Julie Clark
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Maraschino Cherry Bread that Turns Out Pink and Moist Every Time
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Cherry bread is a sweet quick bread which means there is no yeast and no rise time. It’s loaded with chopped maraschino cherries and finished with a glaze made from the cherry juice.
The loaf bakes up pink and soft, thanks to 2 jars of maraschino cherries. It mixes up in one bowl and bakes in one loaf pan. It’s beautiful color lands it a spot on our Valentine’s Day table, Christmas dessert trays (alongside our merry cherry cheesecake bars) and Mother’s Day spring brunches.
I first made this “pinkalicious” cherry loaf for Kinslee back when she was little and obsesed with princess books. And it’s pretty look has given it a spot in our kitchen ever since.
For the best flavor, don’t skip the glaze! It adds sweetness and almond cherry flavor.
What kind of cherries are best for cherry bread?
Maraschino cherries are best for this cherry laof. They keep it sweet and moist with that beautiful pink color.
Prefer fresh cherries? You can use about 1 ½ cups of pitted, diced fresh cherries for a little less sweet loaf. It won’t be pink, but will still be delicious. Try our sugar crunch cherry cake, too!
Does Bob Evans make a cherry bread?
No, Bob Evans is known for their quick breads, but they do not have a cherry bread like this one at this time. As an Ohio girl, I get asked this a lot!
Bob Evans is known for banana bread and pumpkin bread.
What goes into this cherry bread.
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).
Love quick breads? Try our lemon poppy seed bread, mixed berry bread and get our quick bread cookbook!
How to Make Cherry Bread (Step by Step)
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 you freeze cherry bread?
Yes, cherry bread freezes well for up to 6 weeks.
Cool it completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. And I’m not going to lie, I love grabbing a slice of this bread and eating it cold from the freezer. It’s refreshing in the summertime!
More Cherry Recipes to Try
- easy cherry snack cake
- cream cheese cherry cookies
- sour cherry pie
- chocolate covered cherry muffins
- cherry coffee cake recipe
And then after our cherry bread, try our cherry hot chocolate, cookies, cherry almond cake and Amish cherry rolls.
Cherry Bread Loaf with Almond Cherry Glaze
Tested with 2 jars of maraschino cherries for a loaf that bakes up moist and pink every time. Add a simple cherry glaze to the top of this cherry bread.
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"or 8 ½ x 4 1/2" 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 about ¼ cup of 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 color.
***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
The cherry bread was amazing, the bread and sweet glaze go together very well. Will definitely be making it again in the future!
Made this today, doubled recipe, made 30 muffins. Very tasty.
Can I use candied cherries, instead of maraschino? I have a small bowl unopened and sealed from Christmas time when I bought them for a fruitcake that I never made (they are still in date)
Fantastic!
Could I add white chocolate chips to this?
I have made this bread numerous times everyone loves it.
Can I make this in a large Bundt pan? If so, will this change the temperature or baking time?
I’m going to try to make this in a small bundt pan today! Hope this works out it’s so pretty
I made this for friends (didn’t use as many cherries as you did though) and they loved it! Thanks for sharing! Going to try the Shirley Temple cake next!!
I made this last night and while it is too sweet for me, my husband was quite in love with it. The recipe is SUPER easy, I have to say, and very pretty! I cut back on the glaze topping by half because 1 cup of glaze is PLENTY. I will definitely make this again, probably for when we have company some post-covid day.
WONDERFUL! I followed the recipe exactly except I gradually added in the cherry juice until it was a consistency I was happy with because I read a couple people had trouble with theirs being too liquid. I did find that about 1/3 was perfect though! I had no trouble with it baking all the way through in 50 minutes! Also, it’s only been a day since I made it, but it’s been in the fridge over night and it is still SO good out of the fridge, I think I ever prefer it cold. Thanks so much, a wonderful Valentine’s… Read more »
We LOVED this bread! It was so incredible and would highly recommend it. Although I only had a few slices left after my teen boys gobbled most of it, I popped the rest in the freezer. And have to agree that eating it a few minutes out of the freezer is the best!