Before I found out that I was coeliac I LOVED the occasional slice of Stollen (I’m a sucker for marzipan in cakes).  It’s been a decade since I’ve eaten stollen.  Most commercial gluten-free ones are loaded with energy-sapping ingredients like sugar, corn, vegetables oil and emulsifiers.   So this year I went on the hunt for a decent GF recipe.

I made this last week by slightly adapting the lovely www.rosielovestea.com recipe by Cindy Jarvis (hope you don’t mind, Cindy, your photo was better than mine so I borrowed it!).  A few changes like avoiding palm shortening and sugar-laden marzipan and adjusting the oven temperature to 160C for fan oven.  It’s big and gorgeous but nonetheless two of us demolished it within 5 days.

Get your fancy flours in and your marzipan made in advance.  I didn’t.  So the whole thing became a bit of a production.

20 servings
Prep time: 90 mins Cook time: 1 hour

300g Bobs Red Mill Paleo Flour OR make your own by mixing 2 cups almond flour/fine ground almonds, 1 cup arrowroot powder, ½ cup coconut flour and ½ cup tapioca flour
240g (1 cup) tinned coconut whipping cream (Biona and Amaizin are toxin-free)
50g coconut oil at room temperature (use butter if you’re not dairy-free)
2 large eggs
2 tbs of honey/agave/maple Syrup
2 tbs grated lemon zest
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract (PS “vanilla essence” contains gluten!)
Pinch of salt
150g sultanas
55g flaked almonds
225g marzipan – for recipe see https://www.annacollins.ie/almond-paste-marzipan/
1 cup of no added sugar jam (Follain/St Dalfour raspberry is good) or home-made raspberry chia jam like this one  https://www.annacollins.ie/10-minute-chia-seed-jam-raspberry-strawberry-blueberry-or/
Optional (for a glistening snow-like effect on top):
1 tbs melted coconut oil + 2 tablespoons of arrowroot Powder

1. In a food processor, combine coconut whipping cream, 50g coconut oil, eggs, honey/syrup & vanilla extract.
2. Next, add paleo flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined and pastry-like.  You want it firm enough it will hold its shape when you roll it out and roll up with the fillings inside.  If your dough is too runny, sprinkle a little more flour in.
3. Add the lemon zest, sultanas and flaked almonds and gently combine.
4. Turn out onto a plate or bowl, cover and place in the fridge for around 1 hour
5. Preheat oven to  175C/fan 160C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.While the oven is heating, take the dough from the fridge. Between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out the dough to roughly 1/2 inch thick.
6. Cut the marzipan into 3 pieces, roll into sausage shapes and lay evenly on the dough.
7. Spoon out the jam in between the marzipan pieces.
8. Carefully roll up the dough, tuck in the edges and gently place onto your baking sheet. Put in the oven for 60 minutes. Keep an eye on your stollen so that it doesn’t brown too quickly. If this is the case, cover with foil for the remaining time.
9. The stollen will be ready when golden brown and an inserted skewer will come out clean.
10. Melt your 1 tbs coconut oil, brush over the top and then dust with arrowroot powder for a glistening snowy effect.
11. Leave too cool completely (overnight preferably) before cutting into and serving.
12. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Why this is better for you:
OK so you know that raw nuts are better for you than cooked.  And that most of our food should be vegetables and some fruit.  But sometimes you just WANT CAKE!  Because this is high protein (almonds) and sugar-free so won’t derail blood sugar and immunity like sugar and refined flours do.