Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake)

cross outlined by powdered sugar on top of spanish almond cake on counter.

Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake)

This Tarta de Santiago - also known as Spanish Almond Cake - is a classic Spanish dessert. Easy to make with just a few ingredients, this cake is bursting with almonds and topped with the signature cross!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Spanish

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings

Author Alba Luna Meyer

Ingredients

4 eggs
6 ounces granulated sugar, approximately (see notes)
6 ounces almond flour or peeled, raw almonds, approximately (see notes)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
Weigh the eggs (without the shells) to determine how much of the rest of the ingredients you’ll need (see notes).
Make the almond flour by placing the raw almonds in a food processor and pulse a few times, scraping the sides as needed, until you have a fine powder. Be careful not to overprocess.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric hand or stand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the almond flour, cinnamon, and lemon zest and whisk well to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly with a spatula.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden and crunchy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The exact baking time may vary depending on your oven.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Once cooled, remove it from the pan.
When the cake is completely cool, place a paper stencil of Santiago’s cross on top and dust with powdered sugar all over. Carefully lift off the stencil to reveal the cross shape on the cake.

Notes

For the best consistency, use a kitchen scale to weigh your eggs without shells and use the same amount of almond flour and sugar as the weight of the eggs (e.g. if your eggs weigh 6 ounces, use 6 ounces of almond flour and 6 ounces of sugar).
For the best taste, make your own almond flour at home by blanching raw almonds in boiling water and then rubbing off the skins. Pulse the almonds in a food processor for 10-15 seconds at a time, scraping the sides and avoiding overprocessing.
Flavor the cake with cinnamon powder and lemon zest, or leave it plain to let the almond flavor shine. You can also add vanilla extract if you want, but this is less traditional.
The raw batter should be quite thick. When cooked, the cake should have a thin golden crust on top and bottom, but the inside should be crumbly and slightly moist.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan before removing it since it is particularly fragile when hot.

Nutrition

This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.