Cherry Bread with Cherry Almond Glaze

Soft Cherry Bread with Cherry Almond Glaze - An easy quick bread recipe that's perfect for Valentine's Day, Easter, or Mother's Day. Because you can never have too much pink.

Cherry Bread:
one 10 oz jar maraschino cherries, divided
1¾ cup + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch kosher salt
2 large eggs
½ cup Canola or vegetable oil
cherry juice, reserve 1/4 cup
1 tsp. pure almond extract
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Cherry Almond Glaze:
¼ cup reserved cherry juice
1 tsp. pure almond extract
1½ cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Spray two 8×4" loaf pans with floured cooking spray or lightly grease and flour the pans; set aside. (Recipe may be baked in one 9×5 pan, as 4 mini loaves, or as muffins, although I have not tested it that way. Adjust baking time accordingly.)

Make the Cherry Bread:
Remove cherries from jar and place on a cutting board. Roughly chop them.

Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. 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 1¾ cups flour, sugar, baking powder, optional salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl or glass measuring cup, combine eggs, oil, all the cherry juice from the jar except 1/4 cup 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. Batter will be very thick. Gently fold in the chopped cherries.

Turn batter out into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops lightly with a spatula. Strategically place a few cherries on top for visual appeal.

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.

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.

Make the Cherry-Almond Glaze:
In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup reserved cherry juice, almond extract, about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine until smooth and satiny. Add sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Glaze the bread prior to serving. After the photos were done, I glazed much more liberally, spreading the glaze like butter on the interior of the slices.

Makes 20 servings.

Cook's Notes: Bread will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Do not glaze bread until ready to serve if you plan on storing long-term.

Nutrition:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 2g