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Buttermilk and almond extract flavor this quick loaf with colored sprinkles and a thick glaze. Fold the sprinkles in at the end and stop mixing promptly to limit color streaks. Glaze only after the loaf is fully cool.
Use a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan, greased and optionally lined with parchment. Leave space below the rim for rising. A smaller or differently shaped pan changes the baking time and should not be filled to the top.
Ingredient amounts and preparation
- Set out: 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Set out: 1 cup granulated sugar
- Set out: 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- Set out: 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Set out: 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Set out: 1 cup buttermilk; 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Set out: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- Set out: 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Set out: 1/2 cup red and green sprinkles
- Set out: 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Set out: 3 tablespoons buttermilk, plus more as needed
- Set out: 1 tablespoon light corn syrup; Assorted nonpareils, for garnish
Cooking sequence and doneness
- Stage 1
- Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan.
- Stage 2
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Stage 3
- In another bowl whisk buttermilk, egg, cooled melted butter and almond extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until almost combined.
- Stage 4
- Fold in the half cup of sprinkles briefly.
- Stage 5
- Transfer to the pan with headroom and level the surface.
- Stage 6
- Bake about forty-five to fifty minutes, continuing as needed until a center tester has no wet batter. Rest briefly in the pan.
- Stage 7
- Turn out carefully and cool completely on a rack.
- Stage 8
- Whisk powdered sugar with three tablespoons buttermilk and corn syrup.
- Stage 9
- Thin only as needed with teaspoon additions of buttermilk. Spoon over the cooled loaf, add garnish and refrigerate the glazed bread.
Long jimmies generally hold their shape better in batter than tiny nonpareils. The half cup goes into the loaf; nonpareils are a separate garnish for the glaze. Stir only briefly after adding the batter sprinkles.
Why cool melted butter?
Hot butter can affect the egg before the batter is mixed. Let it become fluid but no longer hot, then whisk with buttermilk, egg and extract. Combine with the dry mixture just until moistened.
When is the center baked?
Start checking at forty-five minutes, using a tester through the loaf center. Continue until it comes out without wet batter. Shield the top if it browns before the middle finishes.
How is glaze adjusted?
Begin with the listed three tablespoons of buttermilk, powdered sugar and corn syrup. Add extra buttermilk only by teaspoons if needed. Refrigerate the glazed loaf rather than assuming this dairy glaze is shelf-stable.
Storage and serving later
Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly in shallow containers at 40°F or below; do not wait for a large hot batch to cool completely on the counter. University of Illinois Extension’s leftover guidance gives a three-to-four-day refrigerated window and 165°F for reheating foods served hot. Keep cold salads and toppings chilled, and follow shorter product-label limits where applicable. Do not leave the prepared dish out longer than two hours, or one hour above 90°F; return the remaining batch to cold storage.
Related recipe choices
For another complete recipe, see Holiday Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies or Bourbon Peach Upside-Down Cake. Each has its own ingredient quantities and cooking sequence; keep those measurements separate when choosing a meal.
Recipe guidance is based on the listed ingredient amounts and the method checks above. Timing is an estimate rather than a kitchen-test result; ingredient brands and cookware can change the outcome.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- Which loaf pan is intended?
Use a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan, greased and optionally lined with parchment. Leave space below the rim for rising.
- Which sprinkles go inside?
Long jimmies generally hold their shape better in batter than tiny nonpareils. The half cup goes into the loaf; nonpareils are a separate garnish for the glaze.
- Why cool melted butter?
Hot butter can affect the egg before the batter is mixed. Let it become fluid but no longer hot, then whisk with buttermilk, egg and extract.
- When is the center baked?
Start checking at forty-five minutes, using a tester through the loaf center. Continue until it comes out without wet batter.
- How is glaze adjusted?
Begin with the listed three tablespoons of buttermilk, powdered sugar and corn syrup. Add extra buttermilk only by teaspoons if needed.
- Has this recipe been kitchen-tested?
No. This is a research-based editorial revision.