Christmas Bread Recipe
Easy Christmas bread recipe using cake mix—moist cranberry-orange loaf with vanilla glaze. No yeast, freezer-friendly, perfect holiday breakfast or gifts.
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Servings: 16 servings
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or whisk
- Two 8x4-inch loaf pans
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream full-fat preferred
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped red; well drained and patted dry
- 1/2 cup green candied cherries, chopped well drained and patted dry
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped or walnuts
- 1 cup powdered sugar for glaze
- 2 tablespoons milk for glaze; more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8x4-inch loaf pans (or line with parchment with overhang for easy removal).
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, and almond extract. Beat on medium speed for 1–2 minutes until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Fold in the chopped red and green cherries and the pecans until evenly distributed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
- Bake 40–50 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the loaves brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over cooled loaves. Let the glaze set before slicing.
Notes
Pat the cherries very dry so the color doesn’t bleed into the batter. For cleaner slices, chill the cooled loaves for 30 minutes before cutting. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze, well wrapped, for up to 2 months.
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