Ambrosia Bread, like the salad, is easy to make and crazy delicious. Like a dessert, this is bound to become your favorite new quick bread.
This past winter, I was listening to the radio as they were talking about different family recipes. A caller called in and described this bread. It sounded amazing, like a dessert. This wonderful quick bread recipe took a few tries to get just right, and now it is perfection.
A quick bread is one that doesn’t need yeast or a rise time. It cooks up the same way that muffins, cake, and cupcakes cook. Whipping together in less than 10 minutes, this is a great bread recipe that your whole family will love.
What is Ambrosia
Ambrosia salad is a common holiday and potluck fruit salad made up of fresh or canned pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, and coconut. This quick bread recipe puts a spin on those ingredients and results in delicious, sweet, quick bread.
How to Make Ambrosia Bread
Here is a brief overview of how to make Ambrosia Bread. For the full recipe including all of the measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Then add chocolate chips
- Whisk together wet ingredients. Combine mandarin oranges, cooled butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then mix in the cherries. Be careful not to overmix.
- Bake the bread in a bread pan. After it comes out of the oven, allow it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack and letting it cool for 35 more minutes before slicing.
Pro Tip
Add your chocolate chips to the dry ingredients before adding in the wet ingredients. It will coat them in flour, and that will keep them more evenly distributed in the bread so they don’t all sink to the bottom.
The Best Bread Pan
A bread pan – which for many people is only used for banana bread – is the key to any quick bread success. They are not all created equal and I truly believe your bread will be better if you use a good bread pan. I’ve made this recipe and other quick breads in many different pans, and I can tell you that this pan is by far the best.
Best Bread Pan
Tips and Tricks
- Let your butter cool. Melt it and let it cool. If you add hot butter to your batter, it will start cooking the eggs which we don’t want.
- Use room temperature eggs. This will make the eggs thinner which will mix better in the batter and allow the bread to rise more. To speed this along, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for five minutes.
- Use fresh baking soda. Make sure to check your label and use baking soda, not baking powder. They are not the same and not interchangeable. To test its freshness, mix a small amount with vinegar. It should bubble immediately. If not, it’s time to replace it.
- Measure your flour correctly. This step is so important, it gets its own section below.
- Let the bread cool before slicing it. I know it can be hard to wait when you make homemade bread and want to eat it, but letting it cool will make it easier to slice.
How to Measure Flour
Measuring flour incorrectly can result in too much flour and will ruin any baked goods recipe quickly. Follow these steps to make sure your flour isn’t too dense and you don’t end up with more than you need:
- Start by whisking the flour in its container or bag.
- Use a spoon to scoop it from the container into a dry measuring cup.
- Level off the measuring cup with the flat end of a spatula.
Other Mix Ins
I love this recipe as is, but there are some other great ideas for ingredients you can mix in.
- Coconut: A few of the rounds of testing had shredded sweetened coconut in it. It is delicious in this. I ultimately left it out because I didn’t love the texture of the coconut in the bread. But if you are a big coconut fan, add 1/2 a cup.
- Nuts: If you love nuts in your bread, this is a great one to add them to. Walnuts or pecans would both be fantastic in this. I would suggest adding 1/2 a cup.
- Pineapple: This recipe would do great with pineapple instead of mandarin oranges. Be sure to use the same size can as is called for of oranges.
Storing and Freezing Ambrosia Bread
Store your homemade bread in an airtight container on the counter for up to seven days. Do not store it in the bread pan you cooked in it. This can result in the bread molding before you have a chance to eat it. Instead, store it in a container that won’t drop moisture right next to the bread, or wrapped in foil.
This recipe can be frozen as a whole loaf or as pieces. To freeze it as a whole loaf, let it cool completely and remove it from the bread pan. Then wrap it several times in plastic wrap before storing it in the freezer. It can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. Allow it to thaw on the countertop overnight when you are ready to eat it.
To freeze slices of Ambrosia Bread, lay the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze the slices for four to six hours, then transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to three months. Let thaw on the counter when ready to enjoy.
Other Quick Bread Recipes
If you try this Ambrosia Bread recipe or any of my others, please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Ambrosia Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (281.59 grams)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda (3.75 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (3 grams)
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges (425 grams) undrained
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85.05 grams) melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs room temperature and lightly whisked
- 3/4 cup sugar (150 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4.2 grams)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (85 grams)
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries (80.5 grams) cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan well with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mandarin oranges, cooled butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.15 ounces mandarin oranges, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and give them a light toss so they are coated in flour.1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then mix in the cherries. Be careful not to overmix.1/2 cup maraschino cherries
- Pour the bread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted slightly off-center in the bread comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour before slicing and enjoying.
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