Stollen with marzipan, also called Christstollen or Weihnachtsstollen, is a Christmas dessert I love, together with Panettone and Pandoro. Stollen is a German traditional preparation mostly linked to Christmas, similar in richness to the Trentino Zelten. It is made all over Germany and consists of a sweet leavened dough with a soft, slightly spiced texture, enriched with candied fruit, toasted almonds and raisins, all finished with a generous dusting of powdered sugar, and it is perfect to enhance your holiday menu.
Stollen is made throughout Germany in many variations; its origins are traced back to the city of Dresden, where the first records of a similar cake date to 1474. The Dresdner Stollen, or Dresden Stollen, is a PGI product and only 150 bakers in that city produce the official version.
The Christmas stollen recipe I present today requires some work and patience and also includes inserting a stick of marzipan inside the cake. The first time I discovered this cake was when I bought the Lidl stollen; realizing it was a great idea, I decided to research and make it at home and since then, during the holiday season, it has accompanied our table among traditional and not-so-traditional desserts. A few years have passed since then and now I’ve decided to share this delicious recipe with you — ready to follow me in the kitchen? Before we start, if you want to keep up with all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
Other Christmas desserts? Have a look:
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Cost: Expensive
- Rest time: 10 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Minute
- Portions: 4.4 lb
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter
Ingredients to make the Christmas stollen
- 6 1/4 cups Manitoba flour
- 1 1/8 cups whole milk (whole)
- 1 1/8 tsp dry yeast (or 12 g (about 3/4 tbsp) fresh)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/8 cups butter
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 4.2 oz sliced almonds
- 1 1/3 cups candied orange peel
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup candied citron
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp salt
- 17.6 oz marzipan
- as needed butter (for finishing)
- as needed powdered sugar (for finishing)
- 1 pinch ginger (I substitute with cinnamon)
- 1 pinch cardamom (I don't use it)
- as needed orange zest
- as needed lemon zest
Tools
- Stand mixer
- Baking pan
- Rolling pin
- Baking pan
- Ovens
Steps to prepare the Christmas stollen
Pour half of the flour into the bowl of the stand mixer, add the sugar, the yeast, the milk and the honey.
Mix for 5 minutes at low speed, then let rest for 1 hour in a warm place, for example in the oven with the light on. When the dough has doubled, add the remaining flour, two eggs and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
Add the salt and only when the dough is perfectly developed and elastic, begin adding the cold butter little by little, waiting for it to be fully absorbed before adding more. Do not rush; losing the dough’s structure would irreparably ruin it.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface, shape it into a ball and place it in a container; cover and keep it in a warm place to rise for about 3 hours.
After the resting time, roll the dough out on the work surface and spread it out. Distribute the candied fruit cut into very small pieces, the raisins, the sliced almonds (previously toasted in a pan or in the oven), the orange and lemon zest and the spices (I use cinnamon and nutmeg; I don’t like cardamom). Fold the dough over, make a few turns to distribute the additions evenly, form a ball and return it to a warm place to rise again, this time until it doubles.
When the dough has risen (3–4 hours later), divide it into two portions of about 2.2 lb each and proceed to shape the stollen one at a time.
Roll out a rectangle approximately 8 x 10 inches, keeping one of the long sides thicker than the other. Press lightly with the rolling pin where the thicker part begins to lower (about halfway along the rectangle) and place a cylinder of marzipan there. Close with the thinner part laid over the marzipan, like a book.
Make a light roll with the rolling pin to seal well and let rise again for 2 hours. Repeat for the second piece. When the stollen are nicely puffed, bake them at 338°F (170°C) for about 1 hour or until they take on an amber color and are fully cooked.
Remove from the oven, brush immediately with melted butter and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
Let cool. At this point you should wrap the stollen in aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 2 days before tasting, so that it releases all its aromas. We, however, prefer it soft and just made and often eat it right away — it’s so delicious it’s impossible to resist for two days!
Stollen keeps for about 6–8 days at room temperature, under a glass dome.
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It is important that the dough is well risen before baking; otherwise it will be hard and chewy. Times are indicative; only the actual doubling of the dough counts.
