Pineapple Cherry Bread with a Brown Sugar Glaze

Pineapple and cake are like peas and carrots, they just go together. One day I was munching on some pineapple to satisfy a sweet tooth and the next thing I know I was baking a loaf of pineapple cherry bread with a brown sugar glaze. So much for keeping with just the healthy snack. This quick bread will make a yummy breakfast, is perfect with a cup of tea and couldn't be any easier to throw together.

PINEAPPLE CHERRY BREAD WITH A BROWN SUGAR GLAZE:

1 1/2 cup of cake flour

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt

3/4 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 5 pieces

1/3 cup of buttermilk*

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 cup of pineapple, roughly chopped**

1 cup of cherries, pitted and roughly chopped**

Brown sugar glaze, recipe below.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt. Scatter the butter around the flour mixture and beat for about 3 minutes or until the flour and butter is fully incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.

*I readily have buttermilk on hand in the fridge. If you are not one of those people, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup. Measure the rest of the 1/3 cup with 1% or 2% milk. Give it a good stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The milk may look a little lumpy, that is a good thing.

Combine the cherries and pineapple in another bowl and dust with flour. This will help the fruit stay suspended in the batter while cooking. Although, for this baking project, all my cherries sank to the bottom and I realized I needed more cherries. Didn't change the way it tasted, delicious.

**If you can find fresh, sweet pineapple and cherries, use those in this recipe. Pineapple ripens from the bottom, which is where you will find the sweetest pieces. Once picked, pineapples stop ripening. I have found frozen fruits are the next best option to fresh pineapples and cherries when they are not in season.

Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture to the flour and butter and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the remaining buttermilk mixture. Turn the mixer on low for about 30 seconds, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Fold in the pineapples and cherry bits. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, smooth the top and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Check for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.

Let the bread cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Pull the bread out of the loaf pan and pour on the brown sugar glaze. Let the bread cool completely.

BROWN SUGAR GLAZE:

2 tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

3 tablespoons of cream

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar until melted, about 1-2 minutes. Add the cream and cook for another minute. Pour the brown sugar mixture into a bowl with the powdered sugar. Stir until combined and pour over warm bread. If the glaze is too thick, add another tablespoon of cream.