Tarta de Santiago, Galician almond cake

I have been several times in Galicia and whenever I have had the pleasure of visiting it, I have always eaten Tarta de Santiago, Galician almond cake. Well, I have eaten many other things because its gastronomy is fabulous, as in all the north of Spain. With this I don’t mean that in the rest of the peninsula they eat badly, not at all (which in Huelva we have enjoyed incredibly). But the north has that “Je ne sais quoi” that makes you come back with a feeling of fullness. This tart, despite being incredibly simple, has always stolen my heart. Its flavor, aroma, moistness… I fall in love with it.

I have the same feeling as the previous week with the Gâteau Basque. It is incredible how we can elaborate wonderful recipes with very few ingredients. But, it is true that, on this occasion, we use a star element; the almond. It is difficult to prepare something with almonds and for it not to be good. But, I assure you, it is a sweet that you can’t miss if you haven’t already tried it.

Almonds in Galicia.

Although there are hardly any almond trees in Galicia, its consumption and trade can be attested since the late Middle Ages. It was imported by sea from the lands of the Spanish Levante. Its use admits two variants: therapeutic and as a gastronomic ingredient.

Due to its scarcity and high price, the almond was a food consumed preferably by the richest, especially as an after-dinner snack. This connotation of prestige was maintained during the second half of the 19th century, when almonds began to become popular and crystallized what is known today as Galician regional cuisine. In Galicia, its status as an ingredient that brings refinement to any dish and any sweet is maintained even today.

The Tarta de Santiago has its roots in the oldest traditions of Galician pastry-making. In it, the almond, together with other expensive condiments such as sugar, is a fundamental and typical ingredient, to the point that it could be said that the profusion of sweets with almonds is something distinctive of the desserts of the Galician wealthy tables at least since the sixteenth century.

There are also records for its medicinal use in the infirmary of the Colegio Mayor of the University of Santiago, according to its expense account:

En treze de abrill ocho maravedís de açúquar y ocho de almendras para un pisto… (1577)

There is also a register of menus for patients:

Recétasele al licenciado Juan García para su dolor de costado dos bizcochos para el desayuno, media libra de carnero y una fada para la comida, un par de huebos passados y una almendrada y un par de fadas para la çena… Santiago y noviembre, 8 de 1688

Origin and history of the Tarta de Santiago, Galician almond cake.

Among the many specialties historically attested, the most widespread today is, along with almond cakes, the sponge cake or almond cake. Among these, Tarta de Santiago stands out.

The most immediate precedent of this pastry could be found in the torta real, consumed in the University of Santiago as early as the 16th century (1577). Unfortunately, there is not enough reliable data to relate this pastry to the current Tarta de Santiago in both its composition and preparation.

Known throughout the Ancien Régime as torta real or bizcochada, the information available today suggests that it was a sponge cake made with ground almonds, sugar and eggs, baked in the oven and served in a single piece or cut into individual portions.

Other background information that should be taken into account.

They are the wide range of almond sponge cakes that, in the form of mantecados, cakes or sponge cakes, were consumed in the houses and institutions of Galicia in the most important celebrations since the sixteenth century.

El Cuaderno de confitería by Luis Bartolomé de Leybar, written around 1838 and of Galician origin, contains the first reliable information about this dessert, which he calls “vizcochos de almendras” (almond sponge cakes).

El confitero y pastelero: libro muy útil para los jefes de casa, fondistas y confiteros by Eduardo Merín -published in Ferrol in 1893-, provides a second recipe for this pastry which, under the name “Tarta de Almendra“, is decorated with a thin layer of ground sugar and contains a dough base made with butter, flour and sugar.

The sponge cake or almond cake, called from the first decades of the twentieth century “Tarta de Santiago“, is also one of the formulas included in the Diccionario general de cocina (1892) by Ángel Muro and, of course, in the classic works of Galician cuisine as La cocina gallega (1905) by Picadilloand, later, by authors such as Álvaro Cunqueiro or Fina Casalderrey. All of them, however, are unaware of Leybar and Merín’s compilations.

This dessert, with an intense historical tradition in Galicia, acquired its definitive form in 1924, when José Mora Soto -founder of the Casa Mora in Santiago de Compostela- decided to decorate his almond cakes with a silhouette of the cross of Santiago, uniting in this gesture a symbol of the city and a traditional specialty.

This is the famous format with which we all know this traditional and classic Galician pastry delicacy.

Making Tarta de Santiago Galician almond cake.

It is a recipe that has no mystery. It is true that we can find many formats where only the almond cake is made. But, if you allow me, this thin and crunchy dough base is a perfect finishing touch for this cake. In addition to containing the cake, it prevents it from sticking to the mold.

As in any process of elaboration, there are many methods. In my case I leave you with the one that I consider gives the best results in terms of flavor, texture and moistness.

The eggs can be incorporated as they are, mixed with the rest of the ingredients and poured into the mold or, alternatively, we can whip them, thus achieving an airy, light, light and wonderful consistency. Of course, we choose this second option. We will toast the almonds to enhance their natural aromas and flavor.

Some recipes incorporate a shot of herb liquor in the cake batter. If you wish, you can do so, but in my case I decided to omit it.

The baking time is important if we want to achieve a cake that is not raw/dense, but not dry either. The perfect point between both states that leaves us with a moist, tender and soft bite that remains perfect over the days. In the process of the recipe I detail more about this.

The result is a tart with a crispy top, a moist, tender and very aromatic inside, accompanied by a crunchy, thin and delicate base. If in heaven they served dessert, without a doubt one of them would be the Tarta de Santiago.