• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Sequined Life logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Cake & Pie

    Cherry Almond Loaf Cake

    Published: Mar 25, 2014 · Modified: May 16, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Share via Email

    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.

    An overhead look of sliced cherry almond loaf cake on a wire rack

    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.

    A loaf of cherry almond cake on a wire rack

    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.

    Loaf cake sliced on a wire rack

    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.
    An overhead picture of sliced loaf cake on a wire rack

    Cherry Almond Loaf Cake

    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.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cake
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 38 minutes
    Total Time: 53 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 329kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    I've found that the weight of a box of instant pudding mix can differ depending on the brand. This recipe uses a 1.85 oz packet.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.8g | Protein: 5.5g | Fat: 16.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 20.7g | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    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

     

    « Travel Bites: Nashville
    Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Almond Toasted Marshmallow Filling »
    • Facebook
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chantal says

      March 29, 2014 at 11:32 pm

      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

      Reply
    2. Helen @ Scrummy Lane says

      March 29, 2014 at 9:40 am

      P.S. Really love your photos, too!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        March 29, 2014 at 9:33 pm

        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! 🙂

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    A picture of a woman smiling with a text overlay reading well, hey there.

    Hi! I’m Alyssa and welcome to my food blog. Here you can find a variety of food and drink recipes, running the gamut from better-for-you main dishes to holiday fare, and from lighter bites to some serious desserts. All with the occasional cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure, too. ♥ Learn more →

    As Featured In...

    A collage of publication logos.

    Simple, Tested Basics

    • The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning
    • Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    • Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli
    • How to Caramelize Onions
    • How to Make Croutons
    • Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
    • Air Fryer Baked Potato
    • How to Roast Garlic

    Popular Recipes

    • Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
    • Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs
    • Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
    • Italian Anise Cookies
    • Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Contact

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Accessibility Statement

    More

    • Recipe Index
    • Dinner Hall of Fame
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Air Fryer Favorites

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2013 - 2022 My Sequined Life