Cranberry Apricot Loaf (A Keks Recipe)

User Reviews

5.0

66 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    30 mins

  • Cook Time

    1 hr 30 mins

  • Total Time

    1 hr 40 mins

  • Servings

    8 slices form a loaf

  • Calories

    436 kcal

  • Course

    Dessert

  • Cuisine

    German, Polish

Cranberry Apricot Loaf (A Keks Recipe)

This sweet bread made our house smell like Christmas morning. It is soft, moist, crumbly and loaded with the sweet tang of cranberries and apricots. And it's infused with clementine zest. And it's amazing! I'm craving a slice just writing about it. Good thing we made it today and still have some left. Phew! We've been experimenting with different Keks recipes and this is our favorite. Keks is a traditional Russian Christmas dessert bread. It's a cross between a coffee cake and a fruit cake; definitely a comfort food.

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Ingredients

Servings
  • 1 1/2 cups plain kefir this is not the same as buttermilk; found it at Fred Meyer
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs cold is ok
  • 1 stick 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (but not hot)
  • 4 Tbsp extra light olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 1 tsp clementine or orange zest
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries craisins
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots
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Instructions

  1. Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a bread loaf pan.
  2. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups kefir and 1 tsp baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside for 20 minutes. It will look fluffier when it's ready:
  3. Chop dried apricots into pieces about the size of your dried cranberries. In a medium bowl, cover craisins and dried apricots with boiling hot water and let sit two (2) minutes, then drain well and set aside to dry in a colander.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until pale in color (3 min on high speed). Mix in 1 stick melted butter (not hot butter, just warm), 4 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
  5. Whisk in the prepared kefir and baking soda until well blended.
  6. Mix in the 2 cups flour until everything is well blended.
  7. Finally fold in the craisins, chopped apricots and clementine zest.
  8. Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan and give it a little shake to even out the top.
  9. Bake in the center of the oven at 350 for 60 to 70 minutes. Check the center with a wooden toothpick. It's done when the toothpick comes out clean. Let the loaf cool inside the pan until cool enough to handle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Once it's cooled, dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Notes

  • PS. Make sure your bread isn't too close to the top of the oven while baking or the top will get too dark. PPS. You don't want to add powdered sugar to a warm loaf or it will melt onto the bread. Let it cool completely to room temp.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 1g Calories 436kcal (22%) Carbs 82g Protein 6g (12%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Cholesterol 47mg (16%) Sodium 178mg (7%) Potassium 143mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 56g (112%) Vitamin A 444IU (9%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 72mg (7%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8slices form a loaf

Amount Per Serving

Calories 436 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 436kcal 22%
Carbs 82g
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 178mg 7%
Potassium 143mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 56g 112%
Vitamin A 444IU 9%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 72mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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5.0

66 reviews
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