The flavor of cherries and almonds comes through in this delightful Cherry Almond Bread. It has a soft and moist texture, perfect for afternoon coffee, brunch, or any special occasion. Toasted and spread with almond butter makes for a delicious breakfast or snack. This recipe is easy and foolproof and uses basic pantry staples and maraschino cherries, which eliminates the need for pitting fresh fruit!
Ingredients For Cherry Almond Cake
To make this light and moist bread, you need:
- Sugar
- Canola oil
- Almond extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Maraschino cherries
- Red food coloring
- Powdered sugar
How To Make Easy Prep Cherry Almond Bread
- Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and preheat the oven to 325 F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until light and airy.
- Add the eggs and almond extract, and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Alternately mix the flour and cherry juice into the sugar/oil mixture until you obtain a smooth batter.
- Fold in the chopped cherries and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the bread cracks at the top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
How Do I Know When The Bread Is Fully Baked?
As soon as it cracks on the top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, the bread is ready. If there is no wet batter on the toothpick, it is done.
How To Prevent The Bread From Sticking To The Pan?
Grease the loaf pan and add flour to cover the whole inside of the pan, or line it with parchment paper.
Easy Almond Cherry Bread
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 3 drops red food coloring
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1-18 oz jar maraschino cherries
- ½ cup maraschino cherry juice (if you can’t make ½ cup juice, top it off with water)
- Powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan and preheat the oven to 325 F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until light and airy.
- Add the eggs, almond extract, and red food coloring and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Alternately mix the flour and cherry juice into the sugar/oil mixture until you obtain a smooth batter.
- Fold in the chopped cherries and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until the bread cracks at the top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need To Chop The Cherries?
Chopping the cherries helps distribute them among the batter and it also helps distribute their flavor throughout the bread.
What If I Don’t Have Enough Cherry Juice?
If the reserved juice does not equal ½ cup, add enough water to make up the difference. This will make the bread moist and light. If you want a lighter version, use reduced-sugar maraschino cherries.
Can I Make The Bread Without Almond Extract?
Almond extract enhances the cherry flavor, but if you don’t have any you can use vanilla extract instead. If you want to enhance the cherry flavor, try adding a few drops of pure cherry extract!
Can This Bread Be Made In Advance?
Yes, it can. This bread keeps well at room temperature for about 3 days once you wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Can I Make This Bread Gluten-Free?
Yes, you can use gluten-free flour. Just make sure to check the blend is 1:1 and has Xanthan Gum in it. You can also substitute part of the flour for almond flour.
Can I Add Nuts To This Recipe?
Sure! I would recommend adding chopped almonds and folding them in when adding the chopped cherries. As flavor enhancers, you can add a pinch of cinnamon or lemon zest as well.
