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Maria Jose's 

Tarta de Santiago Recipe 

Maria Jose, home-cook extraordinaire shows you how to make one of Galicia's most prized desserts, The Tarta de Santiago (Torta in Galician). 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 contain at least 33% almonds and it can only be made and sold as the "Tarta de Santiago" in Galicia Spain. To check out more recipes by Maria Jose, visit her food blog, Laurel y Canela!

Special thanks to Beladona for the amazing Galician Music!

tarta de santiago recipe
step by step recipe:

form the dough (optional)

  1. In a mixing bowl, Mix together all the dough ingredients to form a soft homogeneous ball.  Let it rest 30 minutes as you prepare the filling. (you can make the Tarta de Santiago without the dough)

form the filling

  1. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl

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

  3. Slowly mix in the almond flour until it is fully incorporated and mixed throughout

cake filling ingredients:

  • 200 grams (1 cup) of organic sugar 

  • 4 large eggs

  • Tsp of ground cinnamon

  • Zest from 1 lemon

  • 250 grams (2.5 cups) of almond flour  (super fine almond flour works best but you can also make homemade flour through grinding almonds in a food processor.)

  • Powdered sugar to decorate the cake

  • 100 grams of pastry flour

  • 3 tablespoons of whole milk

  • 3 tablespoon of seed or vegetable oil

  • One pinch of sea salt

  • 1 tablespoon of sugar

cake dough ingredients:

​form the cake crust (optional)​ 

  1. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and use a rolling pin to stretch the dough until it is thin. 

  2. Grease a pie mold and line it with the dough.

  3. Fill the crust with the almond filling

bake and decorate the cake​

  1. Bake at 320 °F (155 °C) for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

  2. Allow cake to cool, place a tracer with the Santiago Cross on the cake and sift powdered sugar on top.

gluten free version or version with the crust

  1. Form the filling, pour it into a greased or baking paper lined 9 inch spring pan, and decorate it.

*We have done this version several times and the taste and consistency still come out perfectly...plus it's less calories!

EGypT

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