Cut apple rings into small pieces. Bring apple liqueur to the boil, add apples, heat briefly, remove from heat and allow to cool. Roast nuts and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a coated pan until the sugar caramelises. Spread on a piece of aluminium foil lightly coated with oil, let it cool down
Put the flour in a bowl, make a depression in the middle and crumble the yeast into it. Heat the milk and add it together with 2 tablespoons of sugar to the yeast. Mix it with some flour from the edge to a thick mash and let it rise covered in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Melt 200 g butter, remove from the heat, let cool lukewarm. Coarsely chop the nuts. Place the butter together with 3 tbsp. sugar, salt and vanilla sugar on the rim of the bowl. Knead with the dough hooks of the hand mixer to a smooth yeast dough. Knead in nuts and apples. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour
Knead marzipan with lemon peel. Form into a 36-38 cm long roll. Knead the yeast dough again and roll out into a rectangle (approx. 22 x 40 cm) on a floured work surface. Place the marzipan roll lengthwise on one half of the dough and roll the dough up to the middle. Whip the opposite side of the dough to the middle and press down well. Place the Stollen diagonally on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.
Bake in the preheated oven on the 2nd rack from below (electric oven: 200 °C/ circulating air: 175 °C/ gas: see manufacturer) for approx. 10 minutes. Then switch the temperature down (electric oven: 175 °C/ convection oven: 150 °C/ gas: see manufacturer) and bake the Stollen in 30-35 minutes. In the meantime melt 100 g butter. Brush the finished Stollen while still hot with butter and dust with 50 g icing sugar. Repeat this process twice more. Let the stollen cool down. The Stollen tastes especially good if it can stand for a few days well wrapped. Stored in a cool place, it will keep for at least 14 days.
waiting time approx. 1 3/4 hours