Baked Fruit Desserts That Feel Festive Yet Guilt Free

With the festive season yet to come to an end, our celebrations are incomplete without parties, gatherings, and gorging on delicious desserts. But have you ever thought about the health hazards of consuming too many sugary items? Well, actually, we found a solution. How about considering baked fruit desserts?

While cutting back on your sugar intake owing to the natural sugars present in fruits, these desserts make your festive eating guilt-free, while not diluting the celebratory spirit at all. Moreover, baked fruit desserts are also sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and thus offer benefits like improved digestion and a reduced risk of chronic diseases.

It is high time to take a pledge to opt for the healthier, fruity alternatives for festivals, while sharing the same laughter and joy with friends and family without compromising on health. With Diwali and Bhai Dooj around the corner, we have crafted a list of delicious baked fruit desserts.

1. Moist Fruit Cake

Whenever we think of baked fruit dessert, the first thing that comes to our mind is a simple yet dense and moist fruitcake made with candied or dried fruits, nuts, and spices.

Made from simple ingredients like flour, eggs, milk, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla essence, baking powder, and dried or candied fruits like cherries, pineapple, nuts, and orange peel, this cake is ideal to be served with hot tea, coffee, or hot chocolate this festive season.

You may also consider dates, raisins, currants, or apricots as the fruits to be included in the recipe. These fruits bring in that chewy and fruity texture to the cake while locking in moisture as well to keep the cake tender and moist.

2. Apple Crumble

To add the goodness of fruit to your baked desserts, nothing beats fruit crumbles, and Apple Crumble, also known as Apple Crisp to many, is one of the most popular homemade fruit crumbles These are best defined as a baked dessert featuring a fruity base and filling topped with a crunchy, streusel-like layer made from flour, butter, oats (optional), and sugar. After baking, while the top layer remains crunchy, the fruity layers underneath become soft and gooey.

Just imagine nice, caramelized apples on the bottom with a baked, crispy crumble on top. Yes, that’s Apple Crumble for you. To further enhance the flavor profile, cinnamon is an ideal choice.

To prepare the classic dish, assemble flour, sugar, butter, and oats, the basic ingredients for the crumble topping. If you need more crunch, you may consider adding almond flakes, nuts, and dried fruits of your choice. Now, pour the crumbles over the peeled and diced apples mixed with maple syrup, cinnamon, and allow it to bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.

3. Berry Cobbler

A berry cobbler is nothing but a baked fruit dessert that features sweet, syrupy berries at the bottom, while the topping is made from either biscuits or a cake-like batter on top, which turns golden brown when baked.

The fruit base of the dessert contains a mixture of different kinds of berries, including strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, while the filling often contains sweet, jammy fillings using apple or apricot jam. Cornstarch is often used for thickening.

Once the layered fruit dessert is baked, the finished dish features a combination of soft, juicy berry filling topped with a buttery biscuit layer that brings in a contrast in textures.

4. Mixed Berry Crumble

This variety of homemade fruit crumbles features a warm, gooey, baked berrylicious filling made from mixed berries, topped with a sweet, crumbly topping of flour, sugar, butter, and oats. This simple yet very popular dessert can be made with fresh or frozen berries. It is often served warm with ice cream or whipped cream. For the berry filling, you may consider a mixture of various berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, with added sugar, lemon juice, or a pinch of spice for flavor. Once baking is done, you may serve the simple dessert with a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.

5. Baked Mixed Fruit Tart

A fruit tart is best defined as a baked fruit dessert with a pastry crust, a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth filling of pastry cream, and a topping of fresh fruits. Once baked, this dessert offers a perfect balance of sweet and tart with every single bite. From creamy bottom and filling to crispy upper layer, this combination of textures is what makes the dessert stand out.

While the crust is of a buttery, sweet texture, often made from shortcrust dough, the filling is rich, sweet, and creamy in nature, and the topping includes a generous layer of fresh fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, kiwis, apricots, and blueberries. Last but not least, the fruit tart is always served with a sweet, fruity jelly glaze brushed over the fruit to lend a polished appearance.

6. Mango Cobbler

A mango cobbler is pretty similar to the mixed berry cobbler, except that it is exceedingly fulfilling owing to the abundance of ripe and juicy mangoes. Here, the baked mango filling is the center of attraction, while the topping is usually made from a simple biscuit dough. Alternatively, you may also consider a crumble mixture made from flour, oats, and other ingredients. Often served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, this baked fruit dessert is ideal for feeling festive with no guilt.

7. Baked Fruit Pie

If you are looking for some fruity goodness every time you take a bite of your baked dessert, you are at the right place. A baked fruit pie would be the ideal option for you as it features a pastry shell filled with a mixture of baked fruit.

While the base of the dessert is a pastry crust, the star of the show is the sweet, fruity filling, often made with apples, mangoes, berries, and peaches, while the upper-most layer is ideally a pastry dough lattice that keeps the creamy, fruity filling in place and contains the moisture to keep the texture intact.