Marzipan Stollen

Every Christmas I've gotten into the habit of making a stollen. THIS was my very first attempt. As you can see, I'm not much of a bread baker and quickly lose patience when waiting for the loaf to proof. I also couldn't find marzipan in our small GA town at the time so I had to use canned almond paste instead (do not recommend). I found an authentic recipe from The Daring Gourmet and made a few adjustments of my own.

German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)

Every year for Lewis's birthday, instead of the traditional cake, he's allowed to choose a random dessert and no matter how complicated or foreign it is I have to bake it. It's a challenge I am always willing and eager to accept and over the years I have made some pretty freaky desserts, some good - others disastrous (mostly falling victim to Pinterest fails) this year, however, proved to be an epic win.

An Anniversary Cake - Dark Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Mousse Filling & Chocolate Ganache

I cannot believe that our one year anniversary is upon us, it seems like yesterday we were celebrating with friends and family (while simultaneously freaking out about moving to a new town). One year later and things aren't that different, yet again we're packing up all our things and moving to a bigger, better, completely foreign city.

For a couple of hours we decided to take a little break from work/packing/travel craziness and take part in a little chocolate indulgence. While it might not be the prettiest cake (I packed most of my baking tools, hence the sloppy ganache..we'll just call it "rustic") I gotta say this is my new favorite chocolate cake recipe.

I've said it before how much I love using coffee in my chocolate cake recipes - it makes such a difference in flavor to me, bringing out that rich chocolate flavor while adding some moisture. This was also my first time making strawberry mousse which has become my go-to filling - not only is it refreshing and delicious but you also get that pretty natural pink color without having to use artificial additives.

I gotta say it's been a semi crazy year, there were definitely a lot of firsts and it was not without it's challenges but I am super excited about moving to a big city and all of the culinary adventures that are to come!

For the cake...

recipe adapted from Ina Garden

Butter, for greasing the pans (or non stick spray)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good dark cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans.

2.Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and extracts. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

For Strawberry Mousse...

1 cup finely chopped strawberries
Splash of orange juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup confectioners sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream (chilled)

Method:

1.Add strawberries, oj, and sugar in a blender and pulse until almost a liquid but still a little chunky. You can strain to get rid of the seeds but you honestly don't notice them anyway.
2.In a mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold in strawberry mixture and serve. (note: some might suggest adding gelatin to the strawberry mix but I found it wasn't necessary).

For ganache...

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
3-4 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp salt

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Constantly stir until chocolate is silky and smooth in texture.

To assemble:
1.Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with mousse. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the remaining mousse evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Place in the fridge for at least 30 min.
2.Once cake is cool, using a ladle, carefully spoon ganache over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.

Christmas Stollen with Almond Filling

If I was trapped on a dessert island and I could only take three foods with me, I am pretty sure 2/3 of those foods would be marzipan and bread.

So, as you can imagine, when I discovered that there was a magical pastry that combined these two coveted ingredients I fell in love. Never has a pastry been so balanced with fruity, spicy, savory and sweet.

While I have eaten this tasty dessert for years, this was my first attempt at actually baking it. I must admit that despite my schooling and what little experience I do have, I am still super intimidated at making breads but with a whole lotta patience, this recipe will turn out perfect every time. As far as what fruits to add to your stollen, I prefer to use orange juice/zest as opposed to lemon because it's not as harsh of a flavor, I also think that orange goes better with the flavor of almond. You could buy the packaged dry candied fruit but I found this combo to be quite amazing.

Christmas Stollen with Almond Filling

makes 2 loaves

For the Fruit:
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup diced candied orange peel (I candied my own, you can learn how HERE)
1 cup raisins
3 TBS cherry Kirsch
2 TBS orange juice

For the Sponge:
1 scant TBS or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp honey
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Dough:
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted (optional)
3 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Oil, for coating bowl

For the Filling:
12.5 oz can of almond filling OR 12oz of marzipan

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Directions:
1.Prepare Fruit: Combine the fruit, orange juice, and booze. Cover and set aside. Shake or stir the mixture every so often to coat the fruit with the kirsch.

2.Prepare Sponge: In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast in the water to soften. Heat the milk to 110 degrees F and add it to the yeast along with the honey and 1 cup flour. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap and let rise until light and full of bubbles, about 30 minutes.

3. In a bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add the fruit mixture, honey, egg, butter, zest, salt, nutmeg, almonds, and 2 cups of the flour to the sponge. Beat the mixture on medium low speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Change to the dough hook. Continue to add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just begins to clean the bowl. Knead 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low.

First rise: Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (mine took around 3).

Shape and Fill: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. For 1 large loaf, roll the dough into a 9 by 13-inch oval. For 2 loaves, divided the dough in half and roll each half into a 7 by 9-inch oval. Brush the melted butter over the top of the oval(s). Using a piping bag, pipe a line of marzipan OR almond filling down the center (lengthwise) of the oval(s). Fold the dough in half lengthwise and carefully lift the bread(s) onto a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet. Press lightly on the folded side to help the loaf keep its shape during rising and baking.

Second rise: Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven: About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake and cool: Bake for 25 minutes until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190 degrees F. Immediately remove from the baking sheet and place on a rack to cool. To serve: Sprinkle heavily with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful (and delicious) Christmas tomorrow!