Skip to main content
Let’s face it…we all know that your tiny advent calendar chocolate bites aren’t satisfying that sweet-tooth craving.
Check out this gorgeous chocolate and cranberry stollen cake recipe, studded with jewelled fruit and an array of tantalising festive flavours such as nutmeg and almond with cocoa. The fresh ingredients include dark chocolate and cranberries, so we suggest complimenting this easy stollen recipe with oranges or clementine’s for a delicious Christmas snack or mulled wine for a festive evening-in.
Serves: Makes one stollen cake
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Vegan Friendly: No
Top Tip: Soak the fruit overnight so it’s prepared for the day you want to cook.
Ingredients
Dough
- 100g dried mixed fruit
- 60ml coconut rum
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 50g dried cranberries
- 100g decent dark chocolate), finely chopped
- 375g strong white bread flour
- 25g cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 2 tsp dried active yeast (not the fast action kind)
- 150ml milk
- 125g butter
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
Marzipan
- 100g ground almonds
- 75g icing sugar
- 25g cocoa powder
- A few drops of almond essence
For Dusting
- 40g icing sugar
- 25g cocoa powder
Method
Overnight, soak the mixed fruit in orange juice, zest and 30ml of the rum.
When you are ready to make the stollen stir in the cranberries and chocolate to the mixture.
Melt together the milk, sugar and 75g of the butter in pot over the hob.
Leave to cool, then beat one egg plus one egg yolk into the milky mix. (Keep the spare egg white until later.)
In a large bowl add the flour, cocoa, salt, nutmeg and mixed spice.
Add the yeast, then gently pour in the egg and milk mixture. Mix until you have a smooth dough.
Knead lightly then place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 30 min.
While waiting for the dough to rise you can make the marzipan, starting by lining the 30x20cm baking tray with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
To make the marzipan, mix together the icing sugar, cocoa, ground almonds and the egg white you saved from earlier plus the essence.
Knead the marzipan mixture until you get a soft, pliable ball.
Melt together the remaining 50g butter and 30ml of rum. On a lightly floured board knead the dough then roll out into an oblong shape about 5mm thick and brush it with the melted butter and rum.
Turn the dough so you have a long oblong (rather than a wide oblong) in front of you.
On the top, cover 2/3 of the dough with half of the mixed fruit mix.
Fold the bottom 1/3 two thirds the way up the oblong, then fold down the top third over it, (much like when you fold a letter for an envelope) then press down the open edges to help seal it.
Turn the dough 90 degrees clockwise (a quarter turn).
Roll out to an oblong shape again. Brush with the butter and rum then repeat step 6 with the remaining fruit.
Mould the marzipan into an oblong shape just slightly smaller in length than the dough and half the width.
Place the marzipan down the centre of the dough, fold the two sides of dough in to meet one another and place join side down in the lined tin.
Brush the top with the butter and rum and bake for 35 minutes.
As soon as the stollen is baked, brush with the butter and rum (you may need to re-melt).
Dust the sweet stollen with lots of icing sugar and cocoa for that Christmas taste, and a professional finish, it’ll be a real treat for after dinner!
“This easy stollen recipe is so rewarding and will fill your home with the wonderful aromas of Christmas. It does take some time to prepare as there are a fair few steps but most definitely worth it for the end result. Happy baking!”
Recipe by: Gemma Amor, Executive Chef at Ascot Racecourse.