Bake Stollen, Cookies, and Cake for the Holidays

One of the most delicious and heartfelt traditions is holiday baking, the aroma of which fills the house, creating a unique atmosphere of coziness and warmth. The New Year is coming soon, followed by long holiday weekends: the perfect time to bake cakes, cookies, and buns with loved ones. We offer three Christmas recipes from different countries — each of these desserts has its own history and unique flavor that can turn any evening into a real celebration.

German Stollen

This rich yeast cake with candied fruit and marzipan is the most famous German Christmas baked good. Its oblong shape, generously dusted with powdered sugar, symbolizes the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes, and the dried fruits represent the gifts of the Magi.

Ingredients

• Flour — 500 g

• Milk — 250 ml

• Sugar — 100 g

• Butter — 150 g (+ 100 g for brushing)

• Dry yeast — 11 g (or 30 g fresh)

• Raisins — 200 g

• Candied fruit (orange, lemon) or mixed dried fruit — 150 g

• Almonds — 100 g (peeled, lightly toasted)

• Marzipan — 200 g

• Zest of one lemon

• Salt — 1 tsp

• Spices: ground cardamom, cinnamon — 1 tsp each

• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Making the sponge: Heat the milk to body temperature, dissolve a tablespoon of sugar and the yeast in it. Add 3-4 tbsp of flour, mix, and leave in a warm place for 15-20 minutes until the sponge rises and forms a «cap».

2. Kneading the dough: In a deep bowl, mix the sifted flour, remaining sugar, salt, and spices. Pour in the sponge and warm melted butter (150 g). Knead into a smooth, elastic dough. Cover with a towel and leave in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until it doubles in volume.

3. Adding the filling: Soak the raisins and candied fruit in boiling water for 10 minutes beforehand, then drain and dry. Chop the almonds coarsely. Punch down the risen dough and place it on a floured surface. Distribute the raisins, candied fruit, almonds, and lemon zest over the dough. Knead thoroughly to evenly distribute the filling.

4. Shaping and baking: Roll the dough into an oval about 2 cm thick. Roll the marzipan into a sausage and place it along the center of the oval. Fold the dough in half along the long side so that the marzipan is inside, but not exactly in the center, offset. Cover and let rest for 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Bake the stollen for about 50-60 minutes until golden brown.

5. Brushing: Immediately after baking, while the stollen is still hot, generously brush it with the remaining 100 g of melted butter. This is a critical step for juiciness and long storage.

6. Finishing: Let it cool completely, then thickly dust with powdered sugar. The perfect flavor of stollen develops after 1-2 weeks of storage in a cool place, wrapped in parchment paper.

English Christmas Shortbread Cookies

Crispy, buttery, and very easy to make, these cookies are a staple of British Christmas. Their shapes of stars and moons create a festive mood.

Ingredients

• Flour — 250 g

• Butter (cold) — 150 g

• Powdered sugar — 70 g

• Vanilla extract — 1 tsp

• Pinch of salt

• For decoration: colored sanding sugar, icing, candied fruit

Instructions

1. In a deep bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, and salt.

2. Add the cold butter, cut into cubes, and vanilla. Quickly rub the mixture with your hands into crumbs. Do not knead the dough for long, otherwise the butter will melt and the cookies will not be crumbly.

3. Once the dough comes together into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a sheet about 1 cm thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes (stars, hearts, circles).

6. Carefully transfer the cookies to the baking sheet. You can sprinkle colored sugar on top.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden. They should remain light in color.

8. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet; they are very fragile when hot.

Russian Christmas Cake

In Russia, for Christmas, they often baked a sweet, fluffy bread or cake, similar to kulich, but with a richer and more aromatic filling.

Ingredients

• Flour — 500 g

• Milk — 250 ml

• Dry yeast — 11 g

• Sugar — 150 g

• Eggs — 3

• Butter — 150 g (softened)

• Raisins — 100 g

• Dried apricots/prunes — 50 g

• Zest of one orange

• Salt — ½ tsp

• Cardamom, nutmeg — a pinch each

• For the glaze: 100 g powdered sugar + 2-3 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Sponge: As for stollen, prepare the sponge from warm milk, yeast, a spoonful of sugar, and part of the flour. Let it rise.

2. Kneading the dough: To the risen sponge, add the eggs, remaining sugar, salt, spices, and zest. Incorporate the sifted flour in parts, kneading the dough. At the end, mix in the soft butter. The dough will be sticky and soft. Knead it for about 10 minutes, then cover and place in a warm place to rise for 1.5-2 hours.

3. Adding the filling: Rinse the dried fruits, pour boiling water over them, and dry. Chop large ones (dried apricots, prunes) finely. Punch down the risen dough and mix in the dried fruits.

4. Baking: Grease a tall cake pan with butter and dust with flour. Transfer the dough into it, filling it 1/3 full. Let it stand for 20-30 minutes until the dough rises again. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes. If the top starts to burn, cover it with foil. Check for doneness with a wooden skewer.

5. Finishing: Let the finished cake cool completely in the pan. Prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar with lemon juice until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream. Pour over the cake and let the glaze set.

And now for the eternal and beloved — simple recipe for butterbeer, as in Harry Potter. Stock up on toffees, ice cream, spices and create magic with the whole family.