Almond Cherry Bread

5 from 2 votes

This sweet Almond Cherry Bread has a moist, buttery crumb and is bursting with fresh (or frozen), juicy cherries!

Course bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cherry almond bread, cherry almond cake, cherry bread, fresh cherry bread, fresh cherry loaf cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 10

Servings loaf (about 10-12 slices)

Calories 235kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

¼ cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¾ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup fresh or frozen pitted cherries coarsely chopped and tossed with 1 tablespoon flour

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the milk, almond extract and vanilla extract; mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
Gently fold in the cherries.
Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the bread is cool, combine the confectioners sugar, milk and almond extract in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze seems too thin, add more confectioners sugar. If it’s too thick, add a small amount of milk.
Drizzle the glaze over the cool bread. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, if desired. Slice and serve!

Be careful not to over-mix the batter. You want it to come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring! Mixing too much will result in a dry, dense loaf.
The total baking time will vary depending on the type of loaf pan that you use. A dark metal, nonstick pan cooks the bread faster, so it will likely be done within 45-50 minutes. By contrast, a lighter metal pan, a glass pan, or a ceramic pan can easily require 60 minutes (or more) in a 350° F oven. You can tell that your loaf is cooked through when you insert a toothpick or long stick deep into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean.
If using frozen cherries, do not thaw the cherries before adding them to your batter.
Toss the cherries with flour to help them stay suspended in the batter, rather than sinking to the bottom of your bread as it bakes.