Tarta de Santiago — the Spanish almond cake, Galicia’s signature

Tarta de Santiago is Galicia’s most famous dessert in north-western Spain, named after the region’s capital, a well-known pilgrimage site at the Cathedral of Saint James. The original recipe is centuries old and is distinguished by the Cross of Saint James (la cruz de Santiago) drawn on its surface with powdered sugar. It is made only with ground almonds, sugar, eggs and lemon zest — with no flour at all, so it is also ideal for those avoiding gluten. The texture is dense and moist, with the characteristic aroma of almonds and lemon.

Ingredients (for a 22–24 cm tin, 10–12 servings):

• 250 g ground almonds (almond flour)
• 200 g sugar
• 4 large eggs
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• Powdered sugar for decoration
• Butter and flour for greasing the tin (or baking paper)

Preparation steps:

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-assisted).
2. Grease the round tin with butter and dust it with flour, or line it with baking paper.
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture turns pale and thickens.
4. Add the grated lemon zest and the cinnamon; mix well.
5. Add the ground almonds a little at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon until you get a smooth batter.
6. Pour the batter into the tin and level the surface.
7. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the surface turns golden and a skewer comes out dry.
8. Leave it to cool completely in the tin, then turn it out onto a plate.
9. Cut a template of the Cross of Saint James from paper, place it in the centre of the cake, dust with powdered sugar and carefully remove the paper — the cross remains visible against the cake’s golden colour.

Preparation time: 15 minutes; baking: 30–35 minutes. Servings: 10–12.