Learn English with the News: “A giant Christmas cake!”

Wie geht es dir?

(that’s “how are you” in German).

We chose German today because this new article takes place in Dresden, where they make the biggest Christmas cake ever!

1. Read the text
2. Understand the vocabulary
3. Watch the news

Text

When it comes to Christmas cake, the city of Dresden is not messing around. This giant cake, called ‘stollen,’ gets a parade to mark its arrival by horse-drawn carriage at a local Christmas market. And you can see why. It’s huge. Weighing in at more than 4,200 kilos -that’s more than 9,000 lbs – the market’s Stollen Maiden says this cake is Germany’s finest.

– The specialty of the Dresden Stollen is that only the best ingredients are being used. Only the best. They only use butter instead of margarine, only selected sultanas and good rum from overseas. And that makes this Stollen so special.

It took 66 bakers to stir and layer the raisins, rum, nuts and candied lemon peel. And visitors to the market say the flavor is pure Stollen perfection.

– It is delicious. Fruity, succulent. That’s the way it should be.

– It’s very, very succulent. It is not that sweet and very aromatic. It is perfect to have with Gluehwein.

Now that’s one way to enhance your Christmas shopping experience.

Vocabulary

Christmas cake –  type of fruitcake served at Christmas time in many countries.

Messing around – to spend time doing things that are not useful or serious : to waste time.

Giant – very large : much larger or more powerful than normal.

Parade – a public celebration of a special day or event that usually includes many people and groups moving down a street by marching or riding in cars or on special vehicles (called floats).

Carriage – a large vehicle with four wheels that is pulled by a horse and that carries people.

Finest – very good, the best.

Specialty – something that a person or place is known for making or producing very well.

Margarine – a food that resembles butter and is made from vegetable oils.

Sultanas – a dried grape that is a brownish-yellow color and is used for food.

Bakers – someone who bakes bread, cakes, etc.

Stir – to mix (something) by making circular movements in it with a spoon or similar object.

Layer – to form or arrange parts or pieces of something on top of each other : to form or arrange (something) in layers.

Raisins – a dried grape used for food.

Candied – cooked in or covered with sugar.

Peel – the skin of a fruit.

Succulent – full of juice.

Enhance – to increase or improve (something).

News video