Cherry Old-Fashioned Donut Loaf

Ingredients

Pan used

I personally prefer a light-colored aluminum pan for these loaves. Here is the one I use. Not sponsored. I don't earn a commission from this link.

Glass holds heat longer, so the edges can overbake before the center is done. If you use glass, loosely tent the loaf with foil early, as soon as the top starts to brown. The foil helps protect the top, but it does not stop the sides or bottom from baking too quickly.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and fully line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Drain the maraschino cherries thoroughly and pat them very dry with paper towels. Finely chop the cherries, then pat the chopped pieces dry again to remove as much excess syrup as possible. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt for the streusel. Add the cold butter and vanilla bean paste. Work together with your fingertips until a mixture of fine crumbs and large buttery clusters forms. Refrigerate while preparing the batter.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, oil, yogurt, milk, vanilla bean paste, cherry emulsion, almond extract, apple cider vinegar, and red food coloring, if using, until completely smooth.
5. Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk just until combined. Do not overmix.
6. Gently fold in the chopped maraschino cherries just until evenly distributed.
7. Spread half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle half of the chilled streusel evenly over it.
8. Carefully spread additional batter over the streusel until it is completely covered, stopping when the pan is just under three-quarters full. Do not fill the pan higher.
9. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top, preserving plenty of large buttery clusters, then sprinkle generously with coarse sanding sugar.
10. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 55-90 minutes. Check the streusel around 45 minutes and tent loosely with foil if necessary.
11. 11

    Before you take the loaf out

    Baking time is a guide, not a deadline.

    Check the center: Insert a skewer or toothpick into the cake in the center, avoiding cherry pieces and the streusel layer.

    Ready to come out: The center no longer jiggles and the tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs. No wet batter.

    Keep baking: Thick, paste-like batter: bake 3-5 minutes more. Wet batter: bake 7-10 minutes more. Then test the center again.

    The 205-210°F (96-99°C) range is an extra check. Batter on the tester still means keep baking, even at that temperature.

    An underbaked center can collapse as the loaf cools.

12. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then carefully lift the loaf onto a wire rack. Let it cool until warm but no longer hot.
13. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, food coloring, if using, and salt until completely smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable and ribbon from the whisk.
14. Spoon or pour the glaze generously over the warm loaf once it no longer feels hot, allowing it to run naturally down the sides.
15. Allow the glaze to set completely before slicing.

Helpful notes

• Drain and dry the maraschino cherries thoroughly before and after chopping to prevent wet pockets in the loaf.
• Fill the pan only to just below three-quarters full, even if a little batter remains.
• Check the streusel at 45 minutes and tent loosely with foil if it is browning quickly.
• Test the cake portion rather than the middle streusel seam when checking for doneness.
• I test with non-dairy ingredients, but dairy equivalents can be used at the same listed amounts and temperatures.