Easy Dutch egg cakes recipe (eierkoeken)

Posted: January 30, 2024 Last modified: August 10, 2024
Easy Dutch egg cakes recipe (eierkoeken)

Time for another Dutch recipe: egg cakes! We call them ‘eierkoeken’ in The Netherlands and they are sort of a ligt and airy sponge cakes, very fluffy. You could even call it an egg sponge cake. They are known as a snack. Just plain, or with whipped cream and fresh berries.

What are Dutch egg cakes?

Baking egg cakes is actually a bit like making a very airy sponge cake for a delicious cake. In fact, just like a sponge cake, the base for an egg cake batter is eggs, sugar, and flour. And perhaps more importantly (and to the surprise of many), you don’t use butter to bake these small cakes.

Some people separate the egg whites and egg yolks, but i don’t do that. I just put the whole eggs in a large bowl and mis them several minutes on high speed until they are light and fluffy. I always have the best results this way.

Eierkoeken fun fact

Eierkoeken were made famous by the Dutch Sonja Bakker, she is a well known dietician and advices to eat egg cakes as a healthy snack when following her program. I wouldn’t say eierkoeken are very healthy, but they are a good snack indeed.

You can even make a nice treat out of them by piping a nice swirl of whipped cream on an egg cake and add some fresh fruit. Not a healthy snack, but many people think it’s a nice alternative to a slice of cake or pie. And I do agree with that.

Dutch egg cakes recipe 2

Storing egg cakes

A homemade egg cake is best stored on room temperature. Don’t store them in de fridge, as they will dry out faster in here. I always store the egg cakes in an airtight container or a plastic bag. Packed airtight and stored out of the refrigerator, the egg cakes will keep for up to 4 days.

Freezing egg cakes

If you’ve made a lot of egg cakes, it’s a good idea to freeze them. That way, you can take an egg cake out of the freezer every day to enjoy as a snack later in the day.

Freezing an egg cake works the same way, wrap it tightly airtight. Personally, I like to put a piece of baking paper between each cake so they don’t stick together and I can easily take a single cake out of the freezer and let it thaw.

How to make different flavors eierkoeken

Over the years, I have made many different flavors eierkoeken. With apple and cinnamon, blueberries and even chocolate egg cakes. I will share some more egge cake recipes in the future, but here are some ideas in the mean time:

  • Sprinkle some raisins on the batter on your cookies sheet for raisin eierkoeken.
  • Replace 10% of the flour with cocoa powder for chocolate eierkoeken.
  • Add some cinnamon to the batter (you could leave out the lemon zest)
  • For chocolate chip egg cakes, sprinkle some chocolate chips on the batter before you put them in the oven.
  • Leave out the lemon zest and replace 10% of the sugar with vanilla sugar for vanilla egg cakes.
Dutch egg cakes recipe 3

Questions about Dutch egg cakes

Can I substitute lemon zest with lemon juice?

No, I would not, as this will add (too much) moisture to the recipe and will not improve the end result. Optionally, you could add a few drops of lemon extract to replace the lemon zest.

Can I bake the egge cakes with ammonium carbonate?

I have been asked this question many times. I’ve never tried it, and since I like these homemade egg cakes better than store-bought, I don’t expect I will try this anytime soon.

The egg cakes you’ll find in stores are often made with ammonium carbonate, but it’s an ingredient which many home bakers can’t find easily. I don’t miss it in my recipe and it makes it a lot easier.

Can I substitute the all purpose flour with self-rising flour?

You can replace the flour and some of the baking powder with self-rising flour, but you will still need to add baking powder to get the right airy effect.

My egg cakes are crumbly, how is that possible?

The egg cakes were baked a bit too long, I recommend you try to bake them a bit shorter next time. Every oven is different. By the way, these homemade egg cakes are a little more chewy after cooling than the ones you’re used to from the store.

Please note that I use an convention, so if you have a fan oven, lower the temperature by 10-20%.

My egg cakes collapse and flatten during baking!

Oh dear, that’s not intentional. This can happen for several reasons:

  • The mixture was not beaten long enough/fluffy enough.
  • You didn’t scoop the batter carefully enough, so the batter lost too much air.
  • Want to make vanilla egg cakes? Leave out the lemon zest and replace 10% of the sugar with vanilla sugar.
  • Your baking powder has expired and is no longer working properly.
  • Sprinkle some chocolate chips on the egg cakes before you put them in the oven.
Dutch egg cakes recipe 4

Looking from more authentic recipes form The Netherlands? Make sure to check my collection of Dutch recipes!

stack of multiple Dutch egg cakes

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4.82 from 16 votes

Dutch egg cake recipe

Why buy egg cakes when you can easily make them yourself? With this easy recipe you can bake the best eierkoeken yourself!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 Eggs
  • 100 grams sugar
  • zest of half a lemon
  • 100 grams all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy, this will take a few minutes.
  • In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients together: lemon zest, flour, baking powder and salt. Gently fold into the egg mixture.
  • Use two tablespoons to scoop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (a silicone mat works fine as well). Always use a good full tablespoon per egg cake. Make sure they have plenty of space on your baking tray; they will expand quite a bit and rise slightly.
  • Bake the egg cakes at 180°C/350℉ (convention oven) for about 10 minutes.
  • The egg cakes can still look pale as long as the edges start to turn golden brown, that's fine. If you bake them too long, they will become drier and more brittle.
How to store

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

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1 comment

  1. lekkerre eierkoek says:

    echt heel lekker

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