This easy Cherry Bread recipe makes a beautiful pink quick bread full of glistening maraschino cherries. It's a delicious, moist, fruity loaf for any occasion.
Why you'll love this recipe
This a copycat of a wildly popular recipe for cherry bread sold seasonally at the bakeries at Bob Evans restaurant. Now you don't have to wait until this fruity sweet bread is in season. You can easily make it yourself any time of the year!
If you like maraschino cherries, you will love this loaf even if you've never tried the restaurant version. It's soft, moist, and packed with rosy red cherries.
The optional glaze adds a little extra cherry flavor and a pretty pink glow.
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Drain cherries, reserving the liquid. Pat the cherries dry with a paper towel, then chop into quarters or smaller. Pat dry again.
- Place the maraschino cherry pieces in a small bowl and toss to coat with ¼ cup flour. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, white sugar and baking powder.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, cherry extracts, vanilla extract, and cherry liquid.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and fold just until combined. Fold in the chopped cherries.
- Pour the bread batter into the prepared loaf pan or divide evenly into the mini loaf pans. Bake the loaf pan for 60-70 minutes or mini loaf pan for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with only a few crumbs.
- When the loaf is completely cool, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
- Place the cherry bread loaf on a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper. Pour the glaze on top of the bread. Allow to the glaze to firm before eating.
Storage
Store Cherry Bread unglazed at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days. Once glazed, store leftover cherry bread wrapped in wax paper then plastic wrap. The glaze becomes liquidy after one day, but still tastes good.
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Tips and variations
- This recipe can be used with to make one 9-inch bread pan, two 8-inch pans, or four 3" x 5" mini loaf pans.
- Bob Evans cherry bread has a strong cherry flavor that requires cherry extract in the original recipe. If cherry flavoring is not available, other flavoring can be added. The loaf will taste slightly different, but equally delicious.
- Substitutions for cherry flavoring include almond extract (½ teaspoon) or additional vanilla extract.
- For almond cherry bread, substitute ½ teaspoon of almond flavor for the cherry flavoring. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with sliced almonds.
- Vary this recipe by adding ½ cup of chopped nuts for cherry nut bread or dark chocolate chips for chocolate cherry bread.
- For a dairy free version, replace the buttermilk with non-dairy milk or orange juice.
- The loaf should be glazed on the same day it is eaten.
- The pretty pink color makes this loaf a great choice for Valentine's Day or a Mother's Day brunch.
- If mailing this quick bread, wrap and send it unglazed. The ingredients for a glaze can be included in the package.
- To mail glaze ingredients, measure powdered sugar into a ziplock bag and include a small box or plastic bottle of cherry juice. Provide directions for combining 3-4 tablespoons of the juice with the powdered sugar to create a glaze.
Frequently asked questions
Maraschino cherries originated in Italy, where fresh cherries were preserved in Maraschino liquor for cocktails. In the United States, they are a candied cherry made by preserving cherries in sugar syrup and coloring (either natural or artificial).
Maraschino cherries and their syrup are used in cocktails and baking for color and sweetness.
Open jars should be kept tightly shut and refrigerated for up to one year.
More quick bread recipes
If you enjoyed this maraschino cherry bread, next time try another easy recipe.
Tea Brack is a wonderful Irish tea cake made with plump raisins soaked in tea! Perfect for breakfast or snacking and a special St. Patrick's Day treat.
Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake is a dense applesauce cake sweetened with honey. You'll want to bake this traditional holiday loaf all year.
Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake is bursting with fresh citrus flavor. This moist loaf tastes like sunshine!
Italian Lemon Pound Cake tastes better than the Starbuck's version! This is the perfect lemony loaf to serve with iced tea.
This Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread recipe makes a moist and flavorful loaf full of sweet-tart cranberry and orange flavor.
Oatmeal Quick Bread is a cozy loaf with a soft, tender crumb. Imagine your favorite oatmeal raisin cookie in the form of a bread!
Chocolate Loaf Cake is aun ultra chocolaty treat for breakfast or snack. Quick and easy!
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Bob Evans Cherry Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Loaf
- 16 ounces maraschino cherries about 40 cherries, drained and patted dry
- 2 cups all purpose flour divided
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk see notes for dairy free alternatives
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cherry flavoring Lorann Oils baking emulsion is recommended
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice reserved from cherry jar
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice see notes for shipping alternative
Instructions
Loaf
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan or 4- 3" x 5" mini loaf pans.
- Drain the jar of maraschino cherries, reserving the liquid. Pat the cherries dry with a paper towel, then chop into quarters or smaller. Pat dry again.
- Place the chopped, dried cherries in a small bowl and toss to coat with ¼ cup of flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 ¾ cups of flour, sugar and baking powder.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, extracts and cherry liquid.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and fold just until combined. Fold in the cherries.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan or divide evenly into the mini loaf pans (about ¾ cup each)
- Bake the loaf pan for 60-70 minutes or mini loaf pan for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. To keep the bread from over browning, tent the loaf pan with foil at 45 minutes or the mini loaf pan at 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
Glaze
- Glaze should be used on a completely cooled loaf, the day it will be eaten.
- Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
- Place the cherry bread loaf on a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper. Pour the glaze over the bread. Allow to the glaze to firm before eating.
- Store unglazed at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days. Once glazed, store leftover cherry bread wrapped in wax paper then plastic wrap. The glaze becomes liquidy after one day, but still tastes good.
Notes
- This recipe can be used with to make one 9-inch bread pan, two 8-inch pans, or four 3" x 5" mini loaf pans.
- Bob Evans cherry bread has a strong cherry flavor that requires cherry flavoring in the original recipe. If cherry flavoring is not available, other flavoring can be added. The loaf will taste slightly different, but equally delicious.
- Substitutions for cherry flavoring include almond extract (½ teaspoon) or additional vanilla extract.
- For almond cherry bread, substitute ½ teaspoon of almond flavor for the cherry flavoring. Sprinkle the top of the loaf with sliced almonds.
- Vary this recipe by adding ½ cup of chopped nuts for cherry nut bread or dark chocolate chips for chocolate cherry bread.
- For a dairy free version, replace the buttermilk with non-dairy milk or orange juice.
- The loaf should be glazed on the same day it is eaten.
- Cherry bread should be packaged without glaze.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and place inside a gallon sized, freezer weight ziplock bag or airtight plastic storage container.
- To mail glaze ingredients, measure powdered sugar into a ziplock bag and include a small box or plastic bottle of cherry juice. Provide directions for combining 3-4 tablespoons of the juice with the powdered sugar to create a glaze.
Stacey
YOUR recipe for Bob Evans copycat bread is absolutely delicious. It is moist and tender. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. LOVE IT.
Cheryl Scott
I always have cherries left after Xmas baking. This will be a great way to use them up.
Can I freeze the unglazed loaf?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Chery. Yes, you can absolutely freeze the unglazed loaf. I like to make mini loaves for gifting and care packages. The loaves I don't use right away get frozen for future enjoyment. 🙂
Jas
I just drooled a little! A slice of this cherry bread with a cup of hot morning coffee or an afternoon tea would make me very happy. Love your photos, Wendy!
Wendy Sondov
Thanks, Jas. There is something about a colorful loaf that makes one smile. I agree that this bread is especially good with tea or coffee.
Alice
Bob Evans Cherry Bread does not have a glaze on the top, so is this really comparable to the flavor of it?
Wendy Sondov
I think this Cherry Bread tastes very similar to the Bob Evans version, though it is a copycat and not the original Bob Evans recipe. The glaze is completely optional and was only added to dress up this loaf.
Carlee
Such a pretty loaf, I love the pink!