Dutch ontbijtkoek — a dense, moist spiced breakfast cake flavoured with ginger and cardamom and topped with pearl sugar. Lovely sliced and spread with butter.
Ontbijtkoek is a dense, dark, deeply spiced Dutch breakfast cake — think gingerbread's moist, honeyed cousin. It comes together in one bowl with no creaming or fuss, and it actually improves after a day, becoming stickier and more fragrant. Sliced and spread with cold butter alongside coffee, it's pure cosy comfort.
Prep 10 min
Cook 60 min
Total 70 min
Easy
- 250g Self-Raising Flour
- 250g Dark Brown Soft Sugar
- 250g Milk
- 4 Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- Pinch Salt
Video
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F), line a cake pan with parchment, and set aside.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until almost boiling but not quite.
- Pour the milk slowly into the dry ingredients while whisking — don't overmix; as soon as it forms a smooth batter, pour it into the pan. Sprinkle the pearl sugar over the top and bake for about 1 hour.
- Check after about 50 minutes: if a cake tester comes out clean it's done, otherwise bake a little longer.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Don't overmix once the warm milk goes in — stop the moment the batter is smooth to keep the crumb tender.
- Bake low and slow; this cake is meant to be dense and moist, not light and airy.
- Wrap it well and leave it a day before slicing — the spice flavour deepens and the texture turns lovely and sticky.
- A sprinkle of pearl sugar on top adds a pretty crackle, but it's optional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — ontbijtkoek is forgiving. Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and aniseed all suit it. Lean into whatever warm spices you love.
Wrapped airtight, it stays moist for up to a week and even freezes well. The flavour is best from day two onward.
It was likely baked too long or too hot. Check at 50 minutes with a tester and pull it as soon as it comes out clean.
Yes — use plain flour and add about 2 teaspoons of baking powder to compensate.
