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Cherry Bread
Packed with cherries and covered with a sweet cherry almond glaze, this cherry bread will be a treat any time of day.
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Cherry bread is a classic morning treat, perfect for the summer months or holiday brunching. Sweet cherries are packed into this moist bread and topped with a deliciously sweet cherry almond glaze to create a vibrant pink bread that you will love snacking on.
For more quick bread recipes, our strawberry bread and eggnog bread are two divine options.
CHERRY BREAD INGREDIENTS
You’ll need:
For the Bread
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- maraschino cherries from a 16-ounce jar, chopped
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1-2 drops cherry extract or 1 tablespoon maraschino juice
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Chocolate would pair incredibly well with the cherry flavor in this simple, quick bread, and having those bursts of chocolate in addition to the cherries would make this bread extra decadent. Add ½ cup chocolate chips into your bread batter.
SOUR CREAM: Greek yogurt can be substituted with a 1:1 ratio for sour cream in this homemade cherry bread recipe.
CHERRY EXTRACT: You can find cherry extract at most grocery stores if you’d like to add additional cherry flavoring (and a bit more color). Use in addition to or instead of the vanilla extract. The almond extract is perfect with maraschino cherries. You can add almond extract to the glaze for more flavor, too.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CHERRY BREAD RECIPE
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
STEP TWO: In a large bowl, combine sugar, almond flavoring, vanilla, vegetable oil, milk, cherry juice, eggs, and sour cream. Whisk to combine well.
PRO TIP:
The cherry juice will color the bread a pinkish/peach tint. For more color, you can add a couple of drops of red food coloring.
STEP THREE: In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
STEP FOUR: Drain maraschino cherries in the jar from the rest of the juice (you’ve already used ¼ cup of the juice in the bread batter) and coarsely chop the cherries into halves and/or quarters.
STEP FIVE: Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture over the cherries and toss to combine. Set aside.
PRO TIP:
Coating the cherries in a little bit of flour will help keep them suspended in the bread while baking, so you will have a nice distribution throughout.
STEP SIX: Stir the remaining flour mixture into the milk/eggs mixture. Stir just until wet ingredients and dry ingredients are combined – lumps and streaks of flour in the batter are fine.
STEP SEVEN: Gently fold the cherries into the batter to distribute evenly, but do not overmix.
STEP EIGHT: Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
STEP NINE: Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cover bread with aluminum foil after 45 minutes to prevent it from over-browning on top.
STEP TEN: Remove from the oven and cool. You can turn the bread out onto a wire cooling rack after it has cooled for an initial 10 minutes in the pan.
PRO TIP:
Make sure to let the bread cool fully before glazing.
STEP ELEVEN: Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over top of the cooled bread. The glaze will set, dry to the touch after about 30 minutes.
PRO TIP:
Place bread on a wire rack before pouring the glaze on top so that any excess glaze will run through the rack rather than leaving a puddle around your bread.
HOW TO SERVE
This classic cherry bread is perfect any time of year for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack. It can be served warm or at room temperature, and you can spread butter or strawberry jam on it or eat it as is. Add a whipped hot chocolate or cool iced tea to wash this tasty treat down.
MORE BREAD RECIPES
STORAGE
ON THE COUNTER: Any leftovers of this sweet bread can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in either an airtight container or a Ziploc bag on the counter for 3 to 4 days.
IN THE FRIDGE: You can store this delicious cherry bread with glaze in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
IN THE FREEZER: This easy cherry bread recipe freezes beautifully and could be stored in the freezer in a Ziploc bag for up to 1 month.
The best cherry bread around, you will love this sweet bread. It’s just bursting with flavor and cherries and has such a pretty pink color. Enjoy this yummy quick bread for breakfast, a snack, or pack it in a lunchbox for a delightful surprise.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you keep cherries from sinking?
Coating the cherries in flour will help keep them suspended in your batter so they don’t sink during baking.
How do you store this maraschino cherry bread recipe?
You can store cherry quick bread in plastic wrap or an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
Can cherry bread be frozen?
You can freeze this easy quick bread recipe by wrapping it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before putting it in the freezer.
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Cherry Bread
Packed with cherries and covered with a sweet cherry almond glaze, this cherry bread will be a treat any time of day.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 16
Ingredients
Bread
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- maraschino cherries chopped from a 16-ounce jar
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 to 2 drops cherry extract or 1 tablespoon maraschino juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, almond extract, vanilla, vegetable oil, milk, cherry juice, eggs, and sour cream. Whisk to combine well.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Drain maraschino cherries from the rest of the juice (you’ve already used ¼ cup of the juice in the bread batter) and coarsely chop the cherries into halves and/or quarters.
- Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture over the cherries and toss to combine.
- Stir the remaining flour mixture into the milk/eggs mixture. Stir just until wet and dry ingredients are combined – lumps and streaks of flour in the batter are fine.
- Gently fold the cherries into the batter to distribute evenly, but do not overmix.
- Pour batter into a greased or parchment-lined 9×5 loaf pan.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cover bread with aluminum foil after 45 minutes to prevent it from over-browning on top.
- Remove from the oven and cool. (You can turn the bread out onto a wire cooling rack after it has cooled for an initial 10 minutes in the pan.)
- Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the bread. The glaze will set, dry to the touch after about 30 minutes.
Notes
PRO TIP: The cherry juice will color the bread a pinkish/peach tint. For more color, you can add a couple of drops of red food coloring.
PRO TIP: Coating the cherries in a little bit of flour will help keep them suspended in the bread while baking, so you will have a nice distribution throughout.
PRO TIP: Make sure to let the bread cool fully before glazing.
PRO TIP: Place bread on a wire rack before pouring the glaze on top so that any excess glaze will run through the rack rather than leaving a puddle around your bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 119IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Sarah says
How fun and yummy!