Mohnstollen (Poppy Seed Stollen)
- Makes : two loafs
Stollen is made in every part of Germany. It is a traditional Christmas cake and different regions have their local specialities. None of them is vegan. You can find stollen with almonds, with poppy seeds, with butter "only", with marzipan, raisins or nuts. They all are made from a sweet and very dense yeast dough, and the Dresdner Stollen contains tons of butter, dried fruit, candied lemon and orange peel, and almonds. They are baked at home or sold in bakeries or on Christmas markets.
My stollen is different from the regular cakes in preparation. It is a totally quick and easy recipe and this cake can be stored for months as well, although you will have to put it in the freezer.
Ingredients
Dough
- 500g flour [4 cups] (I used half pastry, half whole wheat flour)
- 1 pkg. baking powder [15 g or 0.5 oz]
- 75 g sugar [3/8 cup]
- 125 ml non-dairy milk [1/2 cup]
- 75 g raisins [1/2 cup]
- 140 g soy yoghurt [1/2 cup]
- 1 pkg. vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a few drops of bitter almond flavor
- 75 g oil [1/3 cup]
Filling
- 50 g poppy seeds [1/4 cup]
- 50 g soy yoghurt [3 tablespoons]
- 30 g sugar [2 tablespoons]
- 15 g corn starch [1 1/2 tablespoons]
Directions
Step 1
Sift together flour and baking powder, add sugar, milk, soy yoghurt, vanilla and oil. Mix with the help of a hand held mixer or knead the dough with your hands. Add raisins and knead again until the dough is firm and resembles a bread dough. It shouldn't be sticky.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease 2 bread loaf pans.
Step 3
Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Step 4
Divide the cake dough into two pieces and shape each of them into a rectangle, about 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick. Spread half of the filling mixture on each rectangle and roll them into two log shapes.
Step 5
Place in the loaf pans and transfer to oven. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 15 minutes. Have an eye on your cakes and if they start to get too dark, cover them with aluminum foil.
Step 6
Remove from oven, let cool for ten minutes and then remove from pans.
Let cool completely and then enjoy a totally untraditional version of a traditional cake!
Reprinted with permission from Constanze Reichardt of
Photograph © Constanze Reichardt.
