Julie Clark
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Cherry Bread
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A simple quick bread with maraschino cherries in every bite. Don’t forget the almond cherry glaze on top this simple cherry bread.
I remember when Kinslee was just starting to read on her own, we got the Pinkalicious books from the library. Have you seen them? They’re super cute. They’re so fabulous for little girls who want to be a princess.
So when this pinkalicious cherry bread popped into my mind, I knew I needed to make it now. This bread would be great at Christmas time, since maraschino cherries pop up all over the place at the holiday season (hello merry cherry cheesecake bars). And it would also be fitting for a Valentine’s Day treat, being so pink-y. This Cherry Bread is delicious enough for special occasions but easy enough for every day.
Cherry Bread Ingredients
This quick bread is your traditional quick bread recipe. Sugar, milk, oil, egg, almond extract, flour, salt and baking soda and powder. I wanted every bite to be loaded with cherries, so I used two jars of maraschino cherries (for a total of 20 ounces).
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How to Make Cherry Bread
Before you begin, prepare the cherries. Drain the juice, but reserve about ⅓ cup of the juice for the glaze. Chop the cherries either in a small food processor or with a knife. We used our Ninja Express Chop for this. It worked like a charm and took about a total of 3 seconds.
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9″x5″ loaf pan with baking spray, or grease with shortening, then dust with flour.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and almond extract.
- Mix dry ingredients, then combine. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Add the cherries. Drain the maraschino cherries, reserving the juice for the glaze. Coarsely chop the cherries in a food processor or with a knife. Gently fold the cherries into the batter.
- Bake. Pour the batter mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, cherry juice and almond extract in a small bowl. Whisk until it is smooth. Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread. If you spread the glaze on while the cherry bread is still warm, it will melt and run off.
Baking Tip
As with any quick bread or muffin, it’s important not to overmix the cherry bread batter. It’s OK if there are still lumps or a tad bit of flour in the batter. It will all bake together so perfectly in the end.
Can I use fresh cherries in this recipe?
Yes, if you have fresh cherries, you may use them in this recipe. Pit the cherries and dice them, just as you would the maraschino cherries.
Can you freeze cherry bread?
My family each tested a small slice of this cherry bread, then we put the rest in the freezer for a later treat. I’ll have to say that I ate a slice or two while it was frozen and I think I liked the bread frozen more than fresh from the oven for some reason. That makes it a deliciously cool treat for spring and summer.
Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap, then freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Other Cherry Recipes
And then after our cherry bread, try our cherry hot chocolate, cookies, cherry almond cake and Amish cherry rolls.
Cherry Bread
A simple quick bread with maraschino cherries in every bite. Don’t forget the almond cherry glaze on top!
Servings 10 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 grams
- 1/2 cup 2% milk 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable or melted coconut oil) 4 ounces
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract* (or vanilla extract) 5 grams
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 5 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
- 2 jars maraschino cherries** (10 ounces each)
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar 130 grams
- 1 tablespoon melted butter 14 grams
- 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice 30 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 2 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with cooking spray, or grease with shortening, then dust with flour.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and almond extract. ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup 2% milk, ½ cup canola oil, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon almond extract*
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Drain the maraschino cherries, reserving the juice for the glaze. Coarsely chop the cherries in a food processor or with a knife. Gently fold the cherries into the batter. 2 jars maraschino cherries**
- Pour the bread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes***. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted butter, cherry juice and almond extract in a small bowl. Whisk until it is smooth. 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread. If you spread the glaze on while the bread is still warm, it will melt and run off.
- Slice and serve. Store any leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container. The bread freezes well, too.
Video
Notes
*I often add an extra teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract to the bread batter (along with the wet ingredients) for an extra boost of flavor. I do this especially if I’m not putting the glaze on top. The bread has the most flavor when you add the cherry glaze!
**Many maraschino cherry brands come without red dye in the cherries. If you pick up a jar like this, your bread will not be pink. If you want pink bread, be sure that the cherries you use actually have red coloring in it. You can always add additional red coloring if you want the bread to have more of a pink flavor.
***The exact baking time will depend on the exact type of pan you use. If it is smaller, it will take longer to bake. I have used a metal pan that is just slightly smaller (8.5″x4.5″) and it takes about 60-65 minutes to bake. Glass/Ceramic/Stone pans will all bake different. The bread is done when the inside of the bread is about 200ºF.
**The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces (and all of the frosting used), with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 155g | Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 130mg | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1.3mg
DELICIOUS! I had some candied cherries from Christmas to use up – so I used those and some maraschino cherries I had in the fridge. So I only had about 1 cup total of cherries. And I only used half the icing. And SPECTACULAR! Everyone at work raved about it.
Can I use self rising flour instead of the all purpose and baking powder?
Can I substitute Glace Cherries for the Maraschino Cherries. I know I won’t have the juice for the glaze but I will just add extra almond because I won’t have a glaze. Thank you.
Hi girls!
What can I use as a substitute for the cherry juice? In my country you can only get the “dry” glazed cherries.
Just made this. Cooked an extra 20 min. Still not done/set. Very disappointed.
This is baking in the oven right now. The only problem, I didn’t know when to add the cherries to the batter. I just dumped them in a mixed a bit more and then baked. The glaze is made and it’s to die for!! Thanks for posting, I found it on Pinterest.
I’m so excited to make this! Thank you for sharing! Can this bread be made in a bundt cake pan?
Could you use fresh cherries instead of the maraschino cherries?
I made this today. It’s so oretty to look at. Very good recipe.
Can cake flour be used in place of the all purpose? Can parchment paper be used instead of greasing the pan?
Can I use vanilla extract instead of almond extract in the frosting?
How can i do this in a breadmaker?
It states vanilla or almond extract. Can you add a little of both or should you stick to one and if so which one comes out better the vanilla or the almond? I would think almond but just curious.
I love it ! Thank you
Can I add mini chocolate chips in with the cherries, like the icecream?