Tarta de Santiago
Ingredients
- 2 cups (about 280 g) blanched almonds
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp orujo (or vodka, Cointreau, amaretto or grappa)
- Butter, for the pan
- Icing sugar, for dusting
Sold in every pastry shop along the Camino de Santiago, the tarta de Santiago is a naturally flourless cake of ground almonds, eggs and sugar. This version keeps the almonds freshly ground in a food processor, beats the eggs and sugar until pale, and flavours the batter with lemon zest, cinnamon and a spoonful of orujo, the Galician grape spirit. It bakes to a golden, moist round, and once cool a paper stencil of the cross of Saint James is laid on top before the cake is dusted with icing sugar, leaving the cross outlined on the surface.
Method
Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and butter a 25 cm springform pan.
Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely ground, stopping before they turn to paste.
Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and creamy, then add the lemon zest, liquor and cinnamon.
Fold in the ground almonds with a spatula and pour the batter into the pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan before unmolding.
Lay a paper stencil of the cross of Saint James on the cooled cake, dust generously with icing sugar and lift the stencil away carefully.
