Tarta de Santiago, a Spanish almond cake, is one of the most popular desserts in Spain. This traditional tarta de Santiago recipe combines ground almonds, sugar, and eggs for a quick, moist, and gluten free cake that's easy to make at home in less than one hour!
If you're looking for more delicious cake recipes, be sure to try my recipes for lemon olive oil cake and Spanish magdalenas.
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Introduction
One of the first Spanish desserts I fell head over heels for was the tarta de Santiago, a simple almond cake that hails from Galicia, but is found on nearly any dessert menu in Spain.
When I first tried this dessert, I was surprised that this humble cake tasted like a handful of almonds—and I was delighted! The almond cakes I grew up eating were flavored with almond extract, which is quite different from the almond sweets here in Spain, where the star of the show is always the raw almond.
When I decided to make tarta de Santiago at home, I was hoping to get that perfect almond taste and dense, yet somehow light, texture. I tried four different recipes, including one from nuns, but it wasn’t until a came across an old, scribbled recipe in my one of my mother-in-law’s old cookbooks that I found a winner.
I’m excited to share this perfect Spanish almond cake recipe with you!
Ingredients
There are only seven simple ingredients in this tarta de Santiago so you can easily make this Spanish cake whenever you're craving it. Let's talk about the most important ingredients!
- Almonds: I love using Spanish Marcona almonds, but any will do. The traditional Tarta de Santiago recipe uses raw blanched almonds, as the skins can add bitterness. You can optionally toast your almonds for a deeper flavor.
- Lemon Zest: I use the zest from half a lemon for the perfect lemon flavor. Feel free to add more, or omit it entirely.
- Cinnamon: I love the addition of cinnamon to this cake, though many people omit.
- Liquor: The liquor adds moisture and a bit of flavor if you're using a flavored liquor.
- Powdered Sugar: A must for the decoration of the cake! If you can, download a stencil of the Saint James Cross to decorate your Spanish almond cake the traditional way.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Almonds: And if you must substitute another nut, hazelnuts work beautifully.
- Lemon Zest: You can substitute orange zest.
- Liquor: Substitute vanilla, lemon, or almond extract.
How to Make
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar.
- Beat until the mixture lightens in color.
- Add the lemon zest.
- Add the liquor.
- Add the cinnamon and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the ground almonds.
- Make sure there's no pockets of unincorporated almonds.
- Grease a mold.
- Add the batter, then bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30-40 minutes (until light brown and a toothpick comes out clean).
- When the cake is done, allow it to cool. Cut out a Saint James cross to make a stencil.
- Cover the cake with the cutout and dust with powdered sugar.
- When the cake is totally covered with powdered sugar, carefully remove the stencil. Voila! A beautiful tarta de Santiago!
- Enjoy this tarta de Santiago.
Recipe FAQs
The most basic ingredients are ground almonds, sugar, eggs, and it's flavored with lemon zest and liquor. I like to add a little bit of cinnamon for extra flavor, too!
The first mention of this Spanish almond cake dates back to 1577. It was known for being a mix of equal parts almonds, eggs, and sugar.
It is! A traditional tarta de Santiago recipe does not include any wheat flour (only ground almonds). This makes the Spanish almond cake recipe naturally gluten free.
It is named after Santiago de Compostela and Saint James (Santiago), the patron saint of Galicia. That's why it's decorated with the Saint James cross.
Serve
If you're looking for some other Spanish desserts, you'll want to try these recipes for chocolate olive oil cake, Spanish flan, torijas, and tortas de la abuela.
Store
Leftovers: Store the cake at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap or an airtight container. It can keep outside of the fridge for up to three days.
Freezing: Freeze slices of the cake for up to three months.
Expert Tips
- Weigh the almonds and sugar for accurate measurements.
- Make sure the eggs are at room temperature so they incorporate more smoothly.
- Be careful not to overbake the cake!
- If you're using a smaller pan, be sure to increase the baking time a little and check with a toothpick for doneness.
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Spanish Almond Cake (Tarta de Santiago Recipe)
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups blanched almonds toasted if desired
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- lemon zest from half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon orujo (Galician grape liquor) or vodka, Cointreau, Amaretto, Grappa, vanilla or almond extract
Toppings
- powdered sugar for dusting
- fresh fruit optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 10-inch (25 cm) springform pan with butter.
- Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely ground, however be careful not to turn the mixture to almond butter by over processing.
- Beat the egg and sugar until the mixture is pale and creamy, then add the lemon zest, liquor, and cinnamon.
- Fold in the ground almonds using a rubber spatula and pour in the almond cake batter.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. If it's not baked at 30 minutes, cover the cake with aluminum foil and bake for 5 more minutes, then test again.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan, and then transfer to a serving dish.
- Print out a cross of Saint James, cut it out, and place on the cake. Decorate with powdered sugar, then remove the cross stencil.
- Serve the cake in slices with the fresh fruit if desired.
Notes
- Weigh the almonds and sugar for accurate measurements.
- Make sure the eggs are at room temperature so they incorporate more smoothly.
- Be careful not to overbake the cake!
- If you're using a smaller pan, be sure to increase the baking time a little and check with a toothpick for doneness.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
LizTD
This is hands down the best and most loved came in my house. I use almond flour rather than grinding the almonds and it makes the process easy, with a great texture. The fact that it is naturally GF makes celiac family members happy - no hacks involved to make the cake work!
martha
Just made this today and it worked out perfectly. I blanched the almonds to skin them, dried them ground them and then weighed the volume. It's a favorite of ours here and in Galicia