The Camino de Santiago leads to the city in the north of Spain with the homonymous name, where the remains of the Apostle rest. If you have been there, done the route or just visited Galicia (the region of northwestern Spain with a language similar to Portuguese) you probably already know this impressive cake.
The Santiago cake probably has its origin in the Middle Ages. In spite of that, what can be verified through documents is that the date of birth of the Santiago cake is 1577 due to the references of a document on the nutrition of the teaching staff at the University of Santiago de Compostela, although it is not until the 19th century in that the recipe takes the current form. The decoration with icing sugar and the cross of Santiago is even more modern, being introduced in 1924.
There are two types of Santiago cake: the simple ones and the lined ones. The lined ones consist of a base of puff pastry or shortcrust pastry. Unmolding the simple ones is sometimes complicated, so you have to spread the base well with butter or, better yet, use a removable mold or a baking paper liner.
The recipe is really simple. The norm says that you have to use 33% ground almonds, another 33% sugar and 25% egg. If you add the percentages you get 91%. The remaining 9% is made up of the zest of the skin of a lemon and other flavorings that can be cinnamon, sweet wine, brandy or pomace brandy. Naturally, that 9% can be a very important amount if we are talking about 1 kg cakes, for example. It remains then to supplement the remaining weight by adding more almonds, sugar or egg. Personally, I am always inclined to use lemon and Galician pomace brandy and no cinnamon or other liquors. Galician orujo is a product of the land of the cake and gives it a very special aroma. Use a good pomace brandy. To check if it is of quality, simply place a small amount in the palm of your hand and rub with the other until it evaporates. Then you put your hands to your nose: the only aroma that should remain is that of the grape.
Some recipes introduce wheat flour and not precisely to make the lining (which it use it for sure). The authentic Santiago cake does not contain flour. Not even a tablespoon. Flour was added to reduce the amount of ground almonds and thus lower costs, although it may have an effect that some see as positive by making the cake more spongy (due to the action of gluten). If we want to make the cake somewhat fluffy, we can work it with the rods so that the trapped air inflates the result, it is not necessary to incorporate wheat flour.
Since the ingredients of the cake work with an easy proportion and there is no yeast, it is possible to make very large cakes or small tartlets the size of a cupcake. My experience says that it is easy to measure equal amounts of almond and sugar but it is not so easy to balance the proportion with the eggs. There are very large eggs and some very small ones. Sometimes we will need 4 and other times 6 eggs. I usually solve the problem by weighing the eggs and choosing the appropriate amount empirically.
INGREDIENTS (cake of just under 1 Kg / 2.2 lbs, approximately)
- 300 grams (10.5 oz) of ground almonds
- 300 grams (10.5 oz) of conventional white sugar
- 5 or 6 medium eggs
- the grated skin of a lemon
- 1 small glass or splash of Galician pomace brandy
- Sugar glass
- Butter
In a bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually add the ground almonds, beating well so that there are no lumps. Then we do the same with the sugar. Finally we add the flavorings and mix well with the help of a wooden spoon. You have to work it so that it is well mixed and much more if we want it to take on volume, although this is not essential.
Now we take a removable mold of 22 cm (9 inches) in diameter and grease it with butter so that it is easy to unmold. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (356 F) and introduce the dough until the surface is toasted - not burnt - and when you stick a toothpick it comes out dry. 45-60 minutes of baking should be enough.
Remove from the oven and let cool before unmolding. Unmold and cover with icing sugar. If you are excited you can cut a cross of Santiago on a sheet of paper and sprinkle the glass on it to obtain the negative image. This way it will look like it was done by a professional.
The tart is well done when displayed with a roasted top and the interior is aromatic, tender and soft, with a strong almond predominance.