Tarta de Santiago
Flourless almond cake dusted with sugar.
Ingredients
- 250 g Almonds
- 4 Egg
- 200 g Sugar
- 1 Orange
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
Method
- Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F); grind the almonds.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, then fold in the almonds, orange zest, and ground cinnamon.
- Bake until set and golden, about 30 minutes.
- Cool and dust thickly with sugar.
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About Tarta de Santiago
Tarta de Santiago is the almond cake of Galicia in northwest Spain, traditionally tied to Santiago de Compostela and the pilgrimage that ends there. It is flourless by design, built entirely on ground almonds, eggs, and sugar, which makes it naturally gluten-free and gives it a dense, moist, marzipan-like crumb rather than the airy lift of a wheat cake. Its signature is the powdered-sugar top stencilled with the cross of Saint James, a decoration so iconic that the plain sugar dusting here is really the cake's finished face. A little orange zest and cinnamon lend the regional warmth that distinguishes it from a generic almond sponge.
Because almonds carry the whole structure, the cake tastes richly of them: sweet, slightly bitter, and fragrant, with citrus brightening the edges and cinnamon adding depth. The texture is close and tender, almost fudgy near the center, and it keeps well for days as the flavors settle. Galicians serve it with coffee or a small glass of something after a meal, and it needs nothing more than its sugar cloak. Whisking the eggs and sugar pale before folding in the almonds is what keeps it from turning leaden, so don't rush that step.
Tarta de Santiago: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Tarta de Santiago?
A serving has about 318 calories — 9.9g protein, 33.2g carbs, 18g fat, 4.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Tarta de Santiago gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Tarta de Santiago has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Tarta de Santiago take to make?
About 50 minutes start to finish, but only around 15 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Tarta de Santiago make?
This recipe makes 8 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.