Chocolate Berry Jam Cookie Bars – Easy Summer Dessert Recipe

One of my favorite treats for spring and summer is this simple Chocolate Berry Jam Cookie Bars, made with a few basic pantry ingredients in just 30 minutes, requiring you only 5 minutes of work! The perfectly soft and moist base with homemade berries jam, and is topped with a generous layer of your favorite berries jam with dark chocolate is the ideal family snack or dessert you’ll be obsessed with! It’s definitely my go-to healthy dessert recipe whenever I crave something sweet all of a sudden!

For effortless entertaining or for those moments when you want something sweet but don’t want to spend a lot of time baking, this recipe for strawberry cake is an ideal recipe for you! There are no layers, icing, or decorative tasks to think about, and the cake comes together quickly.

There are many easy and quick cakes out there that I’m sure you have been researching for some time – I do too! But, somehow, I always come back to this “minimal effort” jam cake since it requires basic and minimal ingredients I always have in my pantry! I guess you also get a little disappointed and bothered when you find the “perfect cake” while craving something sweet, and it requires you to drive to the store to get all the ingredients, right? Yeah, I know…

So, if you have your traditional favorite homemade jam on your pantry shelves, this is the ideal time to use it in a more interesting way than just spreading it on the bread! I mean, you can use whatever type of jam you like, store-bought or homemade, but I always use my homemade sugar-free berry jam because I know what ingredients I put in it!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe?

• Super easy to make – One of the best things about this Berry Jam Cake is that it consists of only 3 simple steps in the preparation process! You just need to mix a few basic ingredients and put it straight in the oven! Once it bakes, just spread your favorite jam on the cooled base and melt dark chocolate! That’s it!

• A cherry cake is a healthier version, in addition to being beautiful and delicious.

• You can use less refined sugar– Even though I try to avoid sugar as much as possible, and incorporate that into my recipes, some of them necessarily call for it, otherwise, the recipe may end up too tart and just plain. You can make this recipe using less refined, and more natural alternatives like organic coconut sugar, date sugar, or stevia. 

• Only 6 main ingredients – Who needs a bunch of special ingredients you have to run to the store to get so you can prepare a delicious dessert? I don’t know about you but I always tend to skip those recipes no matter how visually appealing they look. I’ll be like “Give me something EASIER girlll” xD. So, no worries, this recipe only requires 6 easy key ingredients – berries of choice, banana, eggs, milk, flour, honey, and baking powder + salt as the essential ones! Easy, right?

• As it bakes, a pleasant scent spreads around the kitchen. It’s bursting with luscious, soft berries.

• This is a delicious dessert to enjoy during gatherings and special occasions with loved ones, or whenever you suddenly crave something quick but sweet!

Ingredients You Need

Berry Jam – Ideally use homemade sugar-free strawberry jam,

Oil – You will need the neutral-tasting, less refined oil with a high smoke point.

Unrefined Sugar – You can use date, coconut, or cane sugar.

Flour – You can use the all-purpose flour or substitute it with some nut flour. My oat flour had gluten, so, if you’re using some gluten-free flour, you may need to add more than the required amount in the recipe specifically. However, I can’t guarantee you it will work.

Cinnamon – Also, you can substitute cinnamon with pure cacao powder.

Water – You’ll need lukewarm, filtered water, not warm.

Baking soda – Makes the cake rise and makes it light and fluffy.

Dark chocolate – Ideally use the one with 80% or more cacao content, the higher quality, the better.

Coconut oil – Needed for melting the chocolate.

How To Make

Making this Berries Jam Cake is super easy, believe it or not, you just need to mix all the ingredients and bake! After baking, spread the berries jam and melted chocolate! That’s it! A perfect quick dessert the whole family will love, right?

Step 1: Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon. Combine lukewarm water, oil, sugar, and homemade jam (of choice), then add dry ingredients. Mix everything well and pour into a greased mold (33×22 cm).

Step 2: Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 200C (400F) for about 25 minutes. After baking, spread the jam on the hot cake, and leave for it to set for 10-15 minutes. Melt the chocolate with coconut oil, then pour it over the cooled cake. Leave the cake to cool completely set at room temperature, and serve once ready.