Santiago Cake

The Santiago cake is an original Galician recipe without flour that can be found in all the cities where the Camino de Santiago passes. It is made with a base of almonds and sugar and is one of the best desserts ever.

This cake is an ideal snack or dessert that children and adults will love. Therefore, we want you to know the recipe so that you surprise your guests. Here are two ways to make it. Pay attention because it will surely fascinate you.

Option 1: Traditional Santiago cake

Ingredients (8-12 servings)

• 250 g of raw ground almonds
• 5 large eggs
• 1 piece of unsalted butter to spread the mold
• Zest from the skin of half a lemon
• 250g sugar
• Half a small spoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar (for dusting)
• A paper cross of Santiago

Preparation

• First of all, you have to preheat the oven to 175ºC.
• Next, add the sugar, ground almonds, cinnamon and lemon zest to a bowl. Then mix everything well with a fork.

• Then add the eggs and continue mixing well with the spatula  until smooth.
• Now, grease the round baking tin (preferably removable) with butter.
• Next, pour the mixture into the mold and bake at 170ºC for 50 minutes  until the surface is golden brown.
• When the cake is ready (if when poking in the center with a toothpick it comes out clean), remove it from the oven. Then, let it cool and unmold the cake.
• Finally, put the paper cross of Santiago on top of the cake. Then  sprinkle the surface with icing sugar. Finally, remove the paper cross carefully so that the sugar does not fall into the hole.

Option 2: Santiago cake lined

Ingredients

For the lining

• 25 g of loose flour
• 125g cold butter
• 60g cold water
• 1 pinch of salt

For the cake

• 250 g of raw ground almonds
• 250g sugar
• 5 large eggs
• The zest of the skin of half a lemon
• Half a small spoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar (for dusting)
• 1 piece of unsalted butter to spread the mold

Preparation

From the broken dough

• First, sift the flour and put it in a large bowl. Then add the salt and mix everything well.
• Next, cut the butter into 2 cm cubes and add them to the bowl. Mix the butter cubes and the flour with the tips of your fingers  until the mixture has a texture similar to that of crumbs.
• Add the water and mix quickly until the crumbs come together.
• Next, leave the dough on the counter and flatten it so that it comes together well. Cover with a damp cloth and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Now, roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is the size of the mold. Grease the chosen mold with butter and cover it with the shortcrust dough.

• Finally, wrap everything in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest.

Of the cake

• To start, preheat the oven to 175ºC. Now, add the sugar, ground almonds, cinnamon and lemon zest to a bowl. Then mix everything well with a fork.
• Then add the eggs and mix everything well with the help of a spatula until the mixture is homogeneous.
• Pour the mixture into the mold where the shortening was resting and bake at 170ºC for 1 hour and a half  until the surface is golden brown. When the cake is ready, take it out of the oven.
• Next, let it cool down and remove it from the mold carefully so that the shortcrust does not break.
• Finally, put the cross of Santiago on top of the cake and sprinkle the surface of the cake with icing sugar. Remove the paper cross carefully so that the sugar does not fall into the hole.

Sounds simple to you? Then you can prepare this delicious Galician dessert and enjoy a pleasant evening with your guests. Put into practice one of these two preparations that we have explained to you and you will look like a true Galician. What are you waiting for to savor this delight?