One-Bowl Baking

Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake)

by:
April 21, 2024
4.4
7 Ratings
Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake)
Photo by Elvin Abril
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

Tarta de Santiago is a strikingly beautiful yet simple almond cake that originated in medieval Galicia, Spain. Named after St. James, the patron saint of Spain, it is traditionally adorned with his cross. Although it’s typically made entirely from almond flour, I took some creative liberties by mixing in equal parts hazelnut flour—don’t tell the Spanish. My first encounter with this dessert was in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where many local bakeries uphold Spanish baking traditions. Typically, the cooled cake is dusted with powdered sugar over a stencil of a St James cross. Once you remove the stencil, it reveals the cross shape (you can search for and download an image to use as a stencil). This is not a necessary step, though, and the cake is otherwise straightforward to make, requiring no special equipment other than a tart pan, which imparts beautiful ridged edges.
—César Pérez

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup (200 grams) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup (96 grams) almond flour
  • 1 cup (112 grams) hazelnut flour
  • Butter for greasing tart pan
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together eggs, caster sugar, and vanilla until slightly pale and aerated.
  2. With a spoon or rubber spatula, stir in salt, lemon zest, cinnamon, almond flour, and hazelnut flour. Set aside.
  3. Cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan with a removal bottom. Grease the tart pan generously with butter. Place the parchment circle in the bottom of the pan and grease that generously with butter as well.
  4. Pour batter into your prepared tart pan and place that on a baking sheet. Place into your preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove cake from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack for at least half an hour. Press up on the bottom of the tart pan, releasing the cake from the tart pan. Transfer cake back onto the cooling rack and if using the stencil, place in the middle of the cake. Dust generously with powdered sugar and remove stencil carefully to reveal the iconic cross in the center of your Tarta de Santiago.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Linda Wurm
    Linda Wurm
  • Nicole Davis
    Nicole Davis
  • César Pérez
    César Pérez
  • Christina E.
    Christina E.

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10 Reviews

Christina E.
Christina E. May 2, 2024
I made this recipe as soon as I read it on your website and I’m so glad I did! It was so delicious and easy to make! The texture was delicate and practically would melt on my tongue! Not too sweet and just a hint of citrus. This little gem would not be out of place in any fancy patisserie’s front window display!
 
emsolberg@sbcglobal.net
[email protected] May 1, 2024
Wonderful recipe! I can't wait to make it. How do you access the video?
 
Linda W.
Linda W. April 29, 2024
Delectable and easy! I used all almond flour and toasted it a bit. Lots of compliments!
 
Lm1212
Lm1212 April 25, 2024
Love the video recipe for this, looks so good! Just checking the cup measurements for the nut flours here - are they meant to be 1/2 cups? The grams seem to add up anyway 👍
 
Nicole D.
Nicole D. April 26, 2024
Hi Lm1212! Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, they're full cups!
 
koogunmo
koogunmo April 24, 2024
Great Recipe, thanks!
 
SZ
SZ April 24, 2024
Great recipe. Easy to follow and delicious!
 
Gina
Gina April 23, 2024
This is not the actual recipe for the Santiago cake, as traditionally made in Santiago, Spain. There are more differences than the flour change, as the original recipe does not call for flour at all. Instead you finely grind whole almonds, use more eggs, as well as almond seasoning. I have walked the Camino and ate Santiago cake in many different establishments. It is in Santiago that I obtained the recipe.
 
César P.
César P. April 23, 2024
If you read the description I touch on that. This recipe also doesn’t have flour. Giving it a one star review without cooking through it because you walked El Camino de Santiago isn’t how the review system is meant to be used.
 
LULULAND
LULULAND April 26, 2024
Hello, is there anyway you could email me the recipe? [email protected]. I hope this comment is ok.