Glazed Lemon & Dried Cherry Quick Bread Recipe Recipe
It was inevitable. I had to crack at some point. After an entire month of being dessert-free on Cookin’ Canuck – well, there was that Carrot Ginger Cupcake incident on my birthday but, come on, a girl’s gotta celebrate – I broke down and pulled out the baking pans. After all, it’s been a month of Mushroom Caramelized Onion Salads, Yogurt Parfaits, and Turkey Meatball Sandwiches. My sugar levels were dropping dangerously low (snort).
Now, I could pretend that this quick bread is an innocuous little breakfast treat, made relatively guilt-free by the addition of dried cherries, but I would be leading you down the butter and sugar-laden garden path. Let’s just call a spatula a spatula. It is a cake. A tart, fruit-filled lemon cake with a glaze drizzled on top at the last minute. Was it worth the indulgence? My taste buds say yes. And my jeans? Well, I am choosing not to ask their opinion.
The recipe:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, using a hand mixer) set on a medium speed, beat together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture, milk and lemon juice. Beat until just combined. Take care not to overbeat or the bread will be tough.
In a small bowl, toss the dried cherries with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, and gently mix into the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pan and level with a spatula.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached, 55 to 65 minutes. Let the bread sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outside and turn the pan upside down to release the bread. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then glaze.
Glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, and salt until combined. Drizzle over cooled quick bread.
Slice and serve.
Other quick breads for breakfast:
- Joy the Baker’s Raspberry Almond Bread
- Two Peas and Their Pod’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- How To: Simplify’s Banana Pecan Bread
- Brown Eyed Baker’s Bananas Foster Banana Bread
- Glazed Lemon & Dried Cherry Quick Bread
- Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
- Bread:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 3 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup dried cherries
- Glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
- 4 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp grated lemon zest
- Pinch salt
Bread:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, using a hand mixer) set on a medium speed, beat together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture, milk and lemon juice. Beat until just combined. Take care not to overbeat or the bread will be tough.
In a small bowl, toss the dried cherries with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, and gently mix into the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pan and level with a spatula.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached, 55 to 65 minutes. Let the bread sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outside and turn the pan upside down to release the bread. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then glaze.
Glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, and salt until combined. Drizzle over cooled quick bread.
Makes 1 loaf.
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