Authentic Stollen Recipe - a German Christmas Cake

Do you want to learn how to make stollen? Great! I did too, so I asked my uncle, Heinz, a retired German baker. He walked me through the steps of his German stollen recipe. I am happy to share what I have learned! 

A quick backstory:  My father was born into a family of bakers in Bremen in the 1950s. His father was a baker and his two brothers followed in his footsteps. Until recently you could visit the “Bäckerei Jünemann" in Bremen, but my uncle has now retired. 

You will of course have heard of Stollen. The white powdered German Christmas cake. It is available to buy in Lidl and Aldi at Christmas time. Try homemade stollen, and you will never buy one again.

Jump to:

• What is Stollen?
• Ingredients:
• Stollen Baking Mould / Form
• How to make German Stollen - Recipe Steps
• Tips and Tricks to make the best stollen
• How to serve stollen?
• How long does Stollen keep? 
• Interested in German Christmas?
• Recipe

What is Stollen?

Stollen is a cake that is eaten around Christmas time in Germany. Does the shape of the stollen remind you of anything? Can you guess? Correct! It looks a bit like Baby Jesus wrapped in a linen cloth hence also the name “Christstollen” or "Christmas Stollen"

All stolen recipes have two things in common:

1. They are based on a sweet yeast dough.
2. The content of fat is very high in relation to the low quantity of liquid in the dough. This makes the stollen so dry but also enables it to keep for so long.

My uncle told me that in previous decades, people would make their own stollen recipe at home. However,  in post-war Germany, the stollen used to be about 2 meters long. They would not fit into a conventional oven so they would bring it to his bakery to be baked. Then it would be stored at home waiting for Christmas to arrive.  

There are many varieties to the traditional stollen cake recipe:

• Stollen or Raisin Stollen
• Mandelstollen - with Almonds
• Quarkstollen  - with Quark
• Marzipan Stollen - with marzipan
• Mohnstollen (with poppy seeds) - with poppy seeds
• Butter Stollen
• Dresden Stollen (especially high in butter and raisins and can only be made in Dresden).

A similar Christmas Cake to Stollen is the Bremer Klaben. Very similar to stollen, but more common in the north.

Is Stollen a Bread or a Cake? The history of Stollen.

Stollen started as bread in the Middle Ages and only later became a cake. The original stollen bread did not taste anything like the sweet holiday stollen we know today.

It was usually baked during the 40-day fasting period before Christmas - which meant you were now allowed to use animal products such as milk and butter. Sugar was expensive and it is said that yeast was at first not used in the original stollen bread recipe. So stollen used to be a dry, savory bread probably baked with lard.

The transition from a humble stollen loaf to the decadent fruit cake we know today is thanks to a court baker called "Drasdo". He probably created the first stollen around 1429 made with heavy yeast dough, butter, raisins, candied lemon, and orange peel. Because of its similar recipe, it is rumored to be the predecessor of the famous Dresdener stollen. [Source: Brotexperte.de]

Ingredients:

• Butter – use quality butter and you will taste the difference!
• Raisins – Soak them overnight in water and some rum.
• Almonds – Roast them before adding them to the dough as it gives the cake a nutty flavor.
• Marzipan – (make homemade German Marzipan) Does stollen have to have marzipan? The answer is no. If you don’t like it, then simply leave it out. 
• Candied Orange and Lemon Peel – Make your own Candied Orange Peel and Candied Lemon Peel
• Gingerbread spice – shopbought (affiliate link) - but we recommend to make homemade lebkuchen spice for more flavour see recipe)
• Vanilla Sugar – you can make your own or buy it. Alternatively use 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (affiliate link).
• Salt

Make these stollen ingredients yourself

Stollen Baking Mould / Form

Stollen Baking Mould

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(affiliate link)

A Stollen Baking Mould (affiliate link) is not essential, but it makes for a nice authentic-looking Stollen and makes baking it so much easier.

The Stollen form has a special design that ensures that the Christstollen stays its intended form, and browns evenly. Also, it ensures that the raisins do not burn. Also if you are planning to bake more than one stollen, they will all end up looking similar.

Of course, you do not need a stollen form, and it is a personal choice. You can just cover the stollen with a sheet of parchment paper instead. But then the stollen cake will run wide, which will not affect the taste. I just wanted to make the readers aware of the option.

How to make German Stollen - Recipe Steps

The night before

1. The night before soak the raisins in some warm water and a shot of rum. If you are baking for children, just omit the rum.

Starting the yeast dough

1. Make a pre-dough by mixing the yeast with 100 gr of the flour. Combine with lukewarm milk to a smooth batter. Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes in a warm place. 
2. In the meantime roast the almonds at 200°C or 392°F for 10 minutes until they start to turn golden. Leave to cool.

Making the main dough

1. Once the pre-dough has risen, add the rest of the flour, salt, sugar, butter, vanilla sugar, and gingerbread spice to the dough. Knead thoroughly with either a dough hook or your hands. Don’t worry if the dough is a little tough. Kneading this dough is hard to work.
2. Now add the almonds and raisins to the dough. Do not knead too vigorously, otherwise, the raisins might burst and color the dough.

3. Roll the stollen into an approx. 30 cm long roll. With a rolling pin (affiliate link), flatten the dough from the middle. (see pictures)

4. Once flattened you can add the marzipan in little flakes onto the dough. Do not put the marzipan too close to the edge as it may burn. 

5. Finally you can create the traditional stollen shape. You fold both sides into the center. From left to right.

6. Place the cake on a tray lined with baking paper. If using a stollen form, place it on top of the cake. If you are not using a form,  bake for 10 minutes before covering it with a sheet of baking parchment. Otherwise, it might get too brown.

7. Bake the stollen at 200°C or 392°F for around 40 minutes.

After baking

1. Once the cake is baked, brush it with liquid butter and sprinkle it with granulated sugar. This will pull the moisture out of the cake. Once cooled dust with plenty of icing sugar.
2. You can eat it straight away but it is best to wrap it in some kitchen foil. Ensure it’s airtight. Then leave to rest in a cool place for around two weeks.

Tips and Tricks to make the best stollen

• Use all of the ingredients at room temperature. Especially the butter. If the ingredients are too cool it can prevent the dough from rising. 
• Soak the raisins minimum of an hour – best overnight in water and rum (optional). This prevents the raisins from burning and drying out. 
• Knead the dough thoroughly. However, ensure that the dough does not warm up too much while kneading. The dough needs to be hard in order to keep its form in the oven. 
• Use a stollen baking form. This is not essential but my uncle recommends using a form for the following reasons
  • The stollen will look like you buy it in a German bakery. As the dough will not run and so it keeps it shape.
  • It prevents the fruits and nuts from burning. Also, it will distribute the heat evenly.
• Leave the cake to rest before cutting it. Place it in an airtight container (best first wrapped in kitchen foil) This will help the flavors infuse. Store it in a cool dry place.

How to ensure a moist stollen?

First of all, a German stollen is never intended to be super moist. The high-fat content in relation to the low liquid content ensures that it is especially durable. The butter in the dough gives the stollen the moistness. Also, the hot stollen is covered in liquid butter and then covered in powdered sugar. This extra butter and sugar layer is meant to "lock" in moisture in the cake.

How to serve stollen?

In Germany, this cake is served with a cup of coffee or Glühwein. You slice it before serving. If you want you can warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave, but that is not essential. Some like to spread the slice with some butter and jam. 

How long does Stollen keep? 

Stollen keeps up to three months in an airtight container when stored cool. It takes about 2 weeks to develop its flavors, as the rum-soaked raisings will infuse the rest of the cake. Some Germans say “Stollen tastes best at Easter”. However, I have never tested this theory as this cake doesn’t last that long in our house! 

Can you freeze Stollen?

Yes, you can freeze it. Wrap it in some freezer bags. The stollen does not mind being frozen and defrosted.

What to do with leftover Stollen?

Try my recipe for Stollen Trifle. It combines two traditional German Christmas desserts into one light dessert.

Recipe