If sugar-free is essential for your cake base or decoration, choose a chocolate biscuit that makes this claim and check the sugar content per 100 g. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product can be labelled ‘sugar-free’ if it contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Also check the rest of the nutrition information, the ingredients and allergens: a low sugar content doesn’t tell you everything about the biscuit you’re using in your cake.
If you want to crumble biscuits for a cake base or use them as decoration, check the exact claim and the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g. ‘Reduced sugars’ is not the same as the ‘sugar-free’ claim under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
For a crumb layer or topping, a biscuit with less sugar may also be suitable if sugar-free isn’t essential. Compare the nutrition information and check which sweeteners or polyols the product contains, without treating the different sugar claims as equivalent.
For every biscuit, check the ingredients, highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ information. A gluten-free digestive isn’t sugar-free just because it’s gluten-free; likewise, a sugar claim tells you nothing about gluten or other allergens.
Start with the sugar claim your recipe requires. Then compare products per 100 g and check the ingredients before deciding which biscuit to use.
| What to check | What to look for when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| The sugar-free claim | Read the exact claim and the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product labelled ‘sugar-free’ must contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. | If sugar-free is essential for my cake base, I don’t want to rely on a label such as ‘reduced sugars’. Around 42% of consumers prioritise a demonstrably sugar-free option. |
| Other nutrition information and sweeteners | Compare energy, fat, fibre, sugars and any polyols per 100 g; also consider how much biscuit you’ll use in the cake. | For my crumb layer, I want less sugar, but I also want to know which nutritional values and sugar substitutes come with the amount I’m using. Around 33% of consumers prioritise this consideration. |
| Allergens and gluten | Read the ingredients, highlighted allergens and ‘may contain’ information on the packaging. Check any gluten-free claim separately from the sugar claim. | When I’m making a cake for someone with allergen or gluten requirements, the biscuit I use must meet those requirements too. For around 25% of consumers, suitability is their main concern. |
The claims aren’t interchangeable. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product labelled ‘sugar-free’ must contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g; a ‘reduced sugars’ label doesn’t confirm that it meets this claim.
If you need a strictly sugar-free cake, check the claim and sugar content on the current packaging.
A sugar claim doesn’t tell you how much energy or fat a biscuit contains, or how many biscuits will go into your cake. For example, Céréal lists 0.5 g of sugars and 427 kcal per 100 g for Choco Delight Puur.
Compare the nutrition information on the same per-100 g basis and take into account how much biscuit your recipe uses.
Céréal lists 24 g of polyols per 100 g for Choco Delight Puur. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that a high intake of polyols can cause wind and diarrhoea. Jumbo also lists ingredients including wheat, soya, milk and egg for this product.
Before buying, read the ingredients, nutrition information and allergen details on the exact packaging, especially if the cake is for several people.
A familiar flavour doesn’t make a biscuit suitable if you need a sugar-free option. Lotus Bakeries lists 39.6 g of sugars per 100 g for Lotus Speculoos met Chocolade.
Use this kind of biscuit only if sugar-free isn’t a requirement for your recipe; otherwise, choose based on the claim and sugar content first.
The products mentioned can help you compare labels; a brand or retailer name doesn’t tell you whether a particular biscuit meets your sugar and allergen requirements.
Choco Delight Puur is a useful point of comparison if you’re looking for a chocolate biscuit with less sugar.
AH Digestive 0% suiker is a supermarket product to consider if a digestive suits your recipe; its name doesn’t confirm that it’s a chocolate biscuit.
Jumbo’s product information shows why you need to assess sugar and gluten requirements for each individual biscuit.
Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, the ‘sugar-free’ nutrition claim can be used if a product contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. So, as well as checking the claim, look at the ‘of which sugars’ figure in the nutrition table; ‘reduced sugars’ is a different claim.
No, the sugar claim doesn’t tell you how much energy the biscuit provides. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre gives 43 kcal as the value for a general 10 g sugar-free biscuit; this figure doesn’t automatically apply to the chocolate biscuit you buy. Compare the energy content of the specific product per 100 g and consider how much you’ll use in the cake.
Check which polyols are listed in the ingredients and how much the product contains according to the nutrition information. Céréal lists 24 g of polyols per 100 g for Choco Delight Puur. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that a high intake of polyols can cause wind and diarrhoea, so also consider how much biscuit you’ll use.
Before using the biscuits in a cake, read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact packaging. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergens must be listed in the ingredients. Also check for any ‘may contain’ information, and assess a gluten-free claim separately from the sugar claim.
