Christmas Stollen - 8 Recipes for Traditional German Cake

Stollen is a traditional German Christmas pastry: a cake filled with raisins, nuts, and candied fruit, generously dusted with powdered sugar. Variations with marzipan and poppy seeds are also popular. Stollen reaches its best flavor several weeks after baking.

The history of the Christmas Stollen

The origins of stollen have a sacred origin. The first mention of a dessert known as stollen dates back to 1329. It was one of the main offerings to Catholic bishops. Since this cake was baked during Lent, it had to be Lenten—containing only flour, oats, water, and vegetable oil. Such austere ingredients, of course, were not to the taste of the nobility, so in 1491, Pope Innocent VIII signed a special decree known as the "Oil Decree." From then on, the consumption of butter and dairy products was permitted during Lent, in exchange for a donation to the church.

It was then that the Stollen flavor we know to this day was born: rich in butter, milk, and a variety of sweets. The cake's shape, however, remained unchanged: according to legend, it symbolizes the swaddling of Christ in the manger. In some regions of Germany, this pastry was previously called "strizel," a name that even inspired the name of Dresden's main traditional Christmas market, the Striezelmarkt.

Dresden Stollen (original recipe)

Dresden Stollen is especially popular and beloved among Germans. This baked good is very rich and features a very high butter content. The name is even trademarked, and only a Christmas cake made in this city and its surrounding area can truly be called Dresden Stollen.

Ingredients:

• Flour - 500 g
• Milk - 150 g
• Raisins - 200 g
• Candied fruits - 100 g
• Almonds - 50 g
• Hazelnuts - 50 g
• Fast-acting yeast - 11 g
• Butter - 250 g
• Cognac - 150 g
• Sugar - 90 g
• Cinnamon - 1 tsp.
• Cardamom - 1 tsp.
• Ginger - 1 tsp.
• Vanilla sugar - 1 tsp.

For impregnation

• Butter - 150 g
• Powdered sugar - 200 g

Cooking time: 3 hours (+24 hours for the filling to soak and at least 2 weeks for the finished cake to mature)

Servings: 4 stollen weighing approximately 200 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Prepare the ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the steamed raisins, chopped candied fruit and nuts, orange and lemon zest and juice, and dark cognac.

Step 2

Cover the mixture with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Step 3

Let's start preparing the dough. Add the yeast, two tablespoons of sugar, and five tablespoons of flour to the warm milk. Mix well and let sit for 40 minutes.

Step 4

When the dough has risen, add softened butter, the remaining sugar and flour, knead the dough thoroughly and roll it out into a thin layer.

Step 5

Place the dried fruit and nut mixture on top of the dough, mix thoroughly and leave for an hour at room temperature to rise.

Step 6

Divide the dough into four equal parts, form each into a rectangle and fold it over on both sides, as if swaddling a baby.

Step 7

Place the finished stollen on a baking sheet and leave to rest for another half hour.

Step 8

Bake the stollen in an oven preheated to 170 degrees for about 40 minutes, then take them out and, while still hot, cover them with melted butter and powdered sugar.

Step 9

Wrap the baked goods tightly in foil, or perhaps in a plastic bag on top, and leave in a cool place for 10-20 days.

Step 10

Before serving, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar again.

Curd Stollen

Many cooks prefer this recipe. The stollen turns out soft and fluffy, and it takes less time to prepare since you don't have to wait for the yeast to activate. What's more, the cake prepared this way doesn't need to rest for two weeks. It can be made two or three days before the holidays, and it will already have a wonderful flavor.

Ingredients:

Filling

• Dried fruits - 200 g
• Candied fruits - 50 g
• Rum - 60 ml

Dough

(all ingredients should be at room temperature)

• Wheat flour - 250 g
• Baking powder - 5 g
• Vanilla sugar - 4 g
• Sugar - 70 g
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
• Zest of 1/4 orange
• Egg - 1 pc.
• Butter - 100 g
• Cottage cheese - 125 g
• Almonds - 70 g

For covering

• Melted butter - 50 g
• Powdered sugar - 40 g

Cooking time: 1 hour (+ time for soaking the filling)

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Let's start by preparing the filling. Steam the dried fruit, peel and roast the nuts, and chop the candied fruit. Pour the alcohol over the dried fruit and let it steep until there's no moisture left.

Step 2

Beat the softened butter with a mixer until it turns white, gradually add sugar and salt.

Step 3

When the sugar has dissolved, add the egg and beat for a few minutes.

Step 4

Add the cottage cheese and beat until smooth. Add the zest.

Step 5

Mix and sift dry ingredients.

Step 6

Add them to the dough.

Step 7

Mix with a mixer, then with your hands.

Step 8

Stir in the filling.

Step 9

Form an oval shape and fold the sides in. Bake for about an hour in an oven preheated to 170 degrees Celsius.

Step 10

While the stollen is still hot, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Yeast-free Christmas Stollen

Essentially, this yeast-free Christmas stollen is a close relative of the previous recipe. It's the quark that gives this type of cake its soft, tender, and crumbly texture. This recipe also uses several types of flour, allowing the dough to rise quickly even with a minimal amount of baking powder.

Ingredients:

For the test

• Sugar or sweetener - 130 g
• Butter - 180 g
• Durum wheat flour - 100 g
• Almond flour - 70 g
• White wheat flour - 300 g
• Cottage cheese - 250 g
• Chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
• Orange juice - 50 g
• Orange and lemon zest
• Baking powder - 10 g
• Vanilla sugar - 10 g

For the filling

• Dried fruits - 200 g
• Nuts - 200 g
• Cognac - 100 g

For sprinkling

• Butter - 80 g
• Powdered sugar - 80 g

Cooking time: 1 hour (+ time for soaking the filling)

Servings: 2 stollen weighing 400-500 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Let's start by preparing the filling. Cut the dried and candied fruits into raisin-sized pieces, pour boiling water over them, and let them dry. Then pour in the cognac and orange juice. Chop the nuts as well. Mix, cover tightly, and let them sit for 24 hours.

Step 2

Sift and mix all dry ingredients: different types of flour and baking powder.

Step 3

In a blender bowl, mix the fat cottage cheese, sugar, soft butter and zest.

Step 4

Beat until smooth and soft.

Step 5

Gradually add dry ingredients.

Step 6

Place the dough on the table and mix in the filling.

Step 7

Form two oval-shaped cupcakes from the dough and fold them in half.

Step 8

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 60 minutes.

Step 9

Brush the hot stollen with butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Wrap in parchment paper and let rest for a few days.

Step 10

Before serving, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Classic Stollen with Marzipan

One version found at German Christmas markets uses marzipan instead of some of the dried fruit. It's easy to make at home. It takes a little more time, but you'll be able to delight your guests with a savory, original pastry.

Ingredients:

Filling

• Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios - 50 g each
• Raisins, prunes - 50 g each
• Candied orange, cranberries - 25 g each
• Spiced Rum or Kirschwasser - from 200 ml

Marzipan

• Sugar - 70 g
• Water - 18 ml
• Rum - 10 ml
• Almond flour - 100 g

Dough

• Star anise, allspice, cinnamon, ginger - a pinch each
• Live yeast - 30 g
• Milk - 125 ml
• Honey - 30 g
• Sugar - 140 g
• Eggs - 3 pcs.
• Butter - 230 g
• Premium flour - 615 g

Coating

• Butter - 50 g
• Powdered sugar - 50 g

Cooking time: 2 hours (+ 24 hours for soaking the filling)

Servings: 3 stollen weighing 300-400 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Roast the peeled nuts in a dry frying pan until golden brown.

Step 2

Cool the nuts and add dried fruit, candied fruit, and zest. Pour the alcohol over the mixture and let it steep for at least 24 hours.

Step 3

Let's start preparing the marzipan. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan, then add the rum.

Step 4

Reduce heat and add almond flour, stirring constantly with a spatula.

Step 5

Place the marzipan on plastic wrap and form three sausages. Refrigerate them for at least 40 minutes.

Step 6

In a mixer bowl, mix yeast with warm milk, add honey.

Step 7

Beat two yolks and three whites into the dough, add softened butter.

Step 8

Sift the spices and flour and begin kneading the dough. Add the butter.

Step 9

Roll out the dough, add a mixture of nuts and dried fruits.

Step 10

Let's move on to shaping the stollen: fold the sides into the center, then roll it into a roll and cut into three parts.

Step 11

Form an oval from each piece, insert marzipan and roll it up.

Step 12

Let the dough rise for an hour, covered with film.

Step 13

Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees.

Step 14

Grease the finished stollen with butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Step 15

Wrap the stollen tightly in parchment paper and foil. It's ready to serve within 3 days.

Stollen according to a recipe by Yulia Vysotskaya

Yulia Vysotskaya is known for her love of bold culinary experiments. So she suggests making Stollen using a rather unconventional recipe, moving away from its sacred meanings, making a thinner, airier dough, and baking it in a round pan. For added flavor, she replaced white sugar with brown sugar, added even more fruit, blended the nuts, and adjusted the number of eggs.

Ingredients:

• Butter - 215 g
• Brown sugar - 90 g
• Honey - 25 g
• Eggs - 4 pcs.
• Wheat flour - 225 g
• Salt - 1 g
• Cinnamon - 4 g
• Ginger - 3 g
• Nutmeg - 1 g
• Ground cloves - 1 g

For the filling

• Almonds - 65 g
• Hazelnuts - 65 g
• Raisins - 250 g
• Dried berries - 150 g
• Orange juice - 100 ml
• Rum or cognac - 50 ml

Cooking time: 4 hours (+ 24 hours for the filling to soak)

Servings: 1 round stollen with a diameter of 20 cm

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Prepare a mixture of dried fruits, candied fruits, and nuts. Chop all ingredients to the size of raisins, pour in alcohol and orange juice, seal tightly, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Step 2

In a deep bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, salt and aromatic spices.

Step 3

Beat with a mixer for 7 minutes.

Step 4

Add sifted flour and mix well with a mixer at low speed.

Step 5

Add the mixture of nuts and dried fruits. Knead the dough.

Step 6

Place the dough into a pan greased with butter and lined with parchment paper.

Step 7

Bake for at least 2.5 hours at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). Do not open the oven for the first hour. Poke holes in the cake with a toothpick and generously pour alcohol or juice over it. If you plan to store the stollen, repeat this procedure every three days.

Stollen with Levito Madre sourdough

Another option for making stollen with unleavened dough is to use Levito Madre sourdough. This is an Italian sourdough starter recipe that uses grapes. It can be used to make bread, baked goods, or pastries. Levito Madre sourdough can be purchased ready-made at a specialty store or prepared in advance.

Ingredients:

• Sourdough - 225 g
• Water - 275 g
• Premium flour - 350 g
• Sugar - 125 g
• Salt - 7 g
• Butter - 200 g
• Zest of one lemon

For the filling

• Candied fruits, raisins, nuts - 150 g each
• Marzipan (optional) - 200 g

Cooking time: 2.5 hours (+ 24 hours for soaking the filling)

Servings: 2 stollen weighing 350 g

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Pour the starter into a deep container. Add water and flour.

Step 2

Knead thoroughly for 15-20 minutes.

Step 3

Add softened butter in small portions.

Step 4

Leave in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Step 5

Mix chopped dried fruits, nuts and zest into the dough.

Step 6

Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a rectangle.

Step 7

Roll the dough into a roll, leaving a fold at the top.

Step 8

You can bake the stollen in a baguette pan or on parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for at least 40 minutes.

Step 9

Generously grease the finished cupcakes with butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

5 questions about Stollen

When to cook stollen?

Stollen is typically prepared once a year, two to three weeks before the Christmas holidays. Since Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 24th, it is prepared at the very beginning of winter. However, if stored properly, it retains its excellent flavor even three months after preparation. If it's a quark stollen, it can be prepared three to five days before serving.

How to store stollen?

To prevent Stollen from drying out, but rather to ensure it matures, it's essential to adhere to all storage conditions. The first protective layer is butter and powdered sugar, which should be applied in several layers to the baked goods. Then, wrap them tightly in parchment paper, foil, or a piping bag. For long-term storage, metal or wooden boxes are also recommended. There's no need to refrigerate the finished Stollen: the optimal temperature for maturation is 12-18 degrees Celsius. A balcony is ideal, but be sure to avoid excessive humidity, as this can cause the baked goods to ferment or even develop mold.

What alcohol should you choose and is it possible to do without it?

The classic Stollen recipe always includes alcohol. Dried fruits are soaked in it, and it's also often added directly to the dough. For this purpose, it's best to choose drinks with rich, vibrant flavors, such as dark cognac, whiskey, rum, or limoncello.

If you're absolutely against alcohol in baked goods, you can substitute it with freshly squeezed juice (orange or cherry juice is most common) or strong black tea. You can also use cognac essence. However, be prepared for the baked goods to lack their characteristic spicy aroma.

Video: German Christmas Cake by Julia Small

Making stollen according to this recipe is quite labor-intensive, but not at all difficult. Unlike the original recipe, the author uses four types of raisins, and the candied fruits used for the stollen are pomelo and kumquat. These sweets were likely chosen for their bright, contrasting colors—the stollen will look very unique when cut open.