Christmas stollen, known in Germany as Christollen, is a rich, dense, sweet bread filled with dried fruit, candied citrus peel, marzipan or almond paste, and nuts. It hails from the city of Dresden, Germany, where it was first produced in the late 1500s.

Stollen is a cake like yeast bread that usually has candied fruit, currants, orange and lemon zest, spice and cardamom spices for flavoring. The most common Stollen is Dresdener Stollen from the city of Dresden, Germany. The word Stollen, was a word for a post or boundary stone for a city.

Fruitcake is typically made with chopped candied and dried fruit (cherries, dates, pineapple, etc.) Stollen is a made much the same, again with candied fruits and nuts but apparently without the rum soaking. It’s also a little less dense, more of a bread really. It is traditionally sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Stollen is a traditional German cake, usually eaten during the Christmas season, when it is called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen.

A Christmas specialty originally from Saxony in Germany, stollen is a long, shallow, slightly oval, yeasted cake packed with spices, dried fruit and nuts with a thick roll of marzipan through the middle. It was traditionally meant to represent the Christ Child wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Stollen is a cake-like fruit bread made with yeast, water and flour, and usually with zest added to the dough.

Why do we eat Stollen at Christmas? The shape of Stollen– this fold-over dough with a white top layer– is symbolic of baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths. It started as a fasting cake made during Advent when people couldn’t use butter, milk, or fruits (due to fasting rules) so it started as a very plain bread.

How do I serve my Stollen? Using a serrated knife Stollen is usually served by the slice throughout the holiday season. Typically, it is warmed in the microwave or toaster and is either served with a generous helping of jam, honey, or butter.

Crafted by Master Pastry Chef Jean Yves Charon, our delicious buttery croissants are easy to prepare—just let rise overnight and then bake.

A History of Stollen. The first and most famous variety of stollen is the Dresdner Christstollen. Some historians date its origin back to 1329 and over the centuries the stollen was refined to become what it is today.

For anyone who may be feeling a little intimidated at the thought of making Stollen, don’t be. If you can make a cake or a loaf of bread, you can make Stollen. But while it’s easy to make, it’s not quick to make. There’s a waiting game involved both during the baking process and the aging process.

The word “stollen” refers to a post or boundary stone for a city. It is also thought it could refer to the entrance of a mine shaft. Some historians believe that the stollen’s characteristic shape was molded after the shape of a mine tunnel, reflective of the silver and tin mining industries of the time.