GLAZED CHERRY ALMOND SWEET BREAD

Our family is throwing a big party for Grandpa Bill’s 90th Birthday this weekend and we’ve been baking like crazy. We’re anticipating at least 100 people, so you can imagine the list of goodies we’ve made! This Cherry Almond Bread has been on the list and didn’t disappoint. It was very close to the Lion House recipe I saw in a cookbook, so I knew it was bound to be delicious. It was easy to make (even with 3 grumpy small children demanding attention) and keeps well for several days in the fridge, or even longer in the freezer. (Just save adding the glaze until serving.) Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Averie Cooks

Bread

one 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup cherry juice, reserve 2 TBSP for glaze
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cherry-Almond Glaze

2 TBSP reserved cherry juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3 TBSP softened butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray two 8×4-inch loaf pans with floured cooking spray or lightly grease and flour the pans; set aside.

I only had two 9×5 pans on hand, so I used those. My loaves were a little small, but since I’m serving them halved and sliced thin for a large party, I was okay with it. The bread would have looked better as one loaf in the 9×5 pan, but you’d also have to increase the baking time accordingly.

Remove cherries from jar and place on a cutting board. Roughly chop them. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour (prevents them from sinking during baking) and toss to coat evenly; set cutting board aside. Set jar with the cherry juice aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl or glass measuring cup, combine eggs, oil, cherry juice (save the 2 TBSP to be reserved for the glaze) almond extract, vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.

Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and stir to combine; don’t overmix. Lightly fold in the chopped cherries. Turn batter out into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until bread is domed, set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. (You can also check the temperature if you have a digital thermometer- quick breads need to cook until 190 degrees F internal temperature.)

Allow bread to cool in pans on top of a wire rack for about 15 minutes before removing and allowing to finish cooling completely on rack. While bread cools, make the glaze.

Cherry-Almond Glaze – In a medium bowl, combine reserved cherry juice, almond extract, about 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine until smooth and satiny. Add sugar until desired consistency is reached. Glaze the bread prior to serving. Bread will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Best Bread Pan?

I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking. I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!