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 mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Cake
Cuisine: Spanish
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 323.41kcal
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
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.
- 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.
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