Pistachio Cherry Bread is a delicious colorful quick bread that is a lot like a light pound cake. The pretty green and red combination makes this a nice Holiday bread, but it’s great anytime. Pistachio bread with maraschino cherries is so delicious!
Pistachio Cherry Bread
It’s not easy being green. Or is it? There aren’t many breads or desserts that are green, so that makes this pistachio bread special. Well, that and it tastes good!
This bread that is a lot like a cake is fondly called the “Grinch Cake” at my house. The maraschino cherries are reminiscent of the Grinch’s heart. So cute.
What Gives This Bread The Color?
The color and the pistachio flavor come from a package of instant pistachio pudding added to the batter.
It is a pretty light green, but you can add some food coloring like I do for a punchier color.
I think you could also call this pistachio bread “Grinch Cake”.
Why is This Called a Bread? Isn’t it a Cake?
Since this recipe has been around a while, I don’t know for sure.
My guess is because it is cooked in a loaf pan. So it’s a sweet bread, or quick bread.
This pistachio bread is not quite as sweet as a cake, and doesn’t have a frosting (though a simple powdered sugar icing would be good on it!).
Pistachio Cherry Bread is so easy to make! Here are the steps:
How Much Does This Recipe Make?
I like to make a large loaf. My pan measures about 10.5″x6″ and yields 10 slices. A typical loaf pan measures 9″x5″ or even 8″x4″.
You can use the smaller loaf pans, but you may need to make two smaller loaves.
One other thing you can do is bake this in a 9″x13″ baking dish. You’ll end up with a sheet cake. You will just nestle the cherries down into the batter.
Also, you will need to keep an eye on the bake time as this will end up a thinner cake and require a shorter time. I’d start with 25 minutes.
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If you make this yummy pistachio bread, please leave a comment with a star rating below. I’d love to know how you liked it!
Pistachio Cherry Bread
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Canola Oil
- 2 Tbsp Water
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 -3 oz pkg Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix
- 1 Yellow Cake Mix
- 1/4 tsp Green Food Coloring optional
- 1 jar Maraschino Cherries cut in half (about 16 cherries, 32 halves)
Instructions
- In a mixing bow, beat the eggs, sour cream, oil, water, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth and combined.
- Stir in the pudding mix. Stir until lumps are gone.
- Add the cake mix and stir until well combined.
- Mix in some food coloring if you want the cake greener.
- Spread half of the batter into greased/sprayed loaf pan.
- Arrange the cherry halves in a single layer.
- Carefully spread the remaining batter over the cherries evenly. Try not to disturb them too much.
- Bake in a 325° oven for 40-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Then remove from the pan directly to the wire rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and serve.
Nutrition
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