Similar to coffeecake in flavor and texture, without the overwhelming sweetness of a traditional coffeecake, this sweet, quick bread totally made my week.
Loaded with fresh cherries and then topped with a sweet brown sugar and almond crust, the whole family found this bread irresistible. I stashed a few slices of the bread in the freezer the second time I made it and I’ve been enjoying it with my coffee all week long.
I made a batch as muffins and mini loaves earlier last week and didn’t get a single photograph. I threw together a second batch with the remaining cherries and poured the whole thing into a 10″ square pan.
Like most quick bread recipes, this recipe quite versatile and can be easily baked in whichever form you’d like.
Cherry Bread with a Brown Sugar Almond Crust
Servings: 12 -14 muffins or (6) small loaves or (1) 10″ square cake pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour*
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup pitted and diced fresh cherries
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- 1¼ cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup potato starch
Topping Ingredients
- ¼ cup cold butter grated or cut into very small pieces
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour**
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
**Gluten-Free Alternative
- ¼ cup brown rice flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease muffin tins, a loaf pan or a 10" square pan. Combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the extracts and the eggs and beat until. Add the sour cream and stir again. Stir together all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add half of them to the wet ingredients. Stir the cherries into the remaining dry ingredients and toss to coat. Add the cherry/flour mixture to the other ingredients and stir gently, just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Prepare the topping. Stir together the grated butter, flour and sugar. Add the almonds and then use your fingers to form a crumbly streusel. Sprinkle in small chunks all over the batter in the pan. Bake approximately 20 minutes for muffins, 28 minutes for mini loaves or 40-45 minutes for the 10″ square pan. Bake until browned around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Let cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 326kcal · Carbohydrates: 43g · Protein: 4g · Fat: 16g · Saturated Fat: 9g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5g · Trans Fat: 0.5g · Cholesterol: 63mg · Sodium: 209mg · Potassium: 234mg · Fiber: 2g · Sugar: 20g · Vitamin A: 461IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 64mg · Iron: 1mg
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Jenn S says
I really like the brown sugar almond crust on this. I wish I had a slice right now.. I know it would go great with my coffee!! YUM!
The Flavorland Chef. says
Hi Mary! It was nice to stumble upon your blog. The crust on these cherry bars looks great. I have bookmarked a number of recipes I'd like to try from you and I think I'm going to start with the chocolate chip blondies your brother loves 🙂
Cheers,
Miriam.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
You know how much I love that almond flavor! I bet this is tasty and delicious.
Sue/the view from great island says
I'm just making cherry muffins this morning—cherry almond and vanilla are so wonderful together!
Magnolia Verandah says
This looks lovely – I like the use of fresh cherries.
Judy T. says
Could we substitute strawberries since they're in season right now?
Mary says
Absolutely! Just pat them dry after dicing them and toss them in the flour mixture. Happy baking!
Chris Scheuer says
Oh my, almost wish I hadn't seen this one, LOL! It looks fantastic!
Kat L says
Looks like a perfect component to a hostess gift! If using an all-purpose gluten-free flour (such as Cup4Cup), would I substitute 2 CUPS for the rice flour/tapioca starch/potato starch mixture OR 1-3/4 CUPS as indicated in the *? Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
Hi Kat! If you’re using a mix, I’d substitute it exactly for the all-purpose flour measurement. (I haven’t tested it that way myself, but it’s my understanding that it is supposed to work that way for those flour blends.)