We are big fans of baked goods around here. What’s not to love, right? Well, all that added sugar for one. What if we told you there was a way to cut refined sugar, but not cut out flavor? We’ve told you before, but we’ll tell you again, adding California Prunes is an easy way to make healthier desserts that everyone will love!

It’s no secret that we are kind of obsessed with California Prunes. If you know them only as something your grandmother eats to keep things…uh, regular, then it’s time to broaden your perspective. Prunes are so much more than the poop fruit. (Yeah, we just said that!) They’re high in fiber and therefore great for gut health, obviously! Antioxidant rich and loaded with vitamins and nutrients like boron, potassium and Vitamin K, prunes also help to build strong bones and help keep your heart healthy. Plus, they are a freaking delicious snack. Trust!

Because prunes are naturally sweet, they are an obvious choice for a healthy sugar alternative. But prunes can also add loft, color, and moisture to baked goods. With the addition of prune purée, bakers can reduce refined sugar by up to one-third, as well as reducing the amount of needed eggs and fats.

So now that you’re sold on using prunes in your baking, here are some irresistibly delicious recipes for healthier desserts and baked goods to get you started!

Recipes for Healthier Desserts and Baked Goods Featuring California Prunes

How to Make Prune Purée

Did you know you can substitute Prune Purée for butter in most recipes?! It’s a pound for pound alternative that might help you keep the pounds off! With less fat and a healthy dose of added fiber, it can inspire you to try recipes for healthier desserts and other baked goods that don’t come with all the guilt…

Cranberry Orange Mini Bundt Cakes

These sweet, tart mini Bundt cakes from our friend Cheryl from Bakes by Brown Sugar are bright with California Citrus and get a natural fruity flavor, beautiful color, and nutritional boost from the addition of California Prune Purée.

Sticky Gingerbread Cake

This Sticky Gingerbread Cake by Rachel Dunston of Rachel Makes It is a riff on Nigella Lawson’s famous recipe. With its warm spices and tender crumb, it’s a delicious treat during the holidays. Bonus: it has less refined sugar, is lower in fat, and is egg free thanks to the addition of Prune Purée.

Prune Filled Pecan Sticky Buns

We’re obsessed with these Prune Filled Pecan Sticky Buns! With a homemade prune lekvar filling, this recipe from Katie of Wheat by the Wayside is indulgent, yet not overly sweet! Since California Prunes are naturally sweet, using them in the filling means there is less refined sugar in this recipe than in a typical sticky bun recipe! Did we mention that these are also gluten-free?

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

This rich double chocolate cheesecake from Alison of A Girl Defloured uses California Prune Purée to not only reduce the sugar content by 1/3 but to also add wonderful flavor and nutritional value. Though it takes some time to prepare, it comes together easily and can be made several days in advance. 

Chocolate Crepe Cake

Incredibly light, airy chocolate crepes are layered with a chocolate cream filling that is sure to win fans. The richly flavored chocolate crepe batter is made easily in the blender – this Decadent Chocolate Crepe Cake recipe by Meg van der Kruik of This Mess Is Ours is definitely easier than it looks!

An Easy Recipe for Baked French Toast

We admit, this isn’t a traditional French toast recipe, it’s better! This recipe for baked French toast pairs buttery Brioche bread with cinnamon-laced Granny Smith apples, cream cheese, and toasted walnuts. This recipe is refined sugar free because it’s sweetened with California Prune Purée!

Chocolate Covered Prune Fudge Cake

Covered in a delicious chocolate ganache, this chocolate fudge cake from Meg of This Mess is Ours makes an absolutely incredible paleo dessert. That’s right, we said paleo – naturally sweetened, no refined sugar, no processed sugar – just an incredible chocolate fudge cake that most everyone can enjoy.

Roasted Banana Prune Bundt Cake

Love banana bread but looking for something slightly more sophisticated? Enter the Roasted Banana-Prune Bundt Cake from Bake from Scratch. Roasted bananas add sweet, caramelized flavor, California Prunes give the cake natural, fruity depth, and the Bundt pan gives the whole thing a beautifully polished look. Drizzled with a Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze, this Bundt is everything you could want in a cake and then some.

Chocolate Prune Cannoli Cake

Studded with jewels of fruity California Prunes and chocolate chunks, and topped with cloudlike Whipped Ricotta Frosting, this Chocolate Prune Cannoli Cake takes the flavors of an Italian classic and transforms them into a simple, yet sophisticated, sheet cake. You’ll love this delicious recipe from our friends at Bake From Scratch.

Raspberry Prune Bread

This Raspberry Prune Bread from Cheryl of Bakes by Brown Sugar is a delicious combination of prune-sweetened quick bread with the added tartness of fresh raspberries. This quick bread starts with the traditional ingredients for a quick bread: flour, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk – but the additional flavor is added when part of the sugar is replaced with Prune Purée and fresh raspberries are added for a satisfying tart flavor. The bread is soft, moist, and absolutely delicious.

Gluten Free Prune Blondies with Prune Reduction Sauce

Our friend Teri from No Crumbs Left loves California Prunes and she isn’t bashful about it either. She’s always looking for creative ways to get more prunes into her diet and her latest creation is something we know you will love: Gluten Free Blondies made with a prune reduction sauce. They are so rich, so flavorful, and so incredibly delicious.

Chocolate Pecan Cookies with Prunes

Discovering that Prune Purée can be used as a substitute for butter or oil in baking is a game changer. Using Prune Purée in recipes that rely heavily on good semi-sweet or dark chocolate results in delicious, flavorful baked goods. The kids will never know what you’ve done, and you can rest easy knowing you are killing it at the Mom game. These Chocolate Pecan Cookies with California Prunes from Rachel of Rachel Makes It are so good you will be sad you have not been adding California prunes all along.

Chocolate Brownie Vegan Cookies

These soft, chewy, brownie-like, and wickedly delicious cookies by Rebecca from Displaced Housewife just happen to be vegan. Because they get sweetness and texture from a chocolate- Prune Purée base made with California Prunes, unsweetened cocoa powder, flaxseed, and hot water, there is no need for eggs or butter. These are honestly too good to be true (it’s true), so make ‘em!

Blueberry Prune Buckle with Ginger Streusel

This Blueberry Prune Buckle with Ginger Streusel by Britney of Britney Breaks Bread is our new favorite Sunday brunch! It’s light and airy with a crunchy crumble topping and has the most delicious, jammy blueberry + prune filling.

This article was written by Alison Needham.