Tarta de Santiago
This delicious, moist, simple almond cake is from the town of Santiago de
Compostela in the northwest corner of Spain where the remains of the Apostle St.
James are buried. For centuries and today many people (Christians and non-
Christians) make the pilgrimage across Spain to Santiago by foot, bike or horseback.
Traditionally, the Tart de Santiago, is decorated by placing a paper stencil of a cross
on top and dusted with powder sugar.
For 8
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cup sugar
4 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup milk
Pinch of cinnamon
2 and 2/3 cups ground almond
Powdered sugar to decorate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch cake pan and dust with a little flour.
Mix together flour, baking power, and salt. In a separate bowl cream the butter
until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Slowly add eggs one at a time. Stir in
Lemon Zest. Add the flour, baking powder and salt (dry ingredients) alternately
with the milk, to the creamed butter, sugar, egg mixture - beginning and ending
with the dry ingredients. Fold in ground almonds and a pinch of cinnamon. Pour
into greased cake pan and level the top. Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 35
minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean. Remove from
oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert from pan and cool completely. Dust
with powdered sugar.
Cross Stencil
Cut a regular sized piece of paper, 11x8 ½ inches, in half to 8 ½x 5 ½ inches. Fold in
quarters and cut and “L” shape out along the folded edges. Unfold and you have a
cross stencil. Once the cake is completely cooled place cross on top of the cake and
dust with powdered sugar. Remove stencil.
This delicious, moist, simple almond cake is from the town of Santiago de
Compostela in the northwest corner of Spain where the remains of the Apostle St.
James are buried. For centuries and today many people (Christians and non-
Christians) make the pilgrimage across Spain to Santiago by foot, bike or horseback.
Traditionally, the Tart de Santiago, is decorated by placing a paper stencil of a cross
on top and dusted with powder sugar.
For 8
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cup sugar
4 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup milk
Pinch of cinnamon
2 and 2/3 cups ground almond
Powdered sugar to decorate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch cake pan and dust with a little flour.
Mix together flour, baking power, and salt. In a separate bowl cream the butter
until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Slowly add eggs one at a time. Stir in
Lemon Zest. Add the flour, baking powder and salt (dry ingredients) alternately
with the milk, to the creamed butter, sugar, egg mixture - beginning and ending
with the dry ingredients. Fold in ground almonds and a pinch of cinnamon. Pour
into greased cake pan and level the top. Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 35
minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean. Remove from
oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert from pan and cool completely. Dust
with powdered sugar.
Cross Stencil
Cut a regular sized piece of paper, 11x8 ½ inches, in half to 8 ½x 5 ½ inches. Fold in
quarters and cut and “L” shape out along the folded edges. Unfold and you have a
cross stencil. Once the cake is completely cooled place cross on top of the cake and
dust with powdered sugar. Remove stencil.
