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tarta de Santiago dusted with icing sugar.
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4.89 from 54 votes

Spanish Almond Cake (Tarta de Santiago Recipe)

This is my favorite tarta de Santiago recipe, a popular Spanish almond cake that is typically made in Galicia.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Cake
Cuisine: Spanish
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 323.41kcal

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

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 323.41kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.95g | Protein: 9.4g | Fat: 16.48g | Saturated Fat: 1.84g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 102.3mg | Sodium: 39.41mg | Potassium: 39.69mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 32.27g | Vitamin A: 149.24IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 77.02mg | Iron: 1.58mg