This post is in partnership with California Prunes. Use prunes for your next reduced sugar swap.
This Raspberry Prune Bread is a delicious combination of a prune-sweetened quick bread with the added tartness of fresh raspberries. In this recipe I show you how to replace part of the sugar with prune puree and add fresh fruit for a satisfying snack or breakfast treat.
Why This Recipe Tastes So Good
This quick bread starts with the traditional ingredients for a quick bread: flour, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk but additional flavor is added when part of the sugar is replaced with prune puree and fresh raspberries are added for a satisfying tart flavor. The bread is soft, moist, and absolutely delicious.
How to Use Prunes as a Sugar Substitute
Prunes are a great way to add flavor to any dessert. I first started baking with prunes when I made my Prune Clafoutis. It's a satisfying combination of sweet custard and tart moist prunes. My next dessert was a Hazelnut and Prune Jam Linzer Cookie. The prune jam is easy to make and the tart flavor was perfect with the sweet cookie.
Prunes are a nutritional powerhouse and they keep baked goods moist. Their natural sugar content yields a golden brown quick bread and you have end of with sweet baked goods with less added sugar.
Using prunes as a substitute works best for recipes that can be mixed together by hand and don't require the sugar and butter to be creamed together. The prunes add texture, sweetness and color to the final bake. For my first dessert using prunes as a substitute, I decided to try a quick bread.
Quick breads are breads that use chemical leavener instead of yeast to cause the bread to rise. I decided on a quick bread because the recipe is simple and I would be able to immediately tell how much a difference the prune puree made in flavor and texture.
Why Use California Prunes in Your Desserts
One of the great things about prunes is that they are a year-round fruit so you can make sweet and savory dishes using prunes any time they mood strikes.
In testing these recipes for the blog I learned a lot about prunes. Most prunes (99%) in the United States come from California. They make a great snack because they are nutrient dense and pack a lot of fiber.
If you're looking for more recipes check with California Prune Recipes for more ideas.
Recipe Ingredients for the Quick Bread
Here are the ingredients for this raspberry prune quick bread:
- All-Purpose Flour. Flour provides structure for the quick bread
- California Prunes. The prunes add sweetness and moisture
- Fresh Raspberries. The raspberries add a lot of flavor to this quick bread. You also use blueberries or blackberries if raspberries are not available.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Whole Eggs. The egg yolks add fat and the egg whites add structure.
- Vegetable Oil. The vegetable oil adds fat to the quick bread. You can use olive oil instead, but if using extra-virgin olive oil taste it to make sure the flavor is good and will go with the flavor of the quick bread.
- Buttermilk. The buttermilk adds moisture, helps create a tender crumb, and adds a little tang to the flavor.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda. These ingredients are the chemical leaveners and help the bread rise so that it is soft and fluffy.
- Ground Ginger. Is a great flavor complement to the other ingredients and adds a subtle peppery flavor.
How to Make the Prune Puree
First make the prune puree. For this recipe I used 1/2 cup of prunes and 1 cup of water. That makes enough puree for one loaf of quick plus extra for your morning toast or enough for two loaves. Your choice.
Place the prunes in a small bowl and add at least 1 cup of boiling water and let the prunes soak for one (1) hour. This step softens the prunes, adds a little liquid, and makes them easier to puree.
Put the prunes in the bowl of a mini-food processor and add half the water. Process the prunes for at least minute, but check after 30 seconds to see if you need to add more water. If the prune puree is mostly adhering to the side of the bowl you'll need to add more water. Process until the mixture is smooth, scrape into a bowl and set aside.
How to Make This Quick Bread
Measure out all your ingredients before starting to mix your quick bread. This step is called mise en place (everything in its place) and will ensure you don't accidentally forget an ingredient.
Place the dry ingredients, except for 2 tablespoons of the flour in a medium bowl and whisk for 30 seconds to ensure the baking powder and baking soda are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
Place the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large bowl and whisk for at least 90 seconds to partially dissolve the sugar. Add the prune puree and whisk to thoroughly combine.
Toss the raspberries with the reserved flour. Add the flour mixture and raspberries to the wet ingredients. Use a large spatula to slowly fold all the ingredients together. The batter will be lumpy. Do not overmix or the bread may be tough.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350°F until the center of the loaf is done or the temperature is 202°F.
Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, which gives it time to set, before inverting it one a cooling rack. Let it cool for one (1) hour before cutting and serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Weigh your flour to ensure you're not using too much flour or too little. Too much flour will result in a dense loaf.
- When replacing sugar with prune puree replace up to 1/3 of the sugar with the prune puree. The prune puree adds additional weight and moisture to the recipe so if you add too much your loaf may be too dense. For this recipe 1/4 substitution worked best because of the addition of the fresh raspberries.
- Use room temperature eggs and buttermilk for the best results.
Recipe - Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can double this recipe and make two loaves. One to eat now and one to freeze for later and give away.
Yes, you can replace either the eggs or the sugar with the prune puree, but I would not recommend doing both. You can replace one egg with 1/4 cup of prune puree.
In this case, either too much flour or overmixing could result in a dry quick bread. In the case of other recipes too little liquid, or baking at a too high temperaure can also cause the bread to be dry.
Yes, you can use a glass loaf pan, but you will need to bake it longer. Since I have not made this recipe with a glass pan you will need to watch the bread carefully after 60 minutes to determine the right baking time.
Get the recipe below and make this Raspberry Prune Bread as soon as possible. It's delicious, moist, and packed full of flavor. Plus it's easy to make and you'll have a treat for breakfast or snack time in no time at all. If you make this bread please leave a comment below. And if you take a picture and post it to Instagram tag me @bakesbybrownsugar and #bakesbybrownsugar.
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Quick Raspberry Prune Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Prune Puree
- 1/2 cup California prunes
- 1 cup boiling water
Raspberry Prune Bread
- 1 3/4 cups (248 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup prune puree
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 8 ounces fresh raspberries
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Instructions
Make the Prune Puree
- Place 1/2 cup prunes in a small bowl and pour boiling water over the prunes just until they are covered. Let the prunes sit for 1 hour.
- Place the prunes in a mini food process with half of the water and process until the prune mixture is smooth and looks like jam. It's okay if there are visible chunks of prune left. If the prunes are still too thick and not breaking down add additional water 1 tablespoon at time.
- If making the quick bread the same day the prune puree can sit at room temperature.
Make the Quick Bread
- Grease and flour an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prep the raspberries by washing them and then patting them dry. If they are large cut them in half for better dispersal in the quick bread. Place them in a small bowl.
- Measure out all the ingredients. Measure 2 tablespoons of flour in a small bowl. This flour will be combined with the raspberries in a later step. Place the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium sized bowl and whisk for 30 seconds to combine.
- Place the vegetable oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl and whisk for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes to combine and partially dissolve the sugar. Add the prune puree and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add the buttermilk and whisk to combine. Toss the raspberries with the reserved flour. Add the flour mixture and the raspberries to the wet ingredients. Use a large spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients and the raspberries into the wet ingredients by stirring from the bottom.
- The batter will still be lumpy. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Even out the batter but it doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar across the top.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes until the center is done of the temperature in the center is 202°F.
- Remove the quick bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a metal spatula to make the bread is loose from the sides and then gently turn it out onto a cooling rack and set it right side up. Let the cake cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing it.
Storing the Quick Bread
- The bread will keep at room temperature for 1 days and can be refrigerated for up to 7 days.
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