Snackmas Day 9- Tesco Finest Chocolate & Hazelnut Stollen

We've covered Italy and the joy that is Panettone with a reboot from last year so it's only fair to do the same for Germany.. Move over Cherry & Almond, it's all about the Chocolate & Hazelnut Stollen! 

Tesco's festive aisle is where I found the serves 8 loaf and believe you me, when I saw it.. I was in a store and I was singing! Priced the same as it's traditional fruit counterpart at £7, the bread-cake cross contains wheat, obviously, alcohol, nuts and also comes with a warning that small children can choke on said nuts.. So best not leave your intoxicated, coeliac 3 year old unattended with the Stollen this Christmas!

Fruit cake filled with Belgium chocolate chips, chocolate hazelnut and almond filling, infused with amaretto syrup and decorated with caramelised hazelnuts. 

Okay, I did complain about the flimsy tray last December but I didn't mean to do away with it completely, Tesco! What am I meant to do with a bagged loaf? What/who is going to catch my nuts?

Now is not the time to be hasty and change a habit of a lifetime so I did what comes naturally and just plonked it on some kitchen towel. Check out the brown log glory!

Smelling amazingly of marzipan, the soft and squidgy Stollen cut into slices a dream to reveal the chocolate layer within, surrounded by big chunks of dried fruit. A moist and fudgy texture was that of dough with oodles of rich cocoa tones from the more than generous amount of chocolate, complimented by the flavour of pure almond/amaretto. Absolutely packed to the brim, the sultanas, cherries and cranberries gave a juicy pop aswell as adding some fruity flavour which prevented things from being sickly. I couldn't taste the hazelnuts on top whatsoever, despite the generous scattering but the addictive light crunch from the nibs was more than enough and nothing felt amiss. Life changing! 

I didn't think the Cherry & Almond Loaf could be beaten.. Yet this Chocolate & Hazelnut Stollen has completely wiped the floor! It's everything as promised - Chocolatey, fruity, full of marzipan flavour and having so much more substance than it's lack lustre appearance! An all round fantastic twist on a German classic - Well done Tesco! Top marks from me, 5 out of 5!