Spanish Almond Cake (Tarta de Santiago)

Baking recipes can be intimidating for most people because there are so many things that can go wrong or there are simply too many steps to take.

Fortunately, the Spanish almond cake ends with this prejudice of the pastry shop. It is an easy recipe to make, with 3 key steps and only a couple of ingredients.

This authentic Spanish dessert has been a star of Spanish kitchens for dozens of years, and here you will learn a little more about its history, how to make this almond cake recipe, and the different changes you can make in it.

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Background of the Dish

This Spanish almond cake is actually known as Tarta de Santiago, and it is an extremely popular dessert and one of the best Spanish desserts. 

Although there is no exact date of its creation, there is a historical record that allows us to know a little more about it. 

In the year 1577 at the University of Santiago, an almond cake was prepared to receive Pedro, and it is considered that this cake was what we know today as Tarta de Santiago

It was only in 1900 that the decoration of the Santiago cross began to be added. 

You can eat them at any time of the year, and they are sold on a large scale between July and August because 25 July is the day of Santiago Apostol.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Almond Cake

To make this almond flour cake recipe you’ll only need a handful of ingredients and some basic kitchen tools. 

This Spanish dessert recipe consists basically of eggs, ground almonds, and granulated sugar, and you can find all of this at your local store without any problem.

As well as other Spanish dessert recipes, you will be able to make some changes in the recipe, but I’ll talk about them later. 

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (250 gr) white sugar
• 2 1/4 cups (250 gr) ground almonds
• lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• powdered sugar (to decorate)

How to Make Spanish Almond Cake – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this Tarta de Santiago Recipe, put the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl and combine them together. 

2. After that, add the eggs one at a time while beating the mixture until you get a light cake batter. You can do this by hand or with the help of a hand mixer. Since it is a light batter, you won’t have any problem doing it by hand, and you can take it as an extra workout. 

3. Up next, add the lemon zest, cinnamon and mix everything.

4. Brush a round mold (22 cm in diameter) with oil or butter and sprinkle with flour (so that the cake doesn’t stick). 

5. Then fill the mold with the batter and bake at 180ºC for 30 minutes or until it is cooked and lightly browned. When it’s done, remove it from the oven and let it cool. You can insert a toothpick, and when it comes out dry, it means that your cake is done. 

6. To decorate the cake, you can just sprinkle some powdered sugar on top or make a classic cross of Santiago decoration. 

7. For the classic decoration place, a template of the Cross of Santiago on it and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Remove the template carefully so that you form the silhouette of the cross. And that’s it, your almond flour dessert is ready.

Substitution of Ingredients

One thing that makes this recipe stand out from other Spanish almond cake recipes, is that it is completely gluten-free. 

Some other almond desserts combine ground almonds with flour, but in this case, you won’t need any. 

With that being said, this is a dense type of cake, so if you are looking for a fluffier one (even though it’ll stop being the classic version), you can add one teaspoon of baking powder and make a mix of 125g of almond flour and 125g of all-purpose flour. 

Another change that you can make to this Spanish cake is to add vanilla extract. 

Or you can also serve it with a spoon of vanilla ice cream on top, or some whipped cream to make a mesmerizing dessert.

If you liked this recipe then you should definitely try other Spanish recipes such as Churros, Spanish Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Spanish Flan Recipe, and my personal favorite, the Spanish bar cake.

Tips on Serving Spanish Almond Cake

As well as other Spanish cakes, this Spanish almond cake can be eaten at any time of the day, whether it is for breakfast, dessert, or afternoon snacks.

It is a traditional Spanish almond cake, so the ideal moment for serving it would be after lunch and eating it with a cup of tea or coffee. 

The best part about this Spanish cake recipe is that it is gluten-free, so if you clean your equipment properly, then you can serve it to anyone and they’ll be delighted to try it. 

Give a try to our Spanish cheesecake recipe, if you want to impress your guests with a burnt basque cheesecake.

The Spanish olive oil cake is also a simple and delicious recipe for when you want something light and aromatic.

And if you like desserts with almonds, make sure you try the Spanish almond cookies or the Spanish marzipan desserts.

There is one dessert recipe from Spain that will blow your mind and that is the Spanish almond soup – a sweet almond and milk soup, spiced with cinnamon and lemon.

How to Store Spanish Almond Cake

The same way that it happens with other almond dessert recipes, is that they don’t freeze well.

So if you are making this almond flour cake the best thing you can do is to store it at room temperature until you eat it. 

The Spanish almond cake will last up to 3 days stored at room temperature, and the flavor will still be delicious. 

Recipe Card: Spanish Almond Cake

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