Christmas stollen – of sorts
Christmas cake
I feel like I am a bit in a photography rut at the moment. It’s not going the way I want; I have no inspiration and it just looks to me like I am simply repeating the same setup time and time again. I need to be inspired again! I want to burst with ideas and make fresh and exciting photos. Not like the ones you will be seeing here on this post. I’m stuck. Photography block… Help anyone??? 
Maybe not traditional but still quite good!
Anyway, that has nothing to do with this cake, although I think the people at Jamie Magazine where in a bit of recipe block when they put this in the magazine. It started with the ingredient list where you needed to add 125 gr raisins and then 12 gr cranberries. I figured out that that should – ofcourse – be 125 gr. Then essential things like sugar and marzipan where mentioned in the ingredient list but never in the description. It’s probably a good thing that I was changing the recipe already anyway or I might have just missed it.
it was originally a banana stollen kind of cake which I am sure is delicious but Tom is not a banana fan to put it mildly so that was not an option. I also added some more spices in such as ginger and cinnamon to give it a bit more interesting flavors and I’m pretty pleased with the end result really. I was a bit unsure how it would come out given that I had to guesstimate the exact fluid quantities (used ratios as usual) to replace the bananas and the 100 ml of warm water that they originally added.
Because of the sugar this is more a cake then a bread really but it’s still pretty good and actually better then the previous real stollen I have managed to create sofar. Not finished yet. This was just a quick kind of turn around cake. No rising necessary!
Christmas stollen cake
Prep Time: 15 mins (1 hrs soaking)
Cook Time: 1 hrs
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 125 gr raisins
- 125 gr dried cranberries
- 200 gr sugar
- 2 eggs
- 150 gr butter + 50 gr extra
- 250 gr Greek yoghurt
- 250 gr fullfat milk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1,5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 500 gr all purpose flour
- 16 gr baking powder
- bit of salt
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 200 gr marzipan
- 75 gr icing sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
Mix the raisins and the cranberries together in a bowl and cover with enough warm water so that they are just submerged. leave to soak for at least an hour. Drain and dry with kitchen paper. Mix the fruits with one tbsp of flour
Line the caketin with baking paper. Whisk the butter and the sugar together with a handmixer until creamy and then add the eggs one by one. Add the yoghurt to your eggmix.
Put the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, all the spices and the salt together in a separate bowl and mix it well together. Add the eggmix and stir with a spoon until combined. Then add your lukewarm milk in and stir until just combined.
Put a bottom layer in the caketin and set aside while you prepare your marzipan. You can add an egg to the marzipan and knead it until it becomes sticky and firm. You can add some lemonzest too if you like. Make a rol and place that on top of your cakemix and top that with the remaining cakemix.
Put in the preheated oven and after about 30 minutes turn down the heat to about 180 C. Check to see if it is not going to quick and if it is getting too brown you can cover it with some aluminium foil if needed.
Once cooked brush melted butter over the top and dust generously with icing sugar.
Loosely based on a recipe from Jamie Oliver magazine
Appetizer
Asian
Bread
Breakfast
Desserts & other sweets
Healthy
Don’t worry, we all go through such phases! The best is to relax and do nothing for a while… After a while, inspiration will come back.
That stollen cake is wonderful and very original! Oh, I loooove marzipan.
Cheers,
Rosa
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:20
I love marzipan too! Good thing I usually only eat it this time of year..
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I have these phases myself, all the time. Sometimes it also happens when I try too hard! Like Roasa said, taking a break for sometime seems to help.
Maybe you should just enjoy the festive season and come back to photography recharged in the New Year.
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:21
Maybe I am indeed trying to hard.. I just wish I could take a break until the New Year!
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Ziet er super lekker uit en mooie foto’s:)!
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:21
Dank je wel!
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Wow…I can even taste the marzipan with those dried fruits. That’s a really good one
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:21
Thanks so much Raul!
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That marzipan center looks amazing, and I never tire of your photos, even if you do feel like you’re in a rut!
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:22
Well that is a comforting thought but I just wish I could be happier with them!
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I know exactly what you mean. Whenever I come to photograph food especially, I realise it looks exactly the same as the last dish I shot. It’s that old adage: practice, practice, practice. I love your stollen image by the way. And I always say to myself that we’re our worst critics! Thanks for your lovely comment btw. x
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:22
Thanks Vanessa. I guess it is true that we always judge ourselves much harder then anyone else!
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Your stollen looks beautiful!
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:22
Thanks Laura!
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I totally understand! When this happens, I usually just stop for a little break and/or browse great food magazine and cookbooks to find my inspiration again.
Your stollen looks really lovely though, I can almost smell it by looking at these pictures. Love that powdered sugar on top, that is Christmas morning to me!.
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:23
I do look at food magazines and cookbooks a lot and other blogs as well ofcourse, but it can also leave me even more frustrated..
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I love stollen! Good recipe. It’s not going to replace my generations-old family recipe for me, but for someone who doesn’t have such a recipe, this looks super. Re photography, you do such good stuff it’s hard to suggest what to do. One suggestion might be to take portraits of food for awhile. That is, have your food be the only subject – no supporting cast. (You tend to do what I call tableau shots, where you assemble props, etc. to help tell a story; with the portrait approach, drop all – or at least most of – the props.) The beauty of this is you get to work more with the subject’s color, shape, and texture than perhaps you’re already doing (and you do this already, I realize; you’ll just be doing more). And of course lighting becomes even more of a challenge. Anyway, for what it’s worth.
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:23
Thanks for that suggestion John. I will definitely be trying a couple of other things!
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I often have periods of creative block such as you describe. Our bodies and brains often know before we do that we need to take a bit of a rest. The important thing is to recognize it as a period of resting and recharging, and not to get stressed about it. When you’re ready to start up with your camera again, a useful exercise is to photograph something you’ve never thought of photographing before (doorknobs or street signs or tree bark or clouds or reflections on water – anything that is entirely new to you). Merry Christmas.
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:24
Thanks so much for the suggestions Bill and Merry Christmas to you too!
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It look so delicious.Love it very much.Perfect for the holidays!!!
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:24
Thanks Susan!
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We all get into those ruts especially this time of year with so much going on. I am sure after the holidays you will be roaring with new ideas again.
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:24
I sure hope so Norma!
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Ah yes, I know that photography rut well… When I get stuck, I try to browse around other blogs and photo websites, like Flickr, to see what other people are doing and get some new ideas. Heck, even Google Image search will work in a pinch.
For someone who’s really not in the groove though, these photos look delicious! I keep meaning to make a stollen for myself, but every holiday thus far has passed without it coming to fruition. Maybe this was just the reminder I needed!
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Simone (junglefrog) — December 16th, 2012 at 15:25
O you should try this one Hannah. It is quite good! I’m sure you’ll love it!
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I love your Christmas stollen a lot but I know that you will love my alternative vegan version, my way too! http://sophiesfoodiefiles.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/vegan-christmas-stollen-my-way-2/
Happy Holidays to you & your loved ones, dear Simone!!! xxx
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I have never made stollen bread before, but I do love that delicious bread! Your bread looks gorgeous! I don’t see a photography block, all your photography is so inspiring to me! Hope you are well, Hugs, Terra
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