Classic Stollen by William & Suzue Curley

First of all make the confit orange. Score around the orange in quarters, then gently take off each quarter of the peel.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, then add the peel and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain the peel and discard the water. Refresh under cold water and repeat the process.

Put 170 ml water in a saucepan with the sugar. Add the drained orange peel and bring to the boil. Reduce to a low heat and cook for two hours until the orange is soft and candied.

Pour into a shallow tray and leave to cool before transferring to the fridge. Note - you will only need to use about 1/4 of this in the recipe. The rest can be crystallised by rolling in sugar and used for decorating or as sweets.

Next bring another pan of water to the boil and add the sultanas.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes then strain. Spoon the sultanas into jars and pour over 60 ml of the rum. Seal and leave to marinate, ideally for 24 hours. These can be stored for up to 3 months.

For the Stöllen: divide the marzipan into 4 equal portions, shape into balls and roll out into a 15cm (6 inch) sausage shape on a lightly floured surface and place on a baking tray, covered with baking parchment.

Sift together the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook (or alternatively mix by hand). Warm the milk in a saucepan until it reaches 30–34°C, then mix in the yeast.

Add the eggs, yeast and milk to the flour mixture. Beat together for 10–12 minutes, until the mixture is elastic and comes away from the side of the bowl. Add the butter to the mixture and continue to beat until the mixture comes away from the side again.

Add the nuts, lemon zest, cinnamon, 40g of the confit orange, the rum soaked sultanas and 20ml of the remaining rum to the bowl until dispersed within the dough. Leave the mixture to prove for about 1 hour.

Knock back the dough, then divide into 4 equal pieces. Knock back each piece, shape into a ball and roll out into a 17 x 10cm (6. x 4 inch) rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

Here's a useful video to show you how to know when dough has proved. 

Place the roll of marzipan inside each rectangle of dough and fold over the dough to enclose it. Press gently to seal.

Place each rectangle of dough on a tray and leave to prove for about 35–40 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C. gas mark 6).

Bake for 35–40 minutes, then leave to cool for 10 minutes. Use a pastry brush to generously coat each stollen with melted butter. Leave to set, then dust with icing sugar.