The Tarta de Santiago, named after St. James (Santiago), the patron saint of Spain, eventually became a staple for weary pilgrims trudging along the Camino de Santiago. After weeks of blisters and questionable hostel beds, what better reward than a dense, nutty cake dusted with powdered sugar and salvation? It wasn’t until the 20th century that someone got the brilliant idea to stencil the Cross of Saint James on top. This move instantly upgraded the tart from “pretty good snack” to “heavenly indulgence.” If you hike the Camino de Santiago, you’ll more than likely run into this cake. But if that trek feels a little out of reach, be happy in the knowledge you can enjoy it now – either at home or at La Roca, no hiking boots required.

Break 5 eggs into a bowl and weigh. Weigh out equal amounts of ground almonds and granulated or caster sugar of the same weight as your eggs, i.e. 5 eggs is approx. 250g, so then you need 250g each of almonds and sugar.

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk together the almond powder and sugar so they are evenly distributed. Whisk in lemon zest, salt and cinnamon powder. With the whisk running (if doing this by hand, you may need an assistant!), add the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. The final mixture will be a thick batter that falls off the whisk with ease. Spray or butter your tin and line the base with parchment paper before filling. The recipe is very forgiving, so you can likely use any approx. 9-inch round tin you have. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden and a toothpick in the centre comes out clean, but it should still be sticky and not dry. Better to undercook slightly than overcook, or you just might have to serve it with custard! Cool in the tin. Dust the top with powdered sugar, forming the cross of St. James, a paper copy of which can easily be downloaded from the internet, should you not recently have visited Santiago de Compostela to purchase one. We often serve ours with cinnamon parfait, but it lends itself to a range of accompaniments, ice cream, a berry compote, whipped cream ... and it’s also delicious to eat as is!