Christmas Stollen is an essential part of Christmas – similar to bratwurst and mulled wine at the Christmas market. You could not eat/drink it, but the market would be only half as good. ;P We usually bake Stollen quite early in December, or even at the end of November, because it needs a long time to develop the right flavors and texture. This Easy German Quark Stollen for Christmas goes a different route. That one can be made only days before Christmas, because it is ready to eat within a day or two. ;)

Regular Christmas Stollen are made with yeast – that’s why the preparation takes a little longer. Yeast requires time to rise before the Stollen can go into the oven. Because of that, the Stollen also needs quite some time afterward to ripen, develop flavors, and get the right texture. A classic Christmas Stollen will be wrapped and stored for several weeks before you can eat it. You can forget all about that with this Quark Stollen. ;P
Quark Stollen has similar flavors but a different texture. That type of Stollen is made with baking powder and the texture is more similar to a loaf cake. You can use all the typical ingredients – dried fruits, raisins, marzipan, nuts, etc. – but no yeast. Makes everything so much easier. ;P

Fans of traditional Christmas Stollen (the ones made with yeast) will probably say there is no way to compare these two bakes. Not the same. I have to disagree (partially). ;P The classic Christmas Stollen is definitely on another level… but the Quark Stollen is pretty good as well! If you like the buttery flavor, the candied fruits, marzipan, etc., you will not be disappointed here. A Quark Stollen does not have the flavor spectrum of traditional Christmas Stollen and does not have the same compact structure, but all the other basics are here. And it tastes really good! ;P
I’m sure that, apart from real Christmas Stollen connoisseurs, very few people will notice that this one here is not a traditional Stollen. When you cut into it, the Quark Stollen crumbles a little more compared to the classic Christmas Stollen… that’s something that can give it away. However, I’ve seen classic Stollen that make the same mess. ;P

Anyway. Besides the differences – we fell in love immediately with this type of Stollen. The marzipan makes the bake nice and moist (yes, I use this word!) and it tastes wonderful! If you don’t want to wait several weeks for a Stollen to be ready to eat, this one is the perfect solution. I can bake this Stollen whenever I feel like it. No need to plan or a long wait in advance. If I want to bring a Stollen to a Christmas party or add it to a Christmas parcel as a gift, I can now do so easily and spontaneous!
Like all Christmas Stollen, you can easily customize the Quark Stollen. This one here was made with candied fruit, cranberries, and marzipan. We swapped the usual raisins with cranberries, because not everybody likes those wrinkly grapes. ;P If you have a problem with the classic ingredients, you can easily swap candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, or raisins for cranberries, dried cherries, figs, or dates, for example. Adding some lemon or orange zest is always recommended (if you leave out candied citrus fruit)… it’s what makes a Stollen so delicious!
Quark Stollen like this one here are good to heat for up to two weeks. However, the longer you store it, the drier it might become. I recommend, eating the Stollen within a week for best flavors and texture. The better you wrap it, the longer it will survive. ;P
If you prefer a more traditional approach, you should definitely try my Christmas Stollen with Marzipan. That one takes time to get ready, but it also tastes excellent. Certainly worth the time waiting. ;P If you got some more quark to use, you can also try my Mini Quark Christmas Stollen. Perfect for snacking ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the rum-soaked fruit:
3.5 oz. (100g) cranberries, roughly chopped
3.5 oz. (100g) candied fruit, roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp. dark rum
For the dough:
2/3 cup (150g) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 medium eggs
9 oz. (250g) low-fat quark
2 tsp. vanilla extract
14 oz. (400g) all-purpose flour
5.3 oz. (150g) ground almonds (blanched)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 pinch of salt
For the filling:
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting
7 oz. (200g) marzipan (for baking)
For the decoration:
1/3 cup (70g) butter, melted
3.5 oz. (100g) confectioners’ sugar
Für die eingelegten Früchte:
100g Cranberrys, grob gehackt
100g kandierte Früchte, grob gehackt
2-3 EL Rum (dunkel)
Für den Teig:
150g weiche Butter
100g Zucker
2 Eier (M)
250g Magerquark
2 TL Vanille Extrakt
400g Mehl (Type 405)
150g Mandeln (blanchiert), gemahlen
2 EL Speisestärke
5 TL Backpulver
1 TL Zimt
1/4 TL Kardamom
1/4 TL Muskatnuss
1 Prise Salz
Für die Füllung:
etwas Puderzucker zum Ausrollen
200g Marzipan (zum Backen)
Für die Dekoration:
70g Butter, geschmolzen
100g Puderzucker


DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Roughly chop the cranberries and candied fruit. Place together with the rum in a container that can be tightly sealed, mix and let sit overnight (or longer) to give the fruit a chance to soak up the rum.
2. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until well combined. Next, add the quark and vanilla extract and mix well. Combine flour, ground almonds, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the large bowl and mix/knead until you get a smooth dough. You might want to work on a floured work surface when the dough starts coming together. Add the rum-soaked fruit and work it into the dough.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
4. Roll out the dough into a rectangle with approx. 30x24cm. Roll out the marzipan separately between two layers of greaseproof paper into a rectangle with approx. 25x20cm. If the marzipan gets a bit sticky, dust it with some confectioners’ sugar. Place the marzipan sheet in the center of the dough rectangle, and roll up the dough and marzipan together towards the center from the shorter sides of the rectangle. To get the typical shape for this bake, you should roll up one side a little less than the other. This will give you sides with different heights. Brush the dough with a little water in the center where the two sides meet and press together. Place the stollen on the prepared baking sheet and bring it into its final shape.
5. Bake the stollen for about 48-50 minutes. The stollen should be golden brown, but not too dark. If necessary, cover with some aluminum foil or a piece of baking parchment towards the end of the baking time and continue baking.
6. Melt the butter and let it cool down slightly. Remove the stollen from the oven and brush it with the melted butter. Dust the whole stollen with confectioners’ sugar, then brush again with more melted butter and dust again with confectioners’ sugar. The stollen should be thickly dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
7. Pull the stollen together with the baking parchment onto a cooling rack and let it cool down completely. Wrap the cooled stollen in aluminum foil and let it rest for 1-2 days. Dust with some more confectioners’ sugar before cutting it into slices and enjoy. The stollen should be eaten within a week or so.
1. Am Vortag die Cranberrys und kandierten Früchte grob hacken. Zusammen mit dem Rum in ein gut schließendes Gefäß geben, vermischen und dann über Nacht (oder auch länger) ziehen lassen.
2. Die weiche Butter mit dem Zucker in einer großen Schüssel hell und luftig aufschlagen. Die Eier dazugeben und gut unterrühren. Den Magerquark und den Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und ebenfalls gut unterrühren. Das Mehl mit den Mandeln, Stärke, Backpulver, Zimt, Kardamom, Muskatnuss und Salz vermischen, dann zur großen Schüssel dazugeben und alles zu einem glatten Teig verkneten – das funktioniert am Ende am einfachsten auf einer leicht bemehlten Arbeitsfläche. Die eingelegten Früchte in den Teig einarbeiten.
3. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen.
4. Den Teig zu einem Rechteck mit etwa 30x24cm ausrollen. Das Marzipan separat zwischen zwei Lagen Butterbrotpapier zu einem Rechteck mit etwa 25x20cm ausrollen – sollte das Marzipan hier zu klebrig sein, einfach mit etwas Puderzucker bestäuben. Die Marzipanplatte mittig auf den Teig legen und dann Teig und Marzipan zusammen von den kürzeren Seiten her aufrollen. Um die typische Stollenform zu bekommen, sollte man auf einer Seite etwas weniger aufrollen, als auf der anderen Seite – so bekommt man unterschiedlich hohe Seiten in den Stollen. Die Stelle in der Mitte, an der sich der aufgerollte Stollen berührt, mit ein wenig Wasser bestreichen und zusammendrücken.
5. Den Stollen auf das vorbereitete Blech setzen und noch einmal in Form bringen, dann für etwa 48-50 Minuten backen. Der Stollen sollte schön Farbe bekommen haben, aber nicht zu dunkel sein – ggf. gegen Ende der Backzeit mit etwas Alufolie oder einem Stück Backpapier abdecken.
6. Die Butter schmelzen und ein wenig abkühlen lassen. Den fertig gebackenen Stollen aus dem Ofen holen und mit der geschmolzenen Butter bestreichen. Den ganzen Stollen mit einer Schicht Puderzucker bestäuben und dann noch einmal mit verbliebener Butter bestreichen und erneut mit Puderzucker bestäuben. Am Ende sollte der Stollen dick mit Puderzucker eingestaubt sein.
7. Den Stollen mit dem Backpapier auf ein Kuchengitter ziehen und komplett auskühlen lassen. Den abgekühlten Stollen in Alufolie einschlagen und für 1-2 Tage ruhen lassen. Vor dem Anschneiden noch einmal mit etwas Puderzucker bestäuben und dann genießen. Den Stollen möglichst innerhalb von einer Woche aufessen.


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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Easy German Quark Stollen for Christmas
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 00:50
- Total Time: 10:00
- Yield: 1
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Stollen are a classic bake for Christmas – this German Quark Stollen is ready in no time and extremely tasty. Your family will love this Christmas essential!
Ingredients
For the rum-soaked fruit:
3.5 oz. (100g) cranberries, roughly chopped
3.5 oz. (100g) candied fruit, roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp. dark rum
For the dough:
2/3 cup (150g) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 medium eggs
9 oz. (250g) low-fat quark
2 tsp. vanilla extract
14 oz. (400g) all-purpose flour
5.3 oz. (150g) ground almonds (blanched)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 pinch of salt
For the filling:
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting
7 oz. (200g) marzipan (for baking)
For the decoration:
1/3 cup (70g) butter, melted
3.5 oz. (100g) confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
1. Roughly chop the cranberries and candied fruit. Place together with the rum in a container that can be tightly sealed, mix and let sit overnight (or longer) to give the fruit a chance to soak up the rum.
2. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until well combined. Next, add the quark and vanilla extract and mix well. Combine flour, ground almonds, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the large bowl and mix/knead until you get a smooth dough. You might want to work on a floured work surface when the dough starts coming together. Add the rum-soaked fruit and work it into the dough.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
4. Roll out the dough into a rectangle with approx. 30x24cm. Roll out the marzipan separately between two layers of greaseproof paper into a rectangle with approx. 25x20cm. If the marzipan gets a bit sticky, dust it with some confectioners’ sugar. Place the marzipan sheet in the center of the dough rectangle, and roll up the dough and marzipan together towards the center from the shorter sides of the rectangle. To get the typical shape for this bake, you should roll up one side a little less than the other. This will give you sides with different heights. Brush the dough with a little water in the center where the two sides meet and press together. Place the stollen on the prepared baking sheet and bring it into its final shape.
5. Bake the stollen for about 48-50 minutes. The stollen should be golden brown, but not too dark. If necessary, cover with some aluminum foil or a piece of baking parchment towards the end of the baking time and continue baking.
6. Melt the butter and let it cool down slightly. Remove the stollen from the oven and brush it with the melted butter. Dust the whole stollen with confectioners’ sugar, then brush again with more melted butter and dust again with confectioners’ sugar. The stollen should be thickly dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
7. Pull the stollen together with the baking parchment onto a cooling rack and let it cool down completely. Wrap the cooled stollen in aluminum foil and let it rest for 1-2 days. Dust with some more confectioners’ sugar before cutting it into slices and enjoy. The stollen should be eaten within a week or so.
Notes
Let the baking begin!
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