{"id":140,"date":"2023-12-18T01:18:55","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T01:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2023\/12\/18\/aldi-cherry-stollen-winternacht-review\/"},"modified":"2025-03-28T13:27:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T17:27:46","slug":"aldi-cherry-stollen-winternacht-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2023\/12\/18\/aldi-cherry-stollen-winternacht-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Aldi Cherry Stollen (Winternacht) Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s note: I have no affiliation with <\/em>Aldi<\/em><\/a>, and I was not compensated in any way for this review.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stollen imported (but not stolen) from Germany.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That was funny, and you know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, enough dad jokes. Aldi is nearly<\/em> famous for their seasonal holiday stollen<\/a>, so I was obligated to buy a loaf. I take my obligations seriously. There are a few different varieties available \u2014 including \u201cMarzipan\u201d and \u201cButter Almond,\u201d but I chose the \u201cCherry Stollen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although not particularly large, the stollen<\/a> is heavy. It\u2019s a chonky fellow. The crust is coated in an almost bizarrely thick layer of flour. Well, I think it\u2019s flour? Probably this white stuff is flour?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Overhead<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whatever it is, there\u2019s a blizzard of it. And it\u2019s messy. I would be happier without this white powdery stuff everywhere. But no one asked me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probably as close to a \u201cwinter wonderland\u201d as we\u2019ll get here in balmy Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cross-section<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is marzipan<\/a> filling inside this stollen, but the first two inches on either end did not reveal any \u2014 it\u2019s concentrated more towards the center of the loaf. The marzipan is soft and gooey with a lush almond flavor. The amount of marzipan per slice is just a coy sample.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my friends called it \u201ca Scrooge-ish amount\u201d of marzipan. Hey, anti-heroes are also part of the Christmas spirit, you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, most of the fruit is dark raisins, but there is also orange and lemon peel, almonds, and a few pieces of cherry. I found maybe one or two cherry fragments per slice. The ingredients also list \u201ccherry brandy\u201d \u2014 there\u2019s a pleasant-but-subtle fruity flavor present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I would describe the stollen texture as dense, but soft. It\u2019s only lightly sweet \u2014 most of the sweetness is in the fruit or marzipan. This is yeasted dough, but it isn\u2019t fluffy like bread as much as rich like a cinnamon roll. Although it is fruity, it is no where near as dense as a traditional fruitcake. It\u2019s a bit like a \u201cricher\u201d raisin bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fingers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These are petite slices, so they make an appropriate treat for afternoon tea or a breakfast buffet spread. Or, in my case, a late-night-guilty-snacktastic-noshing fest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Serve<\/strong> Aldi Cherry Stollen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I tried serving this three different ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Microwaved for 10 seconds to warm<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Toasting slices in a toaster oven for 3-5 minutes<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Room temperature<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Of the three serving methods, I preferred #3 \u2014 room temperature (I know, this surprised me, too!). Because I stored my stollen in the refrigerator, I sliced one serving at a time and let it sit on a plate for about an hour to reach room temperature before eating. I personally liked the firmer texture, and thought the fruit tasted better when not warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Microwaving was my least favorite option \u2014 even though I found quite a few Aldi fans on the internet promoting this method. The stollen tasted too mushy and excessively soft after microwaving \u2014 it just didn\u2019t have any structure, and the fruit was unpleasantly squishy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Toasting slices in my toaster oven was OK \u2014 the stollen got nicely crisp and slightly browned on top \u2014 but the fats in the bread and marzipan seemed to ooze out onto the plate and separate from the rest of the stollen. The white powdering crust-coating turned all weird and gummy from the oil ooze. I also tried buttering my toasted stollen, and this was \u201cOK.\u201d But not amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I did<\/em> think the actual marzipan flavor was improved after heating, but I had to be very careful not to burn my tongue, as it tended to stay molten for a while. Molten Marzipan. Sounds like a band name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What I did not<\/em> try is re-baking the whole loaf before slicing and serving. If I was serving the stollen to a group of guests, I might do that to make it taste fresher and give it a crisper crust. IDK. We need more research. If you\u2019ve already tried this, let me know how it turned out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sadly, there aren\u2019t any instructions on the package for how to serve or eat this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Ingredients<\/strong> in Aldi Winternacht Cherry Stollen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Oh, what sorrows exist in these ingredients. Hydrogenated fat. Preservatives. At least there are no artificial flavors or colors listed. Raisins and almonds are featured prominently. I love that there are juice concentrates used for natural coloring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are the ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n