7 Ingredient Spanish Almond Cake

7 Ingredient Spanish Almond Cake (aka Tarta de Santiago) tastes just like the delicious almond cakes we ate while living in Spain. This traditional almond cake is easy to make and is the perfect ending to almost any type of meal!

Spanish Almond Cake or torte is a typical, traditional dessert in the north of Spain. In Mallorca (southern Spain), where we lived for 18 months, the almond cake was more similar to what we call a sponge cake in the US. This cake is much more dense, similar to a torte.

Santiago de Compostela (in northwest Spain) is the capital of Galicia and this is the signature dessert of the region. It is sold in most every bakery in Santiago de Compostela, the end of the road for trekkers making the pilgrimage to this Unesco World Heritage site. We visited this city in 2018 with our friends the Galli’s, and now the trek is on our bucket list for hiking to one day!

7 reasons you will love our 7 ingredient Spanish Almond Cake:

• Mixes up in minutes
• Bakes in less than an hour
• No special pan or equipment
• Gluten free
• Versatile, can be served with fruit, cream, ice cream (almond is best!) drizzled with chocolate
• Can be made ahead or frozen
• Travels well

I hope you will love this delicious cake as much as we do! It makes the perfect dessert when serving any of our Spanish dishes: Authentic Spanish Paella, Coca de Trampo, and Arroz Brut. Buen provecho!!

7 Ingredient Spanish Almond Cake

5 from 7 votes

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Author: Si Foster

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: spanish

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 12

A traditional almond cake originating in the north of Spain, but served everywhere from Galicia to the Islands. Also known as Tarta de Santiago, this cake is similar to a torte and made with almond flour.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
• 3 large eggs + 3 large egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2½ cups blanched almond flour
• 1-2 tablespoons turbinado (coarse) sugar
• ⅓ cup sliced almonds

for serving:

• fresh berries and heavy whipped cream

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Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350°F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Prepare a 9-inch round pan by spraying with cooking spray and lining the pan with parchment.*
• Place the granulated sugar, 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites, salt and almond extract in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Whisk or mix using a mixer until ingredients are combined.
• Add the almond flour and whisk by hand or with a mixer just until the ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix!
• Pour the batter into the greased pan, then sprinkle evenly with the turbinado sugar and chopped or sliced almonds. Bake until golden for about 40-45 minutes.
• Serve the cake out of the pan or place on a serving platter with whipped cream and berries.

Notes

• I use a 9-inch spring form pan, but a 9-inch cake pan will also work. 
• Make sure to line the pan with parchment paper AND spray the pan with oil to keep the cake from sticking while baking. 
• Don’t under bake this cake! The first few times I made this, I was afraid the bake time was too long. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when done, no crumbs attached. the almond flour is extra dense and needs to be cooked completely or the cake will have a pasty texture. 40-45 minutes works perfectly in my dry SLC climate. In Mallorca (humid and sea level), I had to bake for closer to 1 hour. 
• Serve this cake warm, room temperature or cold. 
• This cake may be made ahead, wrapped with Saran Wrap and frozen for up to 3 months. 

Equipment

• 1 9 inch round pan, ( use a Spring form pan, but a round cake pan will also work!