Christstollen Traybake

Loaded with dried cranberries, apricots and chunks of marzipan, this well spiced holiday traybake is quick and easy to make, perfect for sharing and gifting. Those stollen bites have all the wonderful festive flavours of German Christstollen without going to the effort of making the real thing. A festive and delightful treat that is sure to please and impress. I used less sugar than the original recipe calls for and used more orange juice, so the batter won't be too dry. You can also replace some sugar with applesauce.

200 g Marzipan, cut into chunks
75 g Dried cranberries
75 g Dried apricots, diced
260 g White spelt flour (I used German Dinkel #630)
1/3 tsp Sea salt
15 g Baking powder
225 g Butter, softened (plus extra to grease)
75 g Caster sugar
50 g light brown sugar

Zest and juice of one organic orange
75 g Ground almonds
1 tsp Ground cardamom
2 tsp Speculoos spice blend
1 tsp Almond extract
5 Large eggs
30 g Flaked almonds
Icing sugar, to dust

Chop the marzipan into small dice, then spread out on a plate and pop in the freezer to chill, so the marzipan won't melt while it bakes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 20 x 30cm baking tray and line it with non-stick baking paper.
Toss the mixed dried fruit in 1 tablespoon of the flour and set it aside. The light flour coating helps the fruit to 'stick' to the cake mixture better, stopping them from sinking.
Place the remaining ingredients, except for the flaked almonds and icing sugar, in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer until combined.
Add the cold diced marzipan to the bowl of mixed dried fruit and toss to combine before folding it all into the cake mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray, then level it out and scatter the flaked almonds over the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Leave to cool completely in the tray. Carefully remove from the tin, dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.

39 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, 3/12/23 12:48: I should push away from the table for this one! I ate too many desserts in Cuba!
Tom 3/12/23 13:09: ...sweet, festive treat!
DEZMOND 3/12/23 13:10: Looks very festive, almost as if you knew I am starting my Christmas movie month this evening :) I still don't know whether I like marzipan or not, it is such a weird sweet. Sometimes I will buy rum marzipan in Lidl during their festive offer because it looks pretty, but the taste never amazes me in the end. On the other hand, cannot say I hate it either. I did buy all the festive Schoegettens this year and will munch on them during the festive weekends as that is the only sugar I take these days.
Rainbow Evening 3/12/23 13:21: look tasty and sweet.... company for drink coffee....
eileeninmd 3/12/23 14:25: It does look tasty, a yummy treat. Thanks for sharing. Take care, have a wonderful week!
Christine 3/12/23 14:53: Yummy
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 3/12/23 14:57: so pretty and festive, looks like it came from a 5 STAR bakery its perfection ! BRAVO!
Bill 3/12/23 17:00: A wonderful treat, looks delicious.
My name is Erika. 3/12/23 17:10: I made a non-marzipan stollen yesterday. I read in the cookbook I used it was a Bavarian Style stollen. Yum. This looks delicious though and I bet the marzipan makes it even better. I have some dried fruit left so if I can do the marzipan I will check it out. Thanks for sharing.
Stefania 3/12/23 17:58: Che bella e che buona 😋😋
Balvinder 3/12/23 18:39: This recipe looks like an absolute delight. I have to look for marzipan to try these.
Lola Martínez 3/12/23 19:57: Me encanta ese preparado navideño, yo no tengo costumbre de elaborar nada parecido, pero lo veo muy original para las fiestas y estoy segura que gusta a todo el mundo.
roentare 3/12/23 20:44: That looks scrumptious!
Eva Taylor 3/12/23 21:00: Your treats always look so appealing and they are on the healthier side of treats so it's a win-win! We were away for the month of November so I didn't get much of a chance to comment, but I'll try to catch up in the coming weeks.
Granny Sue 3/12/23 22:05: Angie, I would love to try this. My mother made Stollen and it was so good! Is there anything I can substitute for the marzipan, or can I leave it out altogether?
DeniseinVA 3/12/23 22:44: I love anything with Marzipan, and this looks so festive for the holidays. Thank you for another great recipe Angie. Always a pleasure to visit and see what treats you have in store for us.
Cooking Julia 3/12/23 22:48: This is such a rich and flavorful stollen, it must be delicious!
Lowcarb team member 3/12/23 22:59: A festive treat :)

All the best Jan
Norma2 4/12/23 00:44: Angie around here it's common to make Pan dulce for this holiday season. Your recipe makes me curious. You're right, the flavors are there, I'll give it a try.
foodtravelandwine 4/12/23 00:53: I love the idea of a square christstollen!!....much easier and equally delicious!........Abrazotes, Marcela
Brian's Home Blog 4/12/23 00:56: Oh, that looks so tasty, I'd love to have some.
citu 4/12/23 02:27: Gracias por la receta. Se ve tan rico. Te mando un beso.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 4/12/23 02:51: I love stollen, although I made it last time years ago. I love this spin on the classic recipe for its simplicity and use of less sugar. Great flavours of the filling!
Margaret D 4/12/23 05:40: That does look nice and I bet it does taste tasty too.
Carol @Comfort Spring Station 4/12/23 13:35: It looks delicious!
speedy70 4/12/23 14:26: Bella e tanto golosa!!!
Anonymous 4/12/23 15:26: Judee from GF A-Z Blog: Angie this looks amazing. So beautiful for the holidays!
thepaintedapron.com 4/12/23 16:02: Sounds so good and would make a lovely gift!
lolines 4/12/23 16:25: Delicioso!!!
Saludos.
savorthebest 4/12/23 17:51: I love this as a tray bake. It makes it so easy to serve to a crowd.
Hena Tayeb 5/12/23 00:28: Looks absolutely divine.
Angie's Recipes 5/12/23 13:54: @Granny Sue You can use roasted almonds or even chocolate, but it won't be the same.
Pam 5/12/23 20:06: I've never had this treat but I'm sure I would love it.
Anonymous 5/12/23 23:19: I have never heard of a tray bake for Stollen! This sounds fantastic, and so easy to make. Definitely adding it to my Christmas baking list! Thanks, David (C & L)
Anonymous 6/12/23 03:54: Judee from GF A-Z Blog. What a wonderful dessert for the holidays. So unusual to make it on a tray.
Minimirabelle 6/12/23 05:43: Les épices, la pâte d'amande... J'adore ça, surtout en cette période !
Federica Simoni 6/12/23 09:54: che meraviglia!!!
Raymund 7/12/23 21:59: Wow, these stollen bites sound absolutely delicious! I love the idea of using marzipan and dried fruits for that festive touch. And using less sugar is a great way to keep things on the lighter side without sacrificing flavor. I'm definitely going to give this recipe a try! Thanks for sharing!
Chef Mimi 8/12/23 15:59: Wow! This sounds incredible! I’m still not getting your posts. I’ll try again.