DutchBreakfast

Traditional Dutch Ontbijtkoek

Ontbijtkoek — breakfast cake — is the fragrant, dense, dark rye spice cake that millions of Dutch people eat every single morning, sliced thinly and spread thick with real butter. Made with rye flour, dark molasses, and a warming blend of cinnamon, ginger, anise, cloves, and nutmeg, it has been a cornerstone of Dutch baking since the Middle Ages. Walk into any Dutch kitchen at 8am and the odds are excellent that there is a half-eaten ontbijtkoek sitting on the counter.

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 70 min

1 loaf (about 12 slices)

Easy

Ingredients

250g (2 cups) rye flour
150g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
75g (3 tbsp) dark molasses or treacle
50g (2½ tbsp) runny honey
200ml (¾ cup) warm whole milk
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground anise or aniseed, finely ground
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Instructions

1
Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease a 1kg (2.2 lb) loaf tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2
Combine all dry ingredients — rye flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt — in a large mixing bowl. Stir well.
3
Warm the milk gently (don’t boil). Stir in the molasses and honey until fully dissolved.
4
Pour the warm milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until a thick, smooth, uniform batter forms.
5
Pour batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
6
Bake for 65–75 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil after 40 minutes if the top is browning too fast.
7
Cool completely in the tin. Wrap in foil and rest overnight before slicing — it is much better the next day.

Tips & Notes

Serving Suggestions: • Slice thinly and spread generously with cold unsalted butter — the definitive Dutch way. • Serve with strong Dutch coffee for the authentic Dutch breakfast experience. Dutch Tip 🇳🇱: Ontbijtkoek improves dramatically with age — the spices bloom and the crumb becomes wonderfully moist after 1–2 days wrapped in foil. Most Dutch people buy it pre-sliced and keep it in the fridge for the entire week. Make it on Sunday and it’s perfect by Tuesday!

Added by Michael Duregon on 27 July 2026

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