Christmas Time is Stollen Time – and if you're looking for a great alternative to the traditional Christstollen, you definitely need to try this quark stollen recipe! It's heavenly delicious. And there are many more good reasons to bake quark stollen!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love Quark Stollen
The most important factor, of course, is its taste and the wonderfully Christmassy aroma from the spices, dried fruits, and almonds. With a few simple tricks, the quark stollen turns out incredibly moist. It's a bit lighter and (at least relatively) lower in fat compared to the classic, as it contains less butter. It's a true "quick recipe": the preparation time is just around 25 minutes. No proofing time is needed since the quark stollen is made with baking powder instead of yeast. And you can even cut it right away, without waiting for days or weeks for it to ripen. Sounds good, right?
Ingredients at a Glance
Everything you need for this recipe is available in any regular supermarket:
Quark: The star ingredient that makes the dough fluffy and moist. You should use low-fat quark and drain any liquid that may have separated in the container. If needed, Skyr is a suitable substitute.
Flour: Regular all-purpose wheat flour (Type 405) works best for a fine texture; light spelt flour (Type 630) also works.
Almonds: Ground almonds make the quark stollen very moist, and chopped almonds are also added for that classic "mouthfeel" and a little crunch.
Baking Powder: A whole packet is used to make sure the stollen rises without yeast. If you want to avoid a slight baking powder taste, you can use cream of tartar baking powder.
Butter: Provides a lovely buttery flavor and a rich texture. Brushing it right after baking helps preserve the stollen.
Sugar and Powdered Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar is in the dough, and powdered sugar is sprinkled over the buttered stollen after baking to prevent it from soaking into the fat.
Eggs: Make the dough fluffy. Use room-temperature eggs so the ingredients blend together smoothly.
Dried Fruits: I mainly use raisins, with a smaller amount of candied orange peel and citron for the classic wintery flavor.
Flavoring Ingredients: There are many ways to refine the flavor. Especially delicious are a few drops of bitter almond extract and some Amaretto for a subtle marzipan note, plus a few teaspoons of cinnamon or ready-made or homemade stollen spice.
How to Bake Quark Stollen in 3 Steps
One of the main advantages of this version of the recipe is that quark stollen is quick and easy to make:
- Prepare the Dough: The preparation is similar to a regular sponge cake. First, butter, eggs, and sugar are whipped until voluminous and frothy, with additional quark. Then, the dry ingredients, dried fruits, and almonds are added.
- Bake the Quark Stollen: The easiest way is with a stollen pan or cover, which can either be a three-dimensional baking mold with holes or just an oval frame that contains the dough. This ensures the stollen doesn't spread out too much or turn flat and dry in the oven.
- Brush and Sugar: Immediately after baking, brush the baked goods with melted butter and sprinkle them with sugar. This helps the quark stollen stay fresh longer, gives it a light crisp crust, and prevents the powdered sugar, which is sifted over after cooling, from merging with the liquid fat into a soggy mass.
Tips for Preparation
Prepare Ingredients: Soak the raisins, candied orange peel, citron, and almonds the night before to ensure the quark stollen stays moist on the inside. Also, let the butter and eggs come to room temperature, so take them out of the fridge a few hours before baking!
Mix the Dough Properly: Butter, sugar, and eggs should be whipped until frothy. Once the flour and other ingredients are added, knead the dough gently and briefly to avoid a tough dough (similar to quark-oil dough). This also helps prevent the dough from turning brown due to the soaked raisins.
Simple, Delicious Variations
Without Candied Orange Peel and Citron: If finely chopped, both of these flavors are not too strong. You can simply use more raisins or cranberries, like in the quark stollen candy.
Different Spices: Instead of Amaretto, which gives a slight marzipan flavor, you can also use rum or, for a non-alcoholic version, apple or orange juice. The bitter almond extract can be replaced with rum flavoring, vanilla beans, orange zest, tonka bean, or lemon zest.
Storing and Keeping Quark Stollen
In principle, quark stollen can be eaten immediately after cooling. However, it’s a good idea to let it rest overnight, wrapped well, as it becomes easier to cut. The version with quark doesn't keep as long as the yeast-based one, but stored in a cool, dry, and dark place, it will last for about 1-2 weeks. You can also freeze slices easily!
Have fun baking and enjoying! By the way, under my Christmas baking recipes, you'll find many other delicious treats, such as the vanilla fudge, the baked apple recipe and the gingerbread.
Recipe Card
Quark Stollen
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 150 g (¾ cups) butter, room temperature
- 160 g (¾ cups) sugar
- 2 medium-sized eggs, room temperature
- 250 g (1 cups) low-fat quark, room temperature
- 420 g (3 ½ cups) all-purpose wheat flour
- 150 g (1 ⅓ cups) ground almonds
- 1 packet, 15g baking powder
- 3 teaspoons stollen spice, heaping
- 2 pinches salt
- 200 g (1 ⅕ cups) raisins
- 75 g (½ cup) candied orange peel
- 75 g (½ cup) candied citron
- 70 g (½ cup) chopped almonds
- 3 tablespoons Amaretto or rum/juice
- 4 drops bitter almond extract, optional
For finishing:
- 90 g (½ cup) butter
- 30 g (2 ½ tablespoons) sugar
- 30 g (⅓ cup) powdered sugar, generous amount
Instructions
- Finely chop the candied orange peel and citron using a sharp knife or food processor. Mix with raisins, chopped almonds, Amaretto, and, if desired, bitter almond extract, and set aside. It’s best to do this step the night before.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F), top and bottom heat. Beat the softened butter with the sugar until fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Lastly, fold in the quark, spoon by spoon.
- If there is excess liquid in the dried fruit-almond mixture, drain it. Mix the flour with the almonds, baking powder, spices, and salt. Gently stir or knead into the quark-butter mixture, then briefly knead in the dried fruit mixture.
- Place the sticky dough on a lightly floured baking mat. Shape it into a thick dough roll and place it into a greased stollen pan (approximately 31-33 cm in size), pressing down the surface. (For a version without a baking pan, see the tips). Bake the stollen on a baking sheet lined with two layers of parchment paper with the opening facing down for about 40 minutes, then remove the pan and bake for another 12-20 minutes. Perform a toothpick test.
- Just before the stollen is finished, melt the butter. As soon as the stollen is out of the oven, brush it with melted butter while it is still hot and sprinkle with sugar. After cooling, dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Delicious variations: Instead of candied orange peel and citron, you can use more raisins or cranberries. If you prefer, you can also substitute Amaretto with rum, apple juice, or orange juice.
- Tips for success: Soak the dried fruits a few hours before or the night before. Beat the butter, sugar, and eggs until fluffy; once you add the flour and raisins, knead briefly to prevent the dough from becoming tough. Initially, sprinkle the stollen with regular sugar, as powdered sugar will soak into the butter and make it soggy.
- Baking without a pan: Shape the dough on a lightly floured baking mat into a roll about 35 cm long and 20 cm wide. Fold one of the longer sides over the other about ⅔ of the way and press lightly.
- Cutting: The stollen doesn't require a long resting time but will be easier to slice if you let it sit overnight.
- Storage: Store the stollen in a cool, dry, and dark place, preferably wrapped well in aluminum foil or in a cookie tin, for at least 1-2 weeks. You can also freeze slices for later.
Comments
No Comments