Festive Cherry Bread

A holiday quick bread studded with chopped maraschino cherries, flaked coconut, and chopped nuts. The batter uses cherry juice from the jar as its liquid, giving the bread a pink tint and a sweet, fruity flavor that runs all the way through.

Alternating the flour mixture with the cherry juice keeps the batter smooth and properly hydrated. Dumping all the dry into the wet at once would create pockets of flour that never fully incorporate. Add them in turns, mixing gently between each addition.

This recipe makes two full loaves, which is exactly right for the holidays. Keep one and gift the other. The maraschino cherries and coconut make every slice look festive without any food coloring or decorating.

Pro Tips

• Dice the cherries small so they distribute evenly through the batter. Large chunks sink to the bottom.
• Pat the diced cherries dry with paper towels before folding them in. Excess juice can create wet pockets in the finished bread.
• Grease and flour both pans thoroughly. This bread has a lot of sugar and will stick if the pans aren’t well prepared.
• Test with a toothpick at 60 minutes. The center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Variations

• Use candied cherries (red and green mix) for an even more traditional holiday look.
• Swap coconut for mini chocolate chips for a cherry-chocolate version.
• Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter for a classic cherry-almond pairing.