Christmas Stollen Squares
Recipes

Christmas Stollen Squares

Take a buttery biscuit base, then top it with grated marzipan and sponge cake dotted with rum-soaked raisins and glacé...

Ingredients

For the fruit

  • 50g raisins 
  • 50g glacé cherries, halved 
  • 1 tbsp rum 

For the biscuit base

  • 150g butter 
  • 75g caster sugar 
  • 225g plain flour 
  • pinch of salt 

For the cake layer

  • 100g butter, at room temperature 
  • 100g caster sugar 
  • 2 eggs, beaten 
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract 
  • 100g self-raising flour 
  • 150g marzipan, coarsely grated 

For the icing

  • 30g icing sugar 
  • 1-2 tsp cold water 

Top tip!

You can adapt this recipe to make a simple shortbread – just follow the recipe for the biscuit base, then bake for about 25 minutes. You can also make this recipe in a couple of loose-based sandwich tins – it fits perfectly divided in two 6"/15cm ones.

Method

  1. A few hours before baking (or the night before), pour boiling water over the raisins and leave them for 5 minutes. Drain well, then stir in the glacé cherries and rum. Cover and leave for a few hours, or overnight.
  2. When ready to start baking, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Put the glass fibre rectangular baking pan onto a baking sheet.
  3. To make the biscuit base, cream the butter and sugar together until combined (there’s no need for it to be light and fluffy). Work in the flour and salt with a wooden spoon. Knead for a few seconds until smooth. Press into the glass fibre pan in an even layer, using the back of a spoon to smooth it down. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
  4. For the cake layer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the almond extract, then fold in the flour using a large metal spoon. Stir in the rum-soaked fruits.
  5. Sprinkle the marzipan evenly over the biscuit base, then spoon the cake mixture on top, spreading it out. Bake for a further 30-35 minutes, until evenly browned on the surface. Cool completely.
  6. Mix the icing sugar with a little water to make a glacé icing. Turn the cake out and drizzle the icing over the surface. Cut into squares and serve.