Tarta de Santiago

Name: Tarta de Santiago
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 250 g almond flour, finely ground blanched almonds; 220 g sugar; 5 eggs; 1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated; ½ tsp cinnamon; 10 g butter; 2 tbsp icing sugar

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A moist, flourless almond cake scented with lemon and cinnamon and dusted with powdered sugar around the stencilled cross of St James.

Tarta de Santiago is a Spanish cake from Spain, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with almond flour and egg. It serves 10 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 1 h 20 min
Serves: 10
Level: Beginner
Calories: 282

Ingredients

10 slices

250 g Almond flour (opens in a new tab), finely ground blanched almondsUse almond flour (almond meal) or grind blanched almonds finely yourself — whole or chopped nuts can't be folded into the egg foam. There is no wheat flour in this cake.Contains tree nuts
220 g Sugar (opens in a new tab)
5 (250 g) Eggs (opens in a new tab)Contains eggs
1 tsp (2 g) Lemon zest (opens in a new tab), finely grated
½ tsp (1.5 g) Cinnamon (opens in a new tab)
10 g Butter (opens in a new tab)For the tin.Contains milk
2 tbsp (15 g) Icing sugar (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C and butter (opens in a new tab) a 24 cm cake tin (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min
- 180°C
- Cake tin (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the eggs (opens in a new tab) and sugar (opens in a new tab) until pale and foamy, then fold in the ground almonds (opens in a new tab), lemon zest (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab).
- 8 min
- Whisk (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
3
Step 3
Pour into the tin and bake until golden and just firm in the centre.
- 35 min
- 180°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
4
Step 4
Cool completely, lay a paper cross of St James in the centre and dust with powdered sugar (opens in a new tab), then lift the stencil off.

About this dish

Origin: Galicia (Santiago de Compostela), Spain · Well documentedMore food from Spain
Dish: Dessert · Snack · Cakes · Desserts
Cooking method: Oven-baked
Taste: nutty, sweet, citrusy
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with: Almond flour · Egg · Sugar · Lemon zest · Cinnamon · Butter
Techniques: Baking

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom butter
Contains: Eggsfrom egg
Contains: Tree nutsfrom almond flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

282 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 75 g · recipe makes 10

Where the energy comes from

Protein 12%
Carbohydrate 39%
Fat 50%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	282 kcal	377 kcal
Protein	8.5 g	11.4 g
Carbohydrate	28.5 g	38 g
Net carbohydrate	25.9 g	34.6 g
Sugars	24.7 g	33 g
Added sugars	23.4 g	31.3 g
Fibre	2.6 g	3.4 g
Fat	16.3 g	21.8 g
Saturated fat	2.3 g	3.1 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	95 mg	127 mg
Sodium	47 mg	63 mg
Salt equivalent	0.1 g	0.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 201 mg
Calcium: 75 mg
Iron: 1.3 mg
Magnesium: 70 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 47 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0.5 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.2 µg
Folate (DFE): 24 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Almond flour: Blanched almonds; finely ground almond flour has the same composition.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Grind whole blanched almonds yourself for a moister, more fragrant cake.

Serve with

Serve with a glass of sweet wine or coffee.

Storage

Keeps 4 days in an airtight tin.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Egg5 piece · 250 g
Lemon zest, finely grated1 tsp · 2 g
Butter10 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 15 min
Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and thick enough to leave a ribbon trail for 3 seconds.
Bake · about 35 min at 180 °C
Springs back when lightly pressed and is just shrinking from the tin sides.
Cool · about 30 min
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
Start to finish: about 1 h 20 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Cracked or domed top
Likely causes
- Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
- Too much leavening
- Overmixed batter
What to do
- Lower the oven 10–15 °C
- Use the exact leavening amount
- Fold just until combined
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

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