Cherry Almond Bread

Soft, moist and full of cherry almond flavor, this sweet quick bread is simple to make, and is a great hostess or neighbor gift.

Cherry Almond Quick Bread

This recipe makes either one large loaf to bring to a holiday meal or three smaller loaves to give away to your friends, family, and neighbors.

A double batch would barely take longer than a single one, and with a half-hour of work, you could have six little loaves to share.

Do you bake more once the weather turns cold and the holidays approach? Once the weather starts to get rainy and cold, I find myself spending a lot more time in the kitchen.

I love working in the kitchen (most likely with my kids on chairs beside me) to bring something delicious to friends and family during the holidays.

And since you’re all here for this delicious cherry almond quick bread, I’m going to assume all of you love baking this time of year as a way to spend time and show love to the people in your life.

It doesn’t have to be a big occasion either – baking a treat to enjoy while you put up the holiday decorations with your spouse is just as worthy of an occasion.

Ingredients for Cherry Almond Quick Bread

• Butter – use softened butter here

• Granulated Sugar – we will cream the sugar with the butter until fluffy. This step is key in incorporating air in the batter to help raise the bread

• Eggs – make sure they are room temperature so they will incorporate well into the batter and not harden the butter

• Vanilla extract – vanilla is a key flavor base in almost all baked goods, and a good quality vanilla extract is a must.

• Almond Extract – This gives us the sweet-nutty almond flavor we’re going for, especially since we aren’t incorporating any almonds into the batter.

• Flour – use a basic all-purpose flour for a tender loaf. The other key to a tender loaf is to NOT overmix the batter

• Baking powder and Baking soda – use both here to get the best rise and a pretty domed top on your bread

• Salt – of course, to bring out the flavor

• Sour Cream – helps keep a moist, tender crumb. This is a magic ingredient in quick breads

• Frozen cherries – I used frozen tart cherries that my mom picked and froze last year (thanks, Mom). Frozen sweet cherries would also work well.

How to Make Cherry Almond Bread

The key step to making a good quick bread: Do NOT over stir! Repeat after me, “Do not over stir the batter.”

It is better to have a few streaks and lumps of flour. Over stirring develops the gluten in the flour and makes tough bread.

This recipe uses two bowls, one for the wet ingredients and the other for the dry.

In a large bowl for the wet ingredients, cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs and extracts and set aside.

In the dry ingredient bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, soda and salt.

Now add the dry ingredients to the wet alternately with the sour cream and just stir until barely combined.

Next, add in the frozen cherries and barely fold them into the batter.

To get a good rise on the loaf we will bake at 375° F for the first third of the baking time and then lower the temperature to 350° F for the remainder to bake the loaf through. This makes a pretty domed top on the loaf.

And after you’ve made this recipe, I recommend the Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread for another terrific quick bread to try!

Cherry Almond Quick Bread

5 from 1 vote

Soft, moist and full of cherry almond flavor, this sweet quick bread is simple to make, and is a great hostess or neighbor gift.

Pin Print Review

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr

Additional Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 large loaf or 3 mini loaves

Ingredients 

For the bread

• ▢ 1/3 cup butter, softened
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon Almond Extract
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 3/4 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 cup frozen tart cherries

For the glaze

• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons milk
• ▢ 2-3 drops Almond Extract
• ▢ 1 ounce sliced almonds

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet, then the sour cream and finally the last half of the dry. Gently fold together, until mostly incorporated. Add the frozen cherries and fold until just incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan or mini loaf pans and place in the oven. For a large loaf pan, bake at 375° F for 20 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Bake for 30-40 more minutes or until the loaf springs back when lightly touched.
• For mini loaves, bake at 375° F for 10 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350° F for 20-25 more minutes or until the loaves spring back when lightly touched.
• Let cool in the pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the glaze, stir together the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract until smooth. Put the almonds in a dry skillet and toast over medium heat until slightly browned. Let cool. Drizzle the cooled loaves with the glaze and sprinkle on the toasted almond slices.
• Let the glaze dry before wrapping tightly. These loaves freeze well tightly wrapped for a couple weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice · Calories: 105kcal · Carbohydrates: 16g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 2g · Saturated Fat: 1g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 33mg · Sodium: 14mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 4g

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