Name: Tarta de Santiago
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 250 g ground almonds; 250 g sugar; 4 large eggs; Zest of 1 lemon; 1 tsp cinnamon (optional); Icing sugar to decorate; Butter for the tin

Tarta de Santiago with Cross of Santiago stencilled in icing sugar

Galician Tarta de Santiago: almond, lemon and the cross of St James in icing sugar. Gluten-free.

Ingredients

How many are you cooking for?

Original recipe for 8 servings

250 g ground almonds
250 g sugar
4 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Icing sugar to decorate
Butter for the tin

Step by step

Follow the timeline: technique icon, time and temperature when relevant.

Step 1 Oven 180 °C

Preheat oven to 180 °C. Grease a 22 cm round tin.
Step 2 Mix

Beat eggs and sugar until pale and tripled in volume.
Step 3 Prep

Fold in ground almonds and zest gently.
Step 4 Oven 37 min 35 °C

Bake 35–40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Step 5 Cool

Cool, dust with icing sugar and stencil the Cross of Santiago.

Storage

Room temperature 2–3 days in a cool spot. Avoid the fridge (dries out).

Chef tips

Grind almonds just before mixing for best aroma.
Resting 24 h improves flavour.

Allergens

Egg
Tree nuts

Diet

🥬 Vegetarian

Variations

Substitutions for a vegan version

Instead of: 4 large eggs

Use: per egg: 50 g mashed firm tofu + 1 tbsp aquafaba (or 1 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 3 tbsp water)

Why: Egg binds, leavens or sets depending on the step; you need plant protein and liquid to mimic that role.

Tip: In doughs, blend tofu until creamy. For coating, use foamed aquafaba. In omelettes, add turmeric for colour.
Instead of: Butter for the tin

Use: same amount of extra virgin olive oil or plant-based margarine

Why: Butter provides fat and dairy flavour; oil or vegan margarine cover the fat without animal products.

Tip: In baking use cold margarine cubes. In pans, olive oil over medium heat—do not burn.

Other variations

Add lemon zest to the batter.
Apricot jam glaze while warm.
Mini tins: bake about 25 minutes.

Quick summary

At-a-glance while you cook. Full details are in the step-by-step.

1 Preheat oven to 180 °C. Grease a 22 cm round tin.
2 Beat eggs and sugar until pale and tripled in volume.
3 Fold in ground almonds and zest gently.
4 Bake 35–40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
5 Cool, dust with icing sugar and stencil the Cross of Santiago.