Stollen, a German Christmas cake

Stollen , also known as "Christstollen," is a traditional German Christmas pastry. This sweet bread, richly filled with candied fruit, nuts, and marzipan (almond paste), is a must-have during the holiday season. With its soft texture and warm aromas, stollen is a cake that evokes the magic of Christmas. Here is a gluten-free version that retains all the authenticity of this specialty while being suitable for those with dietary restrictions .

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time 40 minutes

Rest time: 2 hours

Total time 3 hours 10 minutes

Cooking method: Traditional

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Special diet: suitable for gluten-free diet

Ingredients

For the stollen:
350g of gluten-free bread flour
1 sachet of gluten-free baker's yeast
120 ml of lukewarm milk
100 g of sugar
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
150g of softened butter
2 eggs
100g of raisins
50g of candied citrus peel
50g of flaked almonds
150g of almond paste 70g icing sugar, 70g almond flour, 1 egg white, bitter almond extract)
For the finishing touch:
50g of melted butter
Icing sugar

Preparation

1
Preparing the dough: In a bowl, mix the baker's yeast with the lukewarm milk and a tablespoon of sugar. Let it rest for 10 minutes until the mixture foams.
2
In a large bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, the remaining sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg.
3
Add the yeast mixture, softened butter, and eggs. Knead the dough until smooth. The dough will be slightly sticky, that's normal.
4
Incorporating fruits and nuts:
5
Add the raisins, candied citrus peel and flaked almonds to the dough. Knead lightly to distribute them evenly.
6
Resting the dough: Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
7
Assembly: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle. Place the marzipan roll in the center and fold the dough over to enclose it. Shape the stollen into an oval. (If you wish to make your own marzipan: sift the almond flour and icing sugar together. Add the egg white and almond extract. If necessary, add a tablespoon of water. Form a ball and refrigerate for one hour to make it easier to handle.).
8
Second rise: Place the stollen on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.
9
Baking: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the stollen for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
10
Finishing: As soon as it comes out of the oven, generously brush the hot stollen with melted butter, then sprinkle it with icing sugar. Let it cool completely before serving.

Keywords: German stollen, gluten-free Christmas cake, gluten-free German cake, gluten-free German panettone