Tarta de Santiago (St. James' Cake)
Santiago (St. James) is the patron saint of Spain and this delicious almond cake is named in his honor.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 8 persons
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔cups almonds
- 4large eggs
- 1 ¼cups sugar
- ½cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾cup flour
- ½teaspoon baking powder
- ½cup water
- 1lemon, zested
- Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
Blanch the almonds, then using a grinder or a food processor, grind the almonds until fine and set aside.Step 2
Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease a round 8-inch springform pan .Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together. Add the butter, flour, baking powder, and water and beat with an electric hand mixer until well combined.Step 4
Stir the almonds into the batter. Add the lemon zest and stir until thoroughly mixed.Step 5
Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Check doneness after 45 minutes—cake is done if a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.Step 6
The traditional way to decorate the cake is to sprinkle powdered sugar with a cut-out of the sword of St. James or a cross on top. To create a cross, use any clean piece of paper folded in fourths to cut out a cross. Then, after the cake has cooled, place the cross in the center of the cake and dust the top with confectioners' sugar . A small flour sifter works well for this job. Remove the paper to reveal the silhouette.Step 7
Serve and enjoy!