This cherry almond loaf cake is made with dry pudding mix for an ultra moist, vanilla and almond flavored loaf cake. Sliced maraschino cherries and slivered almonds round out this crowd-pleasing dessert.
I have no idea what to call this. Except maybe “delicious”.
This cherry almond loaf cake is moister than just a bread, even though it’s very loosely based on a banana bread recipe. It’s in loaf form and there’s no butter, so it wasn’t traditionally sponge cake-like (although the texture would have you fooled).
My dad thought it was pineapple upside-down cake (which he’s a big fan of)…the only thing being there’s no pineapple. On Sunday it was referred to it as “that thing you made yesterday”, and on Monday it turned into “that thing you made over the weekend”.
Whatever it is, it’s three days old and it’s still ultra moist. There’s just a tiny slice left, but I bet you a cappuccino it won’t be dried out tomorrow. That is, if it sticks around long enough to see tomorrow in the first place.
How to make a moist loaf cake
So where does all this moistness come from? In part from my new favorite ingredient to bake with – instant pudding mix.
Adding pudding mix to baked goods is a surefire way to ensure they stay moist for days! It’s what makes these pistachio muffins a household hit, and taste freshly-baked until the last one is gone.
While that recipe uses pistachio, this cherry almond loaf cake relies on vanilla to provide a subtle sweetness along with its texture-benefitting properties.
When you combine the pudding mix with the Greek yogurt, you end up with a baked good that looks like a bread, but is truly a moist and spongy cake.
Easy steps
I love when baked goods recipes can be summed up like this: combine the wet and dry ingredients separately, then stir them together.
Once that’s done, you’ll fold in halved (or ideally, quartered) maraschino cherries and pour everything into a greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Top with sliced almonds, then bake.
You don’t exactly need the maraschino cherries, but if you’re as big a fan as I am of those bright red suckers, you’re going to LOVE them in this cherry almond loaf cake. They sometimes sink down in the loaf as it bakes, so I’d suggest cutting them in half or into quarters before folding into the batter.
As with many baked goods, let this cake cool completely before slicing, as that helps the slices hold shape better and not crumble and mush.
Recipe notes:
- Add the instant pudding mix to the dry ingredients, well, dry. Do not prepare it with milk according to the package directions.
Cherry Almond Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1.85-oz pkg dry instant vanilla pudding mix
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 7-oz container Greek yogurt, plain or vanilla
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 15 maraschino cherries, patted dry and halved
- Slivered almonds, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add yogurt, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk until well combined and creamy.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry, and stir until combined and smooth.
- Drain cherries and blot with paper towel to soak up excess juice (to prevent color bleeding). Fold cherries into batter, taking care not to overmix.
- Add batter to prepared loaf pan evenly, smoothing top with a spatula.
- Scatter slivered almonds over top, lightly pressing them to the surface.
- Bake 38-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the highest point of the cake comes out clean. Let cherry almond loaf cake cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Chantal says
Wow Alyssa, this cake is so moist so yummy. I would love to try it too but here in France I’am not sure we have dry instant cheesecake pudding mix.
Very nice recipe.
Chantal
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
P.S. Really love your photos, too!! 🙂
Alyssa says
Thank you so much, Helen! Here in the U.S. instant pudding mix is usually found in the baking aisle. It’s a small box of dry powder that’s traditionally mixed with milk and refrigerated to make a quick pudding. It comes in a variety of delish flavors, though I remember first seeing the cheesecake one recently. In this bread it interacts with the wet ingredients and creates an incredibly moist baked good. Baking magic! 🙂