Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf (Three Wishes Keks)

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-22Have you ever been indecisive about what flavor baked goods you were in the mood for? Or maybe you wish you had a recipe you could adjust to whatever you had available in your pantry at the moment. I’ve got you covered today.

Here’s a homemade loaf, which we call “Keks” in Russian, which takes only a few minutes to mix together and then into the oven it goes. I love the playful name “Three Wishes”, since it is made with 3 different layers – raisin, poppy seed and nuts. If you don’t like any of those flavors, that’s ok. How about chocolate chip, dried cranberries and coconut? I’m telling you, you can personalize it as much as you like.

If you don’t feel like making 3 different layers, you can just mix it all up at the same time, or keep it simple with one or two flavors only, such as a Raisin Keks, or Lemon Poppy Seed Keks.

This would make a perfect gift to give also, and with Christmas fast approaching, keep this Keks recipe handy. Wrap it in parchment and tie it with a bow, and you’ve got a perfect hostess gift or a Christmas present. 

Ingredients:

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, softened

1/2 – 1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup, but I prefer baked goods to be less sweet)

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup raisins

2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

1/4 cup nuts

powdered sugar, to dust the loaf, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan with butter or baking spray.

In a large bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Apple Lemon Loaf-1-24Add the eggs, one at a time. Apple Lemon Loaf-1-22In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until evenly mixed. Apple Lemon Loaf-1-17Add half of the dry ingredients to the creamed batter, followed by half of the buttermilk and vanilla and so on until you’ve added it all to the batter. Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-2

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-4Divide the batter into 3 even parts. You’ll be adding the raisins, poppy seeds and nuts to each part of the batter. Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-6Add the raisins to the first part and spread it out evenly into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-8

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-10Add the poppy seeds to the second part of the batter and spread it out evenly over the first layer of batter. Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-12Finish by adding the nuts to the third part of batter and spread it out evenly over the poppy seed layer. Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-14

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-16Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let it stand in the loaf pan for 3-5 minutes and then take it out and set it on a cooling rack. Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-18Dust with powdered sugar.

(P.S. This loaf is not very thick. If you want it to be thicker, make 1 1/2 of the recipe. It’s very easy to do.)

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-20

This keks is very versatile. If you don’t feel like fussing with the different layers, you can add  only raisins, for example, to the whole thing. You can also add all of them at the same time without making individual layers. You can also use any kind of dry fruit, not just raisins, such as dry cranberries, cherries, dates, apricots, etc. Use whatever nuts you like, walnuts, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, etc. How about adding chocolate chips?

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-22

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf-1-26

Raisin, Poppy Seed and Nut Loaf (Three Wishes Keks)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sweets
Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, softened
  • ½ - 1 cup sugar (I used ½ cup, but I prefer baked goods to be less sweet)
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
  • ¼ cup nuts
  • powdered sugar, to dust the loaf, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan with butter or baking spray.
  2. In a large bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until evenly mixed. Add half of the dry ingredients to the creamed batter, followed by half of the buttermilk and vanilla and so on until you've added it all to the batter.
  5. Divide the batter into 3 even parts. You will be adding the raisins, poppy seeds and nuts to each part of the batter.
  6. Add the raisins to the first part and spread it out evenly into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Add the poppy seeds to the second part of the batter and spread it out evenly over the first layer of batter. Finish by adding the nuts to the third part of batter and spread it out evenly over the poppy seed layer.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
  8. Let it stand in the loaf pan for 3-5 minutes and then take it out and set it on a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar.
  9. This keks is very versatile. If you don't feel like fussing with the different layers, you can add only raisins, for example, to the whole thing. You can also add all of them at the same time without making individual layers. You can also use any kind of dry fruit, not just raisins, such as dry cranberries, cherries, dates, apricots, etc. Use whatever nuts you like, walnuts, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, etc. How about adding chocolate chips?

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