Here’s a trio of tasty breakfast recipes bursting with delicious international flavours!

The Netherlands Spiced Breakfast Cake

This spiced rye cake is called ontbijtkoek (breakfast cake).

The spice blend is similar to gingerbread and its dense interior makes for a perfect bread replacement. It is always topped with a generous serving of butter.

Spiced breakfast cake

SERVES 12

170g (6oz) plain flour

110g (3¾oz) rye flour

60g (2oz) dark brown sugar

2½ tsp baking powder

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

225ml (8floz) full-fat milk

180g (6¼oz) honey

2 tbsp dark treacle

½ tsp vanilla extract

softened butter, for greasing

and serving

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 23x12.5x6cm (9x5x2½in) loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together both flours, the brown sugar, baking powder, ground spices and salt. In a separate bowl, stir the milk, honey, treacle and vanilla together. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir into a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with only a few crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Allow the ontbijtkoek to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving with butter.