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Tarta de Santiago Recipe

aname4me

aname4me
Time of past OR future Camino
2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, (2021)
One of the things I like about Galicia was... the appearance of the Tarta de Santiago

I have been trying to find the recipe.
I didn't know is was gluten free.

Before I dirty my kitchen trying this, does anyone have any improvements, suggestions, a better recipe?


Tarta de Santiago Recipe, a Spanish Almond Cake
http://www.thevintagemixer.com/2013/03/tarta-de-santiago-recipe-a-spanish-almond-cake-from-spain/
Ingredients
1/2 pound (1 3/4 cups) whole almonds, preferably blanched
6 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 drops almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions
Finely grind the almonds in a food processor.
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. Fold them into the egg and almond mixture (the mixture is thick, so that you will need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites).
Grease an 11-inch springform pan, preferably nonstick, with butter and dust it with flour or spray with cooking spray. Pour in the cake batter, 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. Or, if you like, cut a St. James cross out of paper. Place it in the middle of the cake, and dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, then remove the paper.
 
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Grinding blanched almonds in a food processor can result in almond paste! It is better to buy almond flour. The best taste comes from the Spanish marcona almonds, so try to find them. You may have to use your food processor on them, so process carefully.
 
I have been making this cake a lot recently and use ground almonds. My guests have loved it, especially with the cross of Saint James on the top (bought in a kitchen shop in Santiago). It has become the dessert of this summer especially served with a dollop of cream or ice cream. Mmmmm...fattening.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
My wife makes a fine tarta de Santiago, far better than anything I tried in Santiago itself other than one small shop that makes and sells the traditional versions.
 
This is the recipe I use, but it is not gluten free. And I skip the blanch the almond part as I buy ground almond meal. The picture on side is one I have made. I use a spring form pan.

This delicious almond cake is named in honor of St. James the Greater, the patron saint of Spain. It originated in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, the reputed burial place of St. James. Today, this cake is sold all over Santiago de Compostela and is quite popular with both tourists and pilgrims.

Tarta de Santiago

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups ground almonds* (I use Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour)

3/4 cup Flour

1 1/4 cup Sugar

4 Eggs

8 Tbsp butter (1 cube) at room temperature

1/2 tsp baking Powder

1/2 cup Water

zest of 1 Lemon

powdered sugar to decorate

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a round 10-inch spring form pan.

Blanch the almonds, then using a grinder or a food processor, grind the almonds until fine and set aside.

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. Stir the almonds into the batter. Grate the lemon and add the zest and stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake in oven on the middle rack at 350 F degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes. Check after 45 minutes. Cake is done if a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

The traditional way to decorate is to sprinkle powdered sugar on the top, with a cutout of a cross or a shell, to symbolize St. James, on top. To make a cross, you can print out this picture of the cruz santiago that I am going to use, or you could 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 powdered sugar.


Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Yields: 8-10 servings

http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2008/07/tarta-de-santiago-st-james-cake.html
 
One of the things I like about Galicia was... the appearance of the Tarta de Santiago

I have been trying to find the recipe.
I didn't know is was gluten free.

Before I dirty my kitchen trying this, does anyone have any improvements, suggestions, a better recipe?


Tarta de Santiago Recipe, a Spanish Almond Cake
http://www.thevintagemixer.com/2013/03/tarta-de-santiago-recipe-a-spanish-almond-cake-from-spain/
Ingredients
1/2 pound (1 3/4 cups) whole almonds, preferably blanched
6 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 drops almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions
Finely grind the almonds in a food processor.
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. Fold them into the egg and almond mixture (the mixture is thick, so that you will need to turn it over quite a bit into the egg whites).
Grease an 11-inch springform pan, preferably nonstick, with butter and dust it with flour or spray with cooking spray. Pour in the cake batter, 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. Or, if you like, cut a St. James cross out of paper. Place it in the middle of the cake, and dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, then remove the paper.

I have used a very similar recipe for years with excellent results.

Very easy.

Enjoy!
 
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My recipe is a little different.
140gms ground almonds (ie almond flour)
115 gms sugar
2 eggs
grated lemon peel (lemon zest)
half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
icing sugar - to decorate

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the sugar, grated lemon peel and cinnamon, beat again. Add the almonds and beat well until smooth. Pour into a baking tin and cook at 200C until firm and golden coloured. Sprinkle with the icing sugar and leave to cool.
I usually use a glass dish and leave the tarta in it. I f you use a tin then it has to be removed before decorating. A loose bottom tin is best. Sprinkling the base of the tin/dish with flour/rice flour makes it easier to remove the tarta from the tin.

The only problem...........it gets eaten to quickly, even if I double the quantities :)
 
My wife makes a fine tarta de Santiago, far better than anything I tried in Santiago itself other than one small shop that makes and sells the traditional versions.
And that shop would be where exactly????
 
And that shop would be where exactly????
I will have to check with the other half and report back to you (typical guy I know how to walk to it but I have forgotten the name of the shop)
 
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Found the rough location and street image

It is on Cantón do Toural - maybe somebody knows the name
 

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I made the Tarta de Santiago recipe (the one I start this thread with).

I am a bit disappointed. The recipe was easy enough to make, and turned out well.
What was missing was the Almond flavor.
I tasted a few of the almonds, that I bought to grind up, they were missing the Almond flavor.
Not uncommon in northern Canada.

Now, the quest is.... to find fresh and tasty whole Almonds, that are available on the Internet in Canada/USA.
Edandjoan mentioned Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour

Any suggestions?
On Amazon.com would be nice.
 
I made the Tarta de Santiago recipe (the one I start this thread with).

I am a bit disappointed. The recipe was easy enough to make, and turned out well.
What was missing was the Almond flavor.
I tasted a few of the almonds, that I bought to grind up, they were missing the Almond flavor.
Not uncommon in northern Canada.

Now, the quest is.... to find fresh and tasty whole Almonds, that are available on the Internet in Canada/USA.
Edandjoan mentioned Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour

Any suggestions?
On Amazon.com would be nice.

I find that the pre ground almond flour/meal has almost no almond flavor. Next time add a few extra drops of a pure almond extract to your ground nuts if they are lacking in flavor.
 
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I find that the pre ground almond flour/meal has almost no almond flavor. Next time add a few extra drops of a pure almond extract to your ground nuts if they are lacking in flavor.
Better still, grow your own almonds....
When I was a child we had two almond trees growing in our yard - you had to have two, one male, one female. Improved horticulture has probably done away with that. Beautiful blossoms in spring. Our fox terrier was adept at cracking open the nuts when they fell to the ground.
I'd plant a couple of trees but our winter is too warm.
You can make your own stencil for the St James cross - baking paper works.
 
I find that the pre ground almond flour/meal has almost no almond flavor. Next time add a few extra drops of a pure almond extract to your ground nuts if they are lacking in flavor.
Yes, Monk Moses is correct -- add almond flavoring, and, as he says, add in drops. It is quite strong. Most recipes only call for 1/4 of a teaspoon. If you can find bitter almonds you could use those (if you dare). They are prohibited in the USA, because they can deadly if used incorrectly. Almond flavoring is harmless, but it is strong. I use it often in recipes.
 
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Or, while in Santiago, drop into the convent around the corner from the cathedral and order a fresh one to go! I tasted many versions (along the Camino and in SdC), and hands down my preference was the one the nuns baked! :D (they whip up loads of other goodies too!!)
 
A two layer version.

Tarta de Santiago

No one knows exactly why this almond cake was named after the apostle St. James (Santiago). For centuries each cake has been marked with the
cross of the knights of Santiago. This delightfully moist cake is packed with ground almonds and then coated in powdered sugar for a beautiful white cake, a perfect dessert for the holidays.

Prep Time: 40 min.[PT40M]

Cook Time: 45 min.[PT45M]

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar plus 1/4 teaspoon for topping
1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 lb Marcona almonds, finely ground
7 eggs, separated
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 teaspoon brandy (optional)
Chopped or ground toasted almonds for garnish

Preparation:
Cream 1 cup sugar, lemon rind, and egg yolks until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Stir in the almonds and cinnamon.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry.

Stir a few tablespoons of the egg white into the almond mixture, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Pour into 2 greased 8-inch layer pans and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until the cakes are well browned. Cool briefly, then remove the cakes from the pans.

To make topping, whip 1/2 pint of whipping cream, 1/4 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon very strong brandy (optional) until stiff.

Spread between the cake layers, then coat the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped almonds.

An alternative is to use the filling inside, then sprinkle the top with powdered sugar after placing a 4-inch Cross of Santiago in the center. The end result is a brown cross on a field of powdered sugar.

Adapted from Foods and Wine of Spain by Penelope Casas
 
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So I've tried to make a tarta de Santiago again and have the same problem I reported last Dec. in this other thread: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/tarta-de-santiago.9791/

When I beat the egg whites separately, the whole cake rises in the oven, but then sinks back unevenly so that the sides are higher than the middle. I see such perfectly shaped cakes in this thread and others and wonder what I am doing wrong. Hoping for help from the experts.
 
I made the Tarta de Santiago recipe (the one I start this thread with).

I am a bit disappointed. The recipe was easy enough to make, and turned out well.
What was missing was the Almond flavor.
I tasted a few of the almonds, that I bought to grind up, they were missing the Almond flavor.
Not uncommon in northern Canada.

Now, the quest is.... to find fresh and tasty whole Almonds, that are available on the Internet in Canada/USA.
Edandjoan mentioned Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour

Any suggestions?
On Amazon.com would be nice.

Tienda.com imports Spanish products. They have blanched Marcona almonds available but they are a little expensive at $29.95 U.S. for 2.2 lbs. These are the real Spanish almonds.
 
Hola Laurie,
Do you have to open the oven door to see how the cake is cooking. If so it might be the cooler air getting into the oven which makes the cake sink; same as with a Victoria Sponge.
It might be that the cake is not fully cooked when you take it out of the oven - I did that the other day. (The oven wasn't quite hot enough I think)
My recipe (above) uses whole eggs not just the whites, maybe that makes a difference. The tarta usually rises higher in the centre then settles back, as it cools, to be flat.
 
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Thanks, Tia, I do use the whole egg, but several posts here recommend beating the egg whites till stiff to make the cake less dense, since there's no flour. I was wondering if separating the egg whites and beating them is responsible for the uneven height. Maybe I'll try it again without separating. So I'm assuming that you don't separate the whites from the yolks, just plop in the whole egg?
 
Whip the whole eggs to get good height before mixing with the almond flour.

Too much moisture will cause the cake to fall when cooling, so a tablespoon or two more of almond flour can stiffen the texture to what you want. A hotter oven will set the batter faster, so be sure your oven temperature is accurate, and you might want to try 25F more temperature. Reduce baking time, of course!

Those almond cookies they give away are even trickier than tarta! It is pretty much the same recipe.
 
I have used the whole egg both whipped beforehand and also (when in a rush) just putting everything in the mixer together. Both ways work OK. The mixture is usually fairly stiff, it needs spreading in the dish/tin. If it is too 'wet' then maybe you are using large eggs and medium ones would make a better mix.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I've made it by not separating the whites/yolks. I beat the whole eggs and then fold them in.
 
Séparait go the eggs will create a froth that will be unstable. I wpild try the whole egg. You are not making a fluffy désert after all.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Another thought Laurie. How big is the tarta that you are making. If you are making a large one it may be that the edges are cooking well and the centre is not. You could try splitting the mix into two. If I make double my recipe then I have to use a larger diameter tin or the mix is too thick to cook right through in the centre (or else it comes over the sides of the tin).
All the variations you can try - take the best to dinner and then slowly enjoy the 'failures', preferably with friends. :)
 
I'm baking this now, using erythritol instead of sugar. For those in Pergatory. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Have just made Tia's recipe, above, for St James's day. It is delicious, and so easy to make. I used a 7inch loose bottomed tin, and cooked it for 30 minutes. Thank you Tia.
 
Well, my sugar free, grain free, gluten free Tarta de Santiago worked fine. It looked good and tasted good.
I used 7 large eggs, 1 cup erythritol, about 2 cups of almond meal (I just kept adding until the consistency looked right), some almond essence, finely grated rind of a lemon and an orange. Baked it for about 45 mins at 160*C fan forced. Served it with pure, free range Jersey double cream.
 
Hola Laurie,
Do you have to open the oven door to see how the cake is cooking. If so it might be the cooler air getting into the oven which makes the cake sink; same as with a Victoria Sponge.
It might be that the cake is not fully cooked when you take it out of the oven - I did that the other day. (The oven wasn't quite hot enough I think)
My recipe (above) uses whole eggs not just the whites, maybe that makes a difference. The tarta usually rises higher in the centre then settles back, as it cools, to be flat.
Hi, Tia, SUCCESS!!! I think it was separating the eggs that was causing the problem. So this time I didn't separate the whites and yolks, just beat them till frothy with the sugar, then added the ground almonds, a little lemon peel and almond extract. No uneven rising, just a nice level cake ready for the stencil. Thanks much! Laurie
 
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@Kanga - what exactly is erythritol please? I am allergic to many artificial sweeteners but it would be interesting to know what it is/how produced for diabetic friends and being able to take a tarta to a bring and share without having to make one with sweetener and one with sugar. Thanks
 
I've tried this recipe twice and I'm still not happy with the results. The finished tarta is too moist so I'm wondering if I'm putting too many eggs. I try cooking it longer but the edges and bottom start to look burnt. I do weigh the ingredients for accuracy. What should the batter consistency be? Mine is poured into the pan easily. I read one recipe that said to smooth out the batter evenly with a spatula making me think that the batter is thick. Help, I'm supposed to bring this cake to Thanksgiving dinner. Btw, I beat the eggs and the sugar together for 5 minutes before adding the lemon and almond meal. Has anyone used less sugar, mine is a little too sweet.
 
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Mine is fairly thick, I would not be able to pour it into the tin, so I use a spatula to scrape it from the bowl and then smooth it gently. (Recipe in a post nearer the top of this thread)
 
I use this recipe:
Tarta de Santiago | Santiago Cake
postre-tarta-santiago-2.jpg

Ingredients:

  • 250 of crushed raw almonds
  • 250 grams of sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • lemon zest
  • 1 tbs of icing sugar to sprinkle
  • 1 chunk of unsalted butter to spread on the mold
  • 1/2 tsp of powdered cinnamon
  • You can use a number of essences to give the cake a nice aroma, such as brandy, cinnamon, etc.
  • 1 round detachable mold of 22 cm of ratio and a paper Santiago cross
Preparation:

  • Preheat the oven at 175º C (347º F)
  • In a bowl pour the sugar, crushed almonds, cinnamon and lemon zest or other essence. Mix ingredients well with a fork
  • Add the eggs and mix well with a spoon or rubber spatula, but do not whisk, only make sure all the ingredients are blended
  • Spread the butter on the mold and pour the mix in it.
  • Put the mold in the oven at 170º C (338º F) for 50 minutes until the surface is toasted and golden
  • When the cake is done remove from the oven and let it cook before unmolding.
  • When the cake is cold put the paper cross on top of the surface and sprinkle icing sugar evenly using a sieve
  • Remove the stencil carefully as to not drop all the sugar from the paper on the cake. Enjoy!
Has worked very well for me and my workmates love it!
 
@Tia Valeria and @Donna Sch, thanks for the tips. I tried the recipe for the 3rd time and this time I did not beet the eggs and sugar before adding the almond meal. The consistency of the batter was thicker more like the one I finally found on YouTube. Funny how that happened. Maybe it's like pancake batter that's not supposed to be beaten very much.

Btw, I put aluminum foil on the pan for the first 30 minutes of baking and I didn't get the crumbly top like the first 2 times I made this.
 
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Made Tia's lovely recipe again for my Spanish class (I'm learning, or at least trying to) yesterday. It always works well for me, and isn't too big. I think you always have to be gentle when using ground almonds, the same as when making marzipan and other things. Too much handling makes the oils run out. Don't treat it the same as wheat flour. Thank you again Tia. Glad you got a good result this time ricitosdeplata.
 

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