Christmas stollen (quick-bread variety)

Yield: 1 Servings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c Flour (all-purpose)
2 ts Baking powder
3/4 c Sugar
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Mace
8 x Cardomon seed pods seeds Removed and crushed
3/4 c Almonds blanched ground
1/2 c Butter soft
1 c Cream cheese softened
1 lg Egg
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
1/2 ts Almond extract
2 tb Brandy
1/2 c Currants
1/2 c Golden raisins
1/3 c Candied lemon peel chopped
1/4 c Butter melted
1/4 c Sugar

Instructions:

powdered Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour baking powder sugar salt mace and crushed cardamon seeds. Stir in the ground almonds. Cut in the soft butter until the mixture looks something like coarse sand. In a blender cream the egg with the cream cheese vanilla almond extract and brandy. Pour it into a bowl and stir in the dried fruit. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until everything is is well blended. Work the dough into a ball and turn it out on a lightly floured board. Knead it for a few minutes until it is smooth then place it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. (You can store the dough in the refrigerator for several days then take it out to bake when ever you like.) Shape the dough into a flat oval loaf about 10 inches long and eight inches wide. With the blunt edge of a knife crease the loaf about 1/2 inch off center down the length of it. Fold the smaller side of the creased loaf over the wider side. Brush the top of the folded loaf with the melted butter. Place the stollen loaf on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 45 minutes until it starts to turn brown on the outside. Remove and allow to cool a little bit. Dust lightly with powdered (i.e. confectioner's) sugar.