This is the traditional cake eaten by pilgrims on the way to Santiago. It doesn’t use milk or butter, like many Jewish cakes served with meat meals to maintain the prohibition against eating milk and meat together. That leads some scholars to suspect it was originally a recipe of the Spanish Jews, who were forced out of the country in 1492 by the Inquisition.
This recipe serves 15-20. It’s great for a party, especially when presented in a silicone hamsa mold, perhaps a return to its Middle Eastern roots.
Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake)
This Tarta de Santiago is a light Spanish almond cake rich with citrus zest, sweet egg yolks, and sifted sugar, baked to a tender crumb and topped with a crisp stencil of powdered sugar. Free of milk or butter, it’s elegant yet simple—perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound ground blanched almonds 340 grams
- 9 large eggs separated
- 2 scant cups superfine or regular sugar 380 grams
- Grated zest of 1 1/2 oranges
- Grated zest of 1 1/2 lemons
- 6 drops almond extract
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Grease a large mold or a 16-inch springform pan, preferably nonstick, with oil and dust it with flour.
- With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar to a smooth pale cream. Beat in the zests and almond extract.
- Add the ground almonds and mix very well.
- With clean beaters, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the whites to the stiff yolk mixture and stir well to loosen and lighten it up. Fold the remaining whites into the mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan or mold, and bake into a preheated 350°F for 40 minutes, or until it feels firm to the touch. Let cool before turning out.
- Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with confectioners’ sugar. You can also use a stencil: Place it in the middle of the cake, and dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar, then remove the paper.
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