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Tarta de santiago

Torta de Santiago in Galician, Tarta de Santiago in Spanish or St. James Cake is a traditional cake that is made with almonds, lemon zest, sugar and eggs. It is a symbol of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. A delicious reward when you complte the Camino de Santiago. Easy to make and delicious. 

by Maria jose

Galicia, spain

Tarta de santiago

step by step

step 1: Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl.

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step 2: Beat in the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest.

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step 3: Slowly mix in the almond flour until fully incorporated.

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step 4: Line a circular baking pan with butter and pour the dough in the center of the pan.

Love Tip: You can shake the pan or tap it on the table so that the dough is evenly dispersed.

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step 5: Cook at 320°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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step 6: Allow cake to cool.

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step 7: Place a Santiago Cross stencil on the cake and sift powdered sugar on top.

ingredients

  • 4 large eggs

  • 200 grams of sugar

  • teaspoon of cinnamon

  • Zest of 1 lemon

  • 250 grams of almond flour (super fine almond flour works best but you can also make homemade flour through grinding almonds in a food processor.)

the story:

Maria Jose, home-cook extraordinaire and founder of Laurel y Canela , a popular Galician food blog, shows us how to make one of Galicia's most prized desserts, The Tarta de Santiago (Torta in Galician). This cake consists of almonds, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs (the pie crust is optional). Tarta de Santiago translates to the Cake of Saint James. Saint James is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and is the patron Saint of Spain. It is believed that the remains of Saint James reside in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world take part in the "Camino de Santiago" or "The Way of Saint James," a spiritual pilgrimage in Western Europe whose many paths lead to  Santiago de Compostela. Upon walking down the cobblestone alleys of the renowned and glorious city of Santiago de Compostela one will undoubtedly be greeted by hostesses offering a piece of the cake at the doors of their gift shops and restaurants.

 

Fun Fact: To protect the integrity of the cake, the European Union granted it PGI status (protected geographical indication) status, accordingly the cake's filling must contains at least 33% almonds and it can only be made and sold as the "Tarta de Santiago" in Galicia Spain. Special thanks to Beladona for the amazing Galician Music!

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