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Home / Recipes / Breakfast / Quick Bread / Ontbijtkoek: Dutch Honey Breakfast Cake

Ontbijtkoek: Dutch Honey Breakfast Cake

1 hr 20 mins
| 13 Comments |
5 from 7 votes
Jump to Recipe 09/12/14 | Updated: 05/20/20 | by Nora
photo collage of dutch honey cake with text overlay

Say it with me: Ontbijtkoek! Can’t pronounce it either? Well, don’t worry – let’s still make this traditional Dutch Honey Breakfast Cake! It’s so easy to whip up at home, one of my all-time favorites!

top down view on sliced Ontbijtkoek

I have a few Dutch friends, and because one of them is a chef I’ve been treated to many specialties. The Ontbijtkoek is definitely by far my favorite of them all. And the Stroopwaffels…. But they’re a little harder to make at home, so I’m sticking to my honey cake.

As you can see from the photos, this cake is dark and rich with lots of spices and hearty rye flour. If you happen to have an egg allergy, this is a naturally egg-free recipe! And also a bread you can bake without yeast, in case you happen to be out.

Tips and tricks

  • when you warm the wet ingredients, please really do just gently warm them until they’re completely runny. Do not boil them.
  • do not use blackstrap molasses, they are too bitter. Regular dark molasses like the ones used for gingerbread are the right kind.
  • if you don’t have all the individual spices the recipe calls for, use 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 1.5 teaspoons of either pumpkin pie or apple pie spice mix.
  • unlike American-style quick breads, this one is meant to be sliced into fairly thin slices. And since the bread is baked without any added fat… most definitely serve it slathered with butter 😉
stack of sliced Dutch honey bread on a plate, top slice spread with butter

Just a final word of advice: Better have the ingredients on hand to make a second loaf straight away. This one vanishes FAST! It’s most definitely a treat any day of the year, but especially so during the holiday season.

frontal view on sliced Dutch honey cake

More bread recipes

  • Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bread
  • Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
  • Cinnamon Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Bread
  • Irish Soda Bread with Raisins

You can also browse all of my quick bread recipes here, or all of my baking recipes here.

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

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top down view on sliced ontbijtkoek
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Ontbijtkoek (Dutch Honey Breakfast Cake)

The traditional Dutch Ontbijtkoek is super simple to make at home! It makes for a delicious snack anytime of the day!
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 7 votes
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Recipe details

Prep 20 mins
Cook 1 hr
Total 1 hr 20 mins
Difficulty Easy
Servings 16 thin slices
Nutrition 169 kcal

Ingredients
 

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups rye flour
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground anise
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • ½ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup molasses NOT blackstrap!
  • ¾ cup milk plus extra for brushing

Instructions
 

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°C. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • Combine dry ingredients: Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
  • Warm wet ingredients: Place wet ingredients in a small saucepan and gently warm over medium heat.
  • Make batter: Add the warmed wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using a rubber spatula until a sticky batter forms.
  • Finish and bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and flatten the surface. Lightly brush the top with milk. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan and serve warm or cold with butter.
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Notes

  • when you warm the wet ingredients, please really do just gently warm them until they’re completely runny. Do not boil them.
  • do not use blackstrap molasses, they are too bitter. Regular dark molasses like the ones used for gingerbread are the right kind.
  • if you don’t have all the individual spices the recipe calls for, use 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 1.5 teaspoons of either pumpkin pie or apple pie spice mix.
  • unlike American-style quick breads, this one is meant to be sliced into fairly thin slices. And since the bread is baked without any added fat… most definitely serve it slathered with butter 😉

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 184mgPotassium: 217mgFiber: 2gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 19IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Suitable for: Vegetarian
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: European

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Jos says

    March 05, 2022 at 9:53 pm

    Do you have to use rye flour

    Reply
    • Nora says

      March 06, 2022 at 1:38 pm

      Technically yes, if you want to stick to a more authentic version. But you can always do whole wheat if you don’t want to use rye for any kind of reason. Texture may change, and you may need to adjust the ratio of flour to liquids slightly. But otherwise, it should work.

      Reply
  2. Rick van der Heide says

    November 19, 2018 at 1:27 am

    Taste just like my Beppe”s. Thank you. It brings back some great memories.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      November 19, 2018 at 7:53 pm

      So glad to read this, Rick!

      Reply
  3. Tina says

    November 11, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    is that 3 or 4 cups of milk or is it three quarters of a cup of milk please?

    Reply
    • Nora says

      November 11, 2016 at 6:12 pm

      Hi Tina, it’s three quarters of a cup of milk. Hope you’ll like the cake 🙂

      Reply
  4. Sabrina says

    August 14, 2016 at 1:00 pm

    Hi Nora, I dont have molasses in Indonesia (diffcult to find) is there any replacement for the molasses? Please advise. Thank you

    Reply
    • Nora says

      August 14, 2016 at 1:10 pm

      Hi Sabrina! It should be fine if you just use more honey. The taste will be a little less “gingerbread-y” I suspect, but it should still be amazing! Hope that helps 🙂

      Reply
  5. Marcus says

    May 03, 2016 at 7:06 am

    Outstanding recipe! Thank you!!

    Reply
  6. Linda says

    September 27, 2014 at 11:14 pm

    Finally made it over here! Now I have the directions I can make it- sounds great!

    Linda ( from pinterest)

    Reply
    • Nora says

      September 28, 2014 at 10:16 pm

      I’m glad you managed to get here 😀 I hope you like it – would be great if you reported back 🙂

      Reply
  7. Nina says

    September 18, 2014 at 8:44 pm

    Oh my goodness, Nora, I love you! How long have I been looking for this recipe. Thank you SO much for sharing, and by the way: what a gorgeous little blog you have

    Reply
    • Nora says

      September 20, 2014 at 8:51 pm

      Aww thank you! And I’m so happy to be of help 🙂

      Reply

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

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Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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