars and fibre per 100 g, and only compare portions if they’re the same size. For a variety with sweeteners, check the ingredients too. | When comparing regular and wholegrain breakfast cake, I want to know what’s in a specific slice. Nutritional profile comes first for around 36% of consumers. |
| Allergens | Read the full ingredients and allergen list for the variety you’ve chosen, even if the front says ‘gluten-free’. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, the allergen list determines which breakfast cake is suitable. This is the top purchase priority for around 28% of consumers. |
The smaller breakfast cakes listed by Jumbo and Albert Heijn range from 280 to 345 g. So a name that suggests a small size doesn’t tell you how much will be left after Sunday.
Compare the net weight and number of slices with how much your household expects to eat after breakfast too.
The word ‘wholegrain’ doesn’t tell you how much sugar a breakfast cake contains. General nutritional information from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre isn’t a substitute for checking the label of a specific variety either.
Compare the sugars and fibre per 100 g, and check the portion size if you’re comparing values per slice.
According to Albert Heijn’s product information, the wholegrain Peijnenburg variety contains xylitol. The label warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect and states that xylitol is not suitable for animals.
Read the ingredients and warnings for the exact variety you choose.
The gluten-free Peijnenburg breakfast cake listed by Albert Heijn contains milk and lupin. So a gluten-free claim doesn’t answer every question about allergens.
Check the full allergen list on the pack, including any ‘may contain’ statements.
Albert Heijn lists regular and wholegrain sliced Peijnenburg breakfast cakes, both weighing 345 g. Each pack contains 12 slices.
Jumbo lists around 11 portions for its 280 g plain breakfast cake: a size you can compare with how much a small household gets through.
The 485 g AH plain sliced breakfast cake listed by Albert Heijn is a larger size to compare with smaller packs.
Albert Heijn lists a 500 g sliced wholegrain Bolletje breakfast cake with 14 portions, for anyone who wants to consider a larger pack too.
No, don’t assume it has a standard size. The smaller varieties listed by Jumbo and Albert Heijn weigh 280, 285 and 345 g. So compare the net weight and number of slices or portions of the product you want to buy.
No. Albert Heijn lists 4.9 g of sugars per 100 g for the no-added-sugars Peijnenburg wholegrain variety, and names xylitol as an ingredient. Check both the nutritional information and the ingredients list for the variety you choose.
Don’t choose based on the category name alone: the regular Jumbo and Peijnenburg varieties described contain rye or other gluten-containing cereals. Albert Heijn also lists a gluten-free Peijnenburg variety, but it contains milk and lupin. Always check the current packaging.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack and seal the cake well after opening. The products described include advice to store in a dry place; Peijnenburg recommends keeping the cake in a sealed tin to help it stay moist.
