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Lover's Loaf

Gastro-PubOvenVegetarian
Time :1 hour 25 minutes
Yield :20 servings
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Moist strawberry cake with pink glaze drizzled on top, sliced to reveal soft, fluffy interior, served on parchment paper with fresh strawberry topping in the background.

The Scoop

The food version of a 90s rom-com!
This pink-glazed, cherry-studded loaf is giving ultimate romantic comedy montage vibes, and we are here for it. Coating chopped maraschino cherries in flour before folding them into an almond-infused batter is such a brilliant grandma trick to keep them from sinking to the bottom.
It’s sweet, oh-so-retro, insanely soft, and a total showstopper for brunch or coffee dates.
Hack it:
Toasted Almond Crunch Topping: Scatter 1/3 cup of sliced, toasted almonds over the wet pink glaze before it sets for a shatteringly crisp texture contrast against the soft bread.
Dark Chocolate Chip Fold: Fold 1/2 cup of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter alongside the flour-coated cherries for an iconic, black-forest-style flavor profile.
Cream Cheese Swirl: Drop dollops of softened cream cheese mixed with a tablespoon of sugar into the batter and swirl with a butter knife before baking for a rich, cheesecake-like center.
Leftovers:
Cherry Almond French Toast: Slice the leftover unglazed loaf thick, dip in a rich egg-and-milk custard, and sear in a buttered skillet until golden and fluffy.
Sweet Dessert Trifle Cubes: Cube any leftovers and layer in glasses with fresh whipped cream, vanilla pudding, and dark pitted cherries for an instant single-serve dessert.
Crispy Loaf Biscotti Bites: Slice the leftover loaf thin, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 20 minutes until crunchy and perfect for dunking into hot tea or coffee.

Ingredients

For the bread:

  • cooking spray with flour, to taste, for greasing the pans
  • 1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, plus the juice
  • 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • salt, optional, to taste
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cherry-almond glaze:

  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more, to taste
  • red food coloring, optional, to taste

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Coat two (8x4-inch) loaf pans with the floured cooking spray.
  • Transfer the cherries from the jar to a cutting board. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the juice for the glaze, and reserve the rest of the juice for the bread.
  • Roughly chop the cherries.
  • Sprinkle the chopped cherries with 2 tablespoons of the flour and toss to evenly coat.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining flour, the granulated sugar, the baking powder, and the salt, and whisk to combine.
  • In a small mixing bowl or a glass measuring cup, add the eggs, the canola oil, the cherry juice reserved for the bread, 1 teaspoon of the almond extract, and the vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the wet ingredients mixture into the dry ingredients mixture and stir until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
  • Gently fold in the chopped cherries.
  • Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans, smoothing the tops lightly with a spatula.
  • Bake until the loaves are domed on top, are set, are springy on the top, and until two toothpicks inserted into the centers come out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to them, about 40 minutes.
  • Allow the loaves to cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
  • Transfer the bread loaves from the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • In a medium bowl, add the reserved 1/4 cup of the cherry juice, the remaining almond extract, and 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth and glossy. Optionally, add some of the red food coloring, one drop at a time, to make the glaze more pink or red.
  • If the glaze is too thin, add more of the extra powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
  • Drizzle the glaze over one or both of the loaves. The bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Do not glaze the bread if you are going to store it instead of serving it immediately.
  • Slice and serve.
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