Cherry Streusel Bread
What I Love About My Cherry Streusel Bread
This bread pulls double duty as a quick weekday breakfast and something nice enough to set out for a brunch spread, and I love that the streusel gets just as much attention as the loaf itself.
- Tossing the cherries in a little flour before folding them in, I keep them distributed through the loaf instead of letting them all sink to the bottom.
- I spread the buttery cinnamon streusel on thick, so every slice gets that crunchy top I want with a bread this soft.
- I like baking the loaf the night before, so all I have to do in the morning is slice a piece for breakfast.
- Leftover slices freeze well, so I always tuck a few away for later without worrying they’ll go stale on the counter.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- Cherries – I use fresh, pitted black or dark sweet cherries whenever they’re in season, though frozen sweet cherries work too. If I’m using frozen, I fold them in while they’re still frozen instead of letting them thaw first, since thawed cherries release extra juice and color into the batter. Tossing the cherries in a spoonful of flour before folding them in, I keep them distributed through the batter instead of letting them all sink to the bottom as the bread bakes. The flour also soaks up some of the extra juice the cherries release along the way.
- Brown Sugar – I use light brown sugar in the batter for a lighter, more golden crumb. Dark brown sugar works too, but it bakes up noticeably darker, so don’t be surprised if a loaf made with dark brown sugar looks deeper in color than mine.
- Sour Cream and Buttermilk – I use both together in this batter instead of picking just one, counting on the sour cream for richness and the buttermilk to keep the crumb tender without weighing it down.
- Butter for the Streusel – I always use unsalted butter here so I control the salt level, and I melt it just until liquid, not hot, before folding it into the streusel mixture.
How to Make Cherry Bread with Streusel Topping
- Prep the pan and oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan well, including up the sides, so the streusel-topped loaf releases cleanly once baked. PRO TIP: I use a metal loaf pan for this bread, since metal heats up faster and browns the crust more than glass or ceramic. If you’re using a glass or ceramic pan, expect the bake time to run a little longer and judge doneness by toothpick or thermometer rather than the clock alone.
- Toss the cherries in flour. Pit and chop the cherries, then toss them with a spoonful of the flour from the batter ingredients before setting them aside. PRO TIP: I never skip this step, since I’ve found it’s the single best fix for cherries sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. Whisk the sour cream, oil, eggs, brown sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla together until completely smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix just until incorporated. I stop as soon as everything comes together, since overmixing at this stage leads to a dense, tough loaf instead of a tender one.
- Fold in the cherries. Fold the floured cherries into the batter, distributing them evenly, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Make the streusel. Combine the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl. Pour in the melted butter and fold and cut it in with a fork until the mixture looks like large, coarse crumbs instead of a paste.
- Top and bake. Spread the streusel evenly over the batter and bake for 55 to 65 minutes. PRO TIP: I start checking for doneness at 55 minutes with a toothpick in the center. Since I’m food safety certified, I like backing that up with an instant-read thermometer too, checking for about 200°F internal temperature, the same benchmark I use for all of my quick breads.
- Cool before slicing. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 to 20 minutes before turning it out, then let it finish cooling on a wire rack before slicing so the crumb has time to set.
How to Know When Cherry Quick Bread Is Done
Getting the doneness right matters more with this bread than with a plain loaf, since the fresh cherries add extra moisture that can leave the center looking and testing done on the outside while it’s still soft in the middle.
- Check the internal temperature, not just the toothpick. I rely on an instant-read thermometer for the real answer, since a toothpick can come out looking clean even when a moist, fruit-studded loaf like this one still has an underbaked center, and I’m looking for a reading of 200°F to 205°F at the center.
- Test in more than one spot. Two spots work better than one here: I check the very center, then a second spot closer to the crack on top, moving to a fresh spot each time instead of reinserting into the same hole, since that first hole can read the warm air trapped inside it rather than the actual crumb.
- Do the touch test too. A finished loaf springs back when I press the center gently. If my finger leaves a dent or the center jiggles, it needs more time.
- Read the visual cues. The top should turn a deep golden brown and start pulling away from the sides of the pan. A crack down the center is completely normal, even here, since that’s just steam escaping as it bakes, but the crumb underneath still shouldn’t look wet or shiny.
- Confirm your oven is actually at 350°F. I keep a separate oven thermometer in mine, since built-in oven dials commonly run off by 10 to 25 degrees from the real temperature, and that gap is often the actual reason a loaf comes out sunken, underbaked, or dried out.
- Remember pan choice affects timing too. Metal, glass, and dark versus light-colored pans all heat at different speeds, and I always factor that in before deciding how early to start checking on the loaf.
- Let it rest before judging it underbaked. The center keeps cooking a little from residual heat once the loaf is out of the oven, so I always let mine cool in the pan for the full 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and judging the crumb.
Ways to Serve This Cherry Quick Bread
I like changing up how I serve this depending on the time of day.
- For breakfast, I toast a slice and add a swipe of salted butter while it’s still warm.
- When I’m putting together a brunch spread, I set the whole loaf out next to fresh fruit and a carafe of coffee so guests can slice their own piece.
- On a hot afternoon, I’ll pour a batch of my homemade cherry Arnold Palmer to go alongside it, since the two share that same cherry flavor.
- If I want something closer to dessert, I’ll warm a slice and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream so it melts right into the streusel.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Cherry Streusel Bread
- Store: in the refrigerator, covered airtight, for up to a week. At room temperature, this bread only holds up for a day or two, since the extra moisture from the fresh cherries means it won’t keep as well as a plain quick bread.
- Freeze: individual slices wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then placed in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months. I like slicing before freezing so I can pull out just what I need.
- Reheat: a slice for a few seconds in the microwave, or the whole loaf for a few minutes in a 300°F oven.
Cherry Streusel Bread Recipe FAQs
A sunken center almost always comes down to under-baking, over-mixing the batter, an overfilled pan, or stale baking soda and baking powder. I replace my leavening agents every 6 to 9 months if I don’t bake often, and I always check for doneness with both a toothpick and a thermometer before pulling the loaf.
Cherries are heavier than the batter around them, so they naturally want to sink as the bread bakes. I toss mine in a spoonful of flour before folding them in, which gives the batter something to grip onto and keeps them suspended through the loaf instead of settling at the bottom.
You can put it back into a preheated 350°F oven for another 10 to 20 minutes, tenting the top loosely with foil if the streusel is already golden. This works best while the loaf is still warm, since a loaf that’s completely cooled doesn’t bake back through as evenly. Keep in mind this fixes a raw or gummy center, but it won’t undo a loaf that’s already sunk in the middle from underbaking.
Yes. I fold frozen cherries in straight from the freezer instead of thawing them first, since thawed cherries release extra juice and color that can water down the batter.
Dark cherries tend to be sweeter, but other cherry varieties work fine here too. If you want to swap in a different fruit entirely, just watch the juice content, since a fruit that releases too much liquid can water down the batter.
The type of brown sugar you use can make a subtle difference here. Dark brown sugar has close to double the molasses of light brown sugar, which can nudge the crumb a shade darker, though the difference is usually mild rather than dramatic.
More Recipes From Me
- Zucchini Bread
- Coconut Banana Bread
- Cherry Limeade Poke Cake
- Apple Bread
- Coconut Key Lime Bread
- Lemon Streusel Muffins
- No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Parfait
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Streusel Cherry Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Cherry Bread:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh black cherries
Streusel:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 Tbsp melted butter unsalted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×5 bread baking pan.
- Pit and chop the cherries, then toss them with a spoonful of the flour from the bread ingredients. Set aside.
- Whisk sour cream, oil, eggs, brown sugar, buttermilk and vanilla until completely smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until all incorporated.
- Fold in chopped cherries and make sure they are evenly incorporated throughout.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Streusel: In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and flour. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated evenly.Pour in melted butter and carefully while you fold/cut it in with a large fork. You will want to be careful so you don’t over-mix. Streusel should look like large crumbs and not paste.
- Spread streusel crumble over the bread batter in the pan.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes. Start checking for doneness at 55 minutes with a toothpick inserted in the center. To be sure, I recommend using an instant-read thermometer, temperature at the center should read about 200-205°F.
- Cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling before slicing.
Notes
- Pan choice: a metal loaf pan bakes faster and browns the crust more than a glass or ceramic one. If using glass or ceramic, expect the bake time to run a little longer and judge doneness by toothpick or thermometer rather than the clock alone.
- Frozen cherry swap: frozen sweet cherries can be used in place of fresh. Fold them in straight from the freezer without thawing, since frozen cherries add extra moisture to the batter either way, and the loaf may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
- Flour-toss technique: tossing the cherries in flour before folding them into the batter keeps them suspended through the loaf instead of sinking to the bottom.
- Doneness check: a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, and an instant-read thermometer should read 200°F-205°F.
- Storage: refrigerate airtight for up to a week, or freeze wrapped slices for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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After an hour baking, the bread had overflowed the pan….like two cups of batter flowed over. Thank goodness I had put it on a baking sheet to catch all the overflow. Double checked my ingredients and I had put in the correct amounts. Not sure why this happened. Wish I could post a picture.
Hmm, the only two reasons I can think of is may be using a wrong pan size, could you have accidentally used 8×4 instead of 9×5? Also maybe too much leavening, like too much baking powder?
I think the cherries need to have a few tablespoons of flour mixed in when setting them aside. This helps 2
ways, it keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the bread and help absorb the excessive liquid the cherries let out.
I will try that. Thanks, Lillian!
Hello,
I have made the cake twice and both times the center fell and the streusel was mostly on the outside edges. I’m not sure why that happened. I don’t usually see a recipe with both sour cream and buttermilk for a loaf cake ? I also used frozen cherries and tossed them in flour so they wouldn’t sink. Not sure I may try it with good quality dried cherries.
Hi, Joan
I have two thoughts, first the frozen cherries may have added to much extra moisture to the cake making it sink. Next, maybe it needed extra cook time. I would use a toothpick in the middle till it came out clean, to make sure it was done. As far as the streusel maybe pat in into the cake a little before baking. Hope this helps.
Quick feedback —
1. If you use brown sugar (as I did) the cake is very likely to be darker and not that lovely golden color.
2. I used frozen cherries, being careful they didn’t have too much juice with them — worked fine.
3. Cake is VERY MILD in flavour. Even with generous use of real vanilla. This is basically a vanilla cake/muffin batter with lightly spiced streusel topping.
These aren’t complaints. It was lovely and we certainly enjoyed it. It just was not the “big” flavour I was hoping for to go alongside tea and coffee.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Brenda!
Have you used light brown sugar vs dark brown sugar? That might have affected the color.
I’m glad the frozen cherries worked, it makes things a lot easier for many people.
Can any type of cherry be used ? Or any type of fruit be substituted ? Thank you for the recipe it looks delicious !!! Liz
Thank you so much, Liz!
Dark cherries just tend to be sweeter but you can use other cherries if you’d like. As for other fruit, just watch for the juices content as it can water down the batter.
I love anything with streusel. I actually prefer that to a glaze. There is something so satisfying with the sugary/cinnamony goodness. I totally understand how time can get away from you — especially with family and a little one around. I can’t wait to make the bread — I may have to substitute the fruit if I can’t find those cherries but I don’t believe I’ll have too hard a time, seems like the fruit is really good this year. Thank you for sharing!
Oh me too and so do the kids 🙂 All the streusel was eaten off the bread in the morning. I still haven’t caught them.
Thank you, Marisa!
This looks SO yummy, and incidentally I have cherries in my fridge right now! Now I know what to do with them (besides just snacking on them)! 🙂
Well, what a delicious coincidence! 😉
Thank you, Joan!!