Bittersweet and divine - this loaf can also be made into my quintessential prune brownies. You can play with the ingredients and proportions in this wonderful versatile recipe that's surprisingly healthy and full of fiber!
Patty
Combine the following ingredients and mix well. (Quick and easy to do in a good blender or food processor.)
- 1 c prune puree and 1 over-ripe banana (or 1&1/3 c prune puree)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c milk (or milk substitute)
- *2 Tbsp each: citrus marmalade, brown sugar
(or 2 Tbsp honey and the zest from 1/2 lemon or orange) - 2 Tbsp dark rum (or 2 tsp vanilla)
- 1/2 c cocoa
Combine separately:
- 1 c fine whole spelt flour (or wheat)
- 1/2 tsp each: salt, baking soda, baking powder
Mix wet and dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in:
- *3-4 squares of chopped semi-sweet baker's chocolate
OR 90-120g of dark chocolate (chopped)
OR 1/3 to 2/3 c dark chocolate chips (Optional, but highly recommended)
*For "sugar-free", instead of marmalade/sugar/honey above, (and/or without chocolate) add:
- *1/2 - 1 c chopped dates, dried apricots, or other dried fruit or nuts (*optional)
(I sprinkled about 1/3 c pecans on the loaf in the photo.)
Bake in a well-greased loaf pan at 350 for about 45 minutes - the center should spring back when touched.
If making brownies, eliminate the baking soda (unless you like your brownies cakey) and bake in a square pan for about 35 minutes.
Enjoy :-)
March 31, 2008 - 08:57
Yum... I made these as muffins with dried cherries instead of chocolate chips. Took 30 minutes in the oven with muffins.
I wonder if subbing applesauce for the banana would also work? They turned out great but the moisture content could be ever so slightly upped (or maybe I just overbaked?!).
Thanks for the recipe!
March 31, 2008 - 09:29
Hi Mary,
Your muffins with cherries sound delicious!
Using 1/3c of applesauce instead of the banana (or the extra 1/3c of prune puree if not adding banana) would probably work well too. A shorter cooking time for the muffins would have probably helped with moisture - most muffins I bake take 20 - 25 minutes, so I'd try the touch test at 20 minutes (or less if you have an extra hot oven...).
Thanks for sharing your experience :-)
May 22, 2009 - 14:36
Just made the brownie version and it is very good...okay, not a traditional, full of refined sugar brownie, but chocolately and moist. I used applesauce instead of banana and it worked well (I just don't like chocolate and banana together). I figure that regardless of what I bake, it's going to disappear in a heartbeat, so it might as well be somewhat healthy...or at least more healthy than the alternatives. Really wanted to add peeled hazlenuts, but didn't have time. Will try next time. Oh, and I made prune puree by (pitting 1 cup of prunes, since I didn't have pitted prunes) taking 1 cup of prunes and adding boiling water to fill to 1 cup (as per directions). I then put them in the microwave on 50% for 5 minutes, covered, and then pureed with an immersion blender. Since I keep my whole grain flours in the freezer, the flour offset the warm puree.
Looking forward to trying some of the other recipes.
May 26, 2009 - 09:42
Hi Sherrie,
Awesome, thanks for the great feedback. Peeled hazelnuts sound like a great addition. Personally, I'm not into microwaving anything, but that's just me. I try to work with room temperature ingredients whenever possible. Smart to keep your whole grains in the freezer, they keep fresher so much longer. Happy healthy baking!
February 26, 2010 - 13:03
Patty - your site is fast becoming my go-to for everything i like to dream up! Love this cake/brownie, whatever...I made it to recipe but instead of 2 eggs, i used 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, the latter of which I whisked and folded in at the end (just because i like baked goods a bit airier). I also added some candied ginger and cayenne pepper. YUM YUM! Thank you!