This Polish inspired easy blackberry tray bake with prunes is low in fat and sugar, perfect as a light, deliciously fruity treat or snack.
This easy blackberry cake with prunes is based on a recipe my mum used to make when I was a child. Since she never wrote it down I had to rely on my memory of this wonderful treat and use my knowledge of baking to create this recipe. Although it is not exactly as I remember it (I’ll tell you why in a minute) I tried to stick to the idea of creating layers of pastry and fruit. Which is how my mum made it.
There is a type of jam/preserve in Poland called ‘powidla‘, which is made by cooking fruit (mainly plums) with sugar in a heavy bottomed pot very slowly for hours. The final product is a thick, sticky the mixture and the plums are nowhere to be seen. A bit like a seriously overcooked jam. This is how I remember it being made years ago.
Although it tasted great it was a laborious activity as it required frequent stirring (to prevent the plums from burning and sticking to the pan). So for a working mother it meant giving up a good chunk of her weekend in order to produce a few jars of this lovely spread!
I like shortcuts!
How to make blackberry tray bake filling
So in this easy tray bake recipe I used a mixture of prunes (which already taste like overcooked plums) and blackberries, to make a tangy and rich tasting ‘powidla‘ of sorts. The juice of the blackberries provided enough moisture so I didn’t have to add any water! Although the mixture still required a lot of stirring it only took about 6 minutes to cook (see Instructions below)!
And it is pretty healthy too, as I only added 2 tablespoons of sugar. Plus both blackberries as well as prunes are full of goodness. Blackberries are said to retain their nutritional benefits even after cooking!
How to make easy blackberry tray bake
Not only is the filling in this healthy tray bake with blackberries quick and easy to make the entire cake is super simple too. Once you’ve prepared the filling and combined the dry ingredients make the batter. Cream the sugar, egg yolks, butter, vanilla and fromage frais and gradually add the flour mixture until the dough starts to form. Knead briefly, then divide the dough into 2 parts. Place the larger dough in the tin and cover the bottom pressing tightly. Combine the smaller dough with a bit of cocoa and set aside.
Then simply spread the fruit filling over the cake, whisk the egg whites until fluffy and spread over the fruit. Then coarsely grate the cocoa dough over the whole thing, sprinkle with almond flakes and demerara sugar and bake. Your cake will be ready after 35 minutes!
Final notes
The Instructions for this recipe are quite lengthy, but don’t be put off! The cake itself is simple and really doesn’t take too long to make. But it does have layers so I wanted to ensure I clarified all the steps involved in making it.
These blackberry prune tray bake makes a tasty morning or afternoon treat, delicious with a cup of coffee or tea. Any questions, let me know:)
Enjoy!
More blackberries recipes
Baked Stuffed Quinoa Zucchini with Blackberries
Peanut Blackberry oat Bars with Cacao
Check out also this collection of 27 everyday healthy cacao recipes!
Blackberry Tray Bake with Prunes (Healthy)
Ingredients
- 300 g blackberries
- 200 g prunes pitted, finely chopped
- 2 eggs at room temperature, yolks and whites separated
- 100 g caster sugar plus 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon
- 100 g butter at room temperature (plus a little more for greasing the baking dish)
- 3 tablespoons fromage frais
- 230 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder or cacao, it's better for you
- Demerara sugar and almond flakes to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- In a saucepan combine the blackberries, prunes and 2 tablespoons of sugar, stir and cook over a low/medium heat for approximately 6 minutes, stirring often and squashing the fruit with the back of the spoon as you stir. The mixture will be thick and sticky. Set aside to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 365 F/ 190 C/ gas mark 5. Grease a 23 cm square (or equivalent) baking dish and line with parchment paper (alternatively, instead of using paper, grease the tin lightly, sprinkle with a little flour and shake to spread it evenly around the sides and bottom). Set aside.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- Beat the butter, 100g of sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract and fromage frais until smooth and lighter in colour (about 3 minutes). Start gradually adding the flour mixture. When the dough begins to form place it on a work surface and knead in any remaining flour. Do NOT knead for too long, only until all the ingredients have been incorporated.
- Divide the dough into 2 parts (1 larger - two thirds, and 1 smaller - one third). Flatten the larger dough with your hands and place in the baking dish - continue flattening until it covers the bottom evenly and completely (you may want to dust your hands with a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking to them).
- Cover with the fruit mixture, using the back of the spoon to even it out.
- Whisk together the egg whites with 1 teaspoon of sugar until light and fluffy (about 1.5-2 minutes using an electric mixer). Spread over the top of the fruit mixture, using the back of the spoon to even it out gently - do NOT press down.
- Sprinkle the cacao (or cocoa) powder on the smaller dough ball and knead until all the powder has been absorbed. Coarsely grate the dough over the top of the cake - do NOT press down!
- Sprinkle some Demerara sugar and almond flakes over the top (1-2 tablespoons each) and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes and serve!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
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Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
Hi Monika,
I grew up with a similar plum ‘jam’ called Pflaumenmus. The Thuringian way bakes rather than cooks them. Whilst it still takes hours, you don’t need to stir.
Now, I currently don’t have access to my recipe (shipping from OZ to UK….), I try to write it down from memory:
– grease a very solid casserole dish
– fill your dish with halved very ripe plums (our dish takes about 3.5kg)
– add star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick in a musselin ‘sock’ and place between the fruit plus (if available) a couple of green walnuts (i.e. as it comes off the tree, including the green peel and the hard shell you would normally crack to get to the nut. Otherwise just add some shelled nuts)
– measure about 350g of sugar – traditionally white but I tend to use brown or coconut, whatever available
– sprinkle some of it on top
– into a hot oven. Start with ~200°C
– tradition: no lid and oven door slightly ajar (use wooden spoon). However, I start off for the first hour with lid and closed door to get things boiling
– every half an hour you want to add a little bit more sugar on top. Don’t stir – you kinda need a crust. Though I do one (again non-traditional) compromise of slightly padding the surface down to get a little of the juice over it. (I believe our grandmothers made this in much larger pots so the crust was like a lid and also percentage wise not as much of a waste as it feels when you cook only 3.5kg)
– you will need 6 to 8 hours until it cooks down to a nice thick paste. I find I need pen and paper at the stove to keep track of time 😉
– once you like the consistency, fill it into clean jars. Lid on. Done!
Hi Antje! Thank you for taking the time to share this recipe with me! I can just imagine how delicious it must be after 8 hours of slow baking. And I really like the star anise in your jam. The green walnuts sound intriguing. I might try this method if I can get my hands on some inexpensive plums. 3.5 kg is a lot of plums:)
They look absolutely scrumptious, I’ve had such a sweet tooth recently, and these squares would go down a treat. I love the blackberry and prune combo, I don’t bake with fruit as much as I should. Delicious!
Thank you! I was really pleased with these actually, didn’t expect them to turn out as good as they did:)
This cake looks lovely! I haven’t eaten prunes in a while, but I used to eat them loads, in fact one Friday in my early twenties I was so bored at work that I ate my way through a whole bag – all I can say is that the night out in town didn’t end well!
Thank you! Sounds like a definite case of prune overdose:)
Yeah, I believe I’ll be making these soon. I love prunes! I won’t tell anyone that it’s prunes though…they have a bad reputation. One time my wife and I were eating some prunes and I asked my son if he wanted one. “No way! I’m not eating prunes! That’s for old people!” Ok, not sure where he got that from but a couple of days later, we’re eating prunes again and my wife asked him if he wanted a dried plum. “Yeah, i love plums!” Kids.
Thanks! I agree prunes do have a bad reputation, completely undeservedly, because they taste SO good and are so good for you too:) Maybe they should always be called ‘dried plums’:)
Ooo these sounds delicious! I’d love a slice as a healthy treat! Thanks for linking up to #TreatPetite
Thank you Kat:)
These prunes are looking absolutely delicious.. It’s more special as you got your childhood memories connected with it.. let me try some?!! Thanks for sharing this family recipe with all of us.. Happy Fiesta Friday ?
Thank you! I agree that childhood memories make any dish a little bit more special:)
These bars look perfect for this week’s Fiesta Friday party. I am eating prunes as they are, but it sounds amazing to add them in your baked good, too. Thanks for sharing, Monika!
Thank you Jhuls, I love prunes in general and they make such a nice addition to all sorts of bakes:)
Must try that next time. ☺️
Thanks! Hope you like it:)
These sound fab and I love that they are reasonably healthy and love your shortcut! I’m a big fan of shortcuts too (can you tell!) Eb x
Thank you Eb! I think these days people are so busy they need shortcuts, otherwise we’d all be eating takeouts!
Love the sound of this Monika, it sounds absoluteIy delicious with the fruit, hint of chocolate and crumbly-almondy crust . I’ve never tried blackberries and prunes together but it certainly sounds like one to try – and actually an easy one especially as you’ve managed to dramatically scale back the time it takes to make your powidla.
Angela x
PS, you’d be more than welcome to share it with #BakingCrumbs if you like 🙂
Thank you Angela! I am bringing my squares over to your link party now!
Thankyou so much for linking up Monika, it’s fab to have you there 🙂
These sound delicious and so good that you’ve found a quicker way of making that traditional jam!
You’re killing me with your recent recipes! They are awesome and this is no exception. I can’t make these though…really trying hard to get back off the sugar and finding it very hard with temptation like this!
I know it’s hard to stay off sugar, there are so many temptations everywhere, especially when you go shopping. I find it impossible to go without sugar completely, instead I try to eat less of it… it works most of the time:)
I love the look of these and the abundance of blackberry means my children would like them too. Pinned for my next baking day.
Thank you! My own children enjoyed these squares as a snack, with a glass of milk.