Easy Almond Cherry Bread (video)
The best and most delicious almond cherry bread ever! You’re going to love this bread from the very first bite! It’s dotted with fresh cherries, sliced almonds and topped with an easy almond glaze. The aroma of this almond bread baking in the oven will fill your entire kitchen with mouthwatering goodness! Make this cherry bread with fresh or canned cherries!
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Ingredients for this Bread Recipe
You can have this incredible almond cherry bread ready in no time! For the wet ingredients, you’ll need Greek yogurt, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and almond extracts. The Greek yogurt and buttermilk make this bread extra moist! For the dry ingredients, you’ll need sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cornstarch. And for the fillings, fresh or canned cherries and sliced almonds.
How to Make Almond Cherry Bread
I love how quick and easy this recipe is! It usually takes me just 15 minutes and it’s in the oven! Here’s how to make this fruity bread:
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F. Also, prepare your loaf pan. I used an 8 ½-inch loaf pan and lined it with parchment paper and sprayed the sides with a baking spray.
- For the bread better, first combine all the wet ingredients and the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat the mixture for a few minutes on medium speed until it’s creamy and smooth.
- Next, sift in the dry ingredients, then mix for about a minute until smooth.
- Pit and quarter the fresh cherries, then toss them in some cornstarch. The starch will thicken the cherry juices as the bread bakes and help suspend the cherries in the batter.
- Fold the cherries and the almonds into the bread batter, then transfer into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean! Take the bread out of the pan right after it’s done and set it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Finish the cherry bread with a simple almond glaze and enjoy!
Easy Almond Glaze
Want to add even more almond flavor to this almond cherry bread? I recommend adding a simple almond glaze to the bread while it’s still warm. Just mix together a bit of confectioner’ sugar, almond extract and cream in a large mixing bowl. Spoon the glaze over the bread and let it set for at least 15 minutes.
Common Recipe Questions
Can I used canned cherries?
Yes, this recipe will work great with canned cherries, too! Just drain the cherries very well, then use a paring knife to quarter the cherries.
Can I make this bread ahead of time?
Yes, this cherry bread will stand for 2 to 3 days.
How do I store this cherry bread?
Once the bread is completely cooled, wrap it well in plastic wrap or place it into a Ziplock bag. Don’t let the bread dry out! You can keep the almond bread at room temperature for up to 24 hours, then refrigerate it. You can also store leftovers in the freezer.
More Recipes
Enjoyed this easy almond bread recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Blueberry Lemon Bread – moist, fruity and delicious blueberry bread with lemon zest. Tastes better than the Starbucks version!
- Raspberry Pistachio Bread – dotted full of raspberries and pistachios, then topped with a raspberry glaze. This moist bread is amazing!!
- Orange Cranberry Bread – this version is perfect for the holiday season, with fresh cranberries and orange zest!
- Maple Pecan Banana Bread – the best-ever banana bread sweetened with maple syrup, with pecans and a maple glaze!
- Honey Cherry Cake – you’ll love this easy honey and sour cream cake dotted with fresh cherries; served with cherry whipped cream.
- Pineapple Zucchini Bread – moist zucchini bread with almonds, dried apricots and fruity pineapple! Perfect for summer!
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Supplies/Tools
Need some supplies or tools to make this recipe at home? You can get them online here (Amazon Affiliate Links):
- Almond Extract – this extract will add tons of almond flavor to this bread!
- KitchenAid Hand Mixer – I love this small but powerful mixer for smaller baking jobs!
- 8 ½-inch Loaf Pan – perfect for this recipe
- Glass Mixing Bowls – I love to be super organized when I’m in the kitchen and use these bowls all the time!
Easy Almond Cherry Bread (video)
Ingredients
For Cherry Almond Bread:
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, or plain, strained yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups cherries, fresh or canned
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
For Almond Glaze:
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 to 2 tbsp cream
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/177C. Line the inside of an 8 ½-inch loaf pan and spray the sides with a nonstick baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, Greek yogurt, buttermilk, melted butter, almond and vanilla extracts and sugar. Beat on medium speed for a few minutes until the eggs are well beaten.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the batter, then beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, until the flour is incorporated.
- Pit the cherries, then cut into quarters. Toss the cherries in cornstarch, then add to the batter along with the sliced almonds. Reserve a handful of cherries and almonds for adding to the top. Fold in the cherries and almonds by hand.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and add the remaining cherries and almonds on top.
- Bake the cherry bread in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Take the bread out of the loaf pan and set onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the almond glaze: combine the confectioner’s sugar, almond extract and cream in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more confectioner’s sugar for a thicker glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the top.
- For storing the bread, allow it to coolcompletely, then wrap in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Please consider leaving mea comment or rating review to help my blog!
Can you use frozen cherries?
Yes! Just thaw them first before using them in the recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks for recipes
So sweet of you, it was so delicious
God bless you
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Can you use the dark red Bing cherries for this recipe?
Yes, any type of cherries will work great here. Enjoy! 🙂
Can I freeze this bread?
Yes, this bread will freeze well! Wrap it really well before freezing. Enjoy!
I have been wanting to make this recipe but my grocery stores here only sells cherry pie filling and maraschino cherries. Would either of these work? Or is frozen ok? We do not have fresh cherries in store here. Or is there a prepared cherry you can recommend? I have been to 3 stores!! Haha
Hi Joanna! I’m so sorry you’ve had so much trouble getting cherries! Frozen and thawed cherries will work great for this recipe! I think both the pie filling and the maraschino cherries wouldn’t work quite right. Hope the frozen ones work for you! Enjoy! 🙂
How can I make this glutenfree?
Hi! You can try making this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free baking mix. That’s probably the best gluten-free flour. The bread will not be the same however.
Don’t have almonds but have walnut and pecan. Can I substitute almonds with those?
BTW, I love your lemon blueberry loaf and made it several times and always a pleaser!
Thank you.
Hi Mae! Yes, you can use pecans for this recipe, too. Hope you enjoy the bread.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the blueberry loaf! Another favorite of mine.
This is very good. With using the canned cherries I had to cook the bread much longer. When I removed it from the pan to cool, it fell apart. I felt the canned cherries were too much liquid.
Hi Cindy! Sorry the bread didn’t work out. Make sure to drain canned cherries very well prior to adding. I would place them into a strainer and let them sit for about 15 minutes before adding to the recipe. Hope that helps!
Has anyone tried substituting oil for butter? If so, how much? Hubby had quadruple by-pass and now I bake with olive oil.
Hi Kim! You can prepare this recipe with olive oil with no adjustments. Hope it’s a hit for you and your husband!
So delicious! I didn’t have Greek yogurt so I subbed sour cream. Also used defrosted frozen cherries. Will definitely make again! Thanks so much.
Hi Debi! That’s wonderful to hear! I’m so happy you loved the recipe and I’m glad the substitutions worked well, too! 🙂
Hello, looking forward to making this recipe but cannot find out how much cornstarch you are supposed to use for the cherries.
Hi Rachelle! I’m so sorry, it’s my mistake. I accidentally missed the cornstarch in the ingredient list. You’ll need 1 tablespoon to mix with the cherries. Enjoy!
I will put it in my notes. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you.
will dried cherries work?
Hi Jill! If using dried cherries, you will need to rehydrate them first. Place them into a bowl and cover with hot water. Let the cherries stand for 1 hour, then drain any excess water and use in the recipe. Enjoy!
Hi I am making this for some friends the question I had was did you toast the almonds?
Thank you did a great job explaining. 🙂
Hi Jeanie! I hope this bread is a huge hit with your friends.
Yes, I do toast the almonds first to get that nutty flavor. You can do it on the stovetop in a frying pan, or in the oven on a baking sheet.
Hello! This sounds easy and delicious! Has anyone make these in mini loaf pans? How much would you shorten your baking time? The little loaves would make great gifts! Thanks!!
Hi Lisa! Mini loaves would be amazing with this recipe, too. I haven’t personally made them but I would recommend keeping the same oven temperature. I’m not sure how small you want to make these. Start checking for doneness around the 18 minute mark if they’re very small. Enjoy!
I just realized I don’t have any cornstarch! is there a substitute you can suggest that will work as well?? thanks !
Hi Suzy. Yes, you can use all-purpose flour in place of the cornstarch. It’s not as strong of a thickening agent as cornstarch, but it will work in a pinch. Enjoy!