Chocolate Cherry Pistachio Loaf


Freezers are a fantastic invention. They allow me to preserve fruit at its peak so I can savor them in the dead of winter. Recently I found some dark cherries in my freezer and thought they’d be a perfect match for some pistachios and chocolate. The rich chocolate loaf is nutty with an unmistakable presence of pistachios, followed by chunks of melting chocolate and surprise spots of tangy, dark cherries, all topped with a silky smooth ganache. The loaf itself isn’t very sweet, letting the cherries, chocolate, and pistachio speak for themselves. Enjoy and happy baking!


Ingredients

5 oz. butter, softened
5 oz. sugar
3 large eggs
5 oz. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2½ oz. pistachios, shelled and finely ground
8 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
¼ cup frozen pitted cherries, thawed
4 oz. heavy cream



Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well until mixed.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and sift in the flour and baking powder. Use a rubber spatula, fold them in, along with the ground pistachios, until combined. Fold in 4 ounces dark chocolate.
• Pour the batter into a standard loaf pan. Evenly distribute the cherries across the surface and gently press them into the batter.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Let cool slightly, then carefully remove it from the loaf pan and place it on a cooling rack placed atop a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, make a ganache by bringing the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining 4 ounces chocolate and remove from heat. Cover and let rest 1 minute, then whisk until combined.
• Pour the ganache evenly over the loaf, letting it drip down the sides. Let cool, then slice and serve.