A beautiful Santiago Tart Recipe
10 October 2025
A beautiful Santiago Tart Recipe
A Beautiful Santiago Tart Recipe
One of the things I love most about cooking is the way you can make people feel. There is no better feeling for me than placing something I have made with love on the table for those I hold close. Food is more than nourishment – it carries memories, history, and connection. This Santiago Tart is one of those recipes that always seems to stop time for me.
My dear friend Annie adores this tart. She has been in my life for many years, and back in 2014, she worked tirelessly by my side to help me create my first cookbook. It was a dream I had carried for so long, and Annie’s encouragement and hard work helped make it possible. When I included this tart in the book, I dedicated it to her. To this day, whenever I bake it, I think of Annie and our beautiful friendship and her unwavering support.
More recently, I was reminded of this tart’s magic while working in the kitchen with a beautiful Spanish woman named Maria. We spent hours talking about Spanish food, family traditions, and the joy of passing down recipes. Inspired by her stories, I returned home and knew it was time to bake my Santiago Tart again. I had forgotten just how special it really is.
What is Santiago Tart?
The Santiago Tart, or Tarta de Santiago, literally means the Tart of Saint James. It is one of Spain’s most beloved desserts and can be found in pastry shops and cafés across the country, especially in Galicia, where it originates. Traditionally, the tart is decorated with the cross of Saint James dusted in icing sugar, symbolising its cultural and religious ties.
At its heart, the tart is a beautiful almond cake. Ground almonds, sugar, and eggs are blended into a batter that bakes into a moist, rich, and naturally gluten-free cake. My recipe, which I’ve been baking for over a decade, goes one step further. It includes a buttery pastry base and a thin layer of quince paste that melts into the filling, creating a depth of flavour that makes it unforgettable. The balance of citrus zest and juice – both lemon and orange – lifts the almonds and makes the whole tart feel fresh and vibrant.
Making the Pastry
The base begins with a simple sweet pastry made from flour, icing sugar, butter, and egg yolks. It is buttery, delicate, and needs a gentle hand. After bringing the pastry together, it is left to rest overnight in the fridge. This makes it easier to roll and gives the tart its crisp, golden finish.
Blind baking the pastry shell ensures it holds up against the moist almond filling. I line the tart tin with the chilled pastry, prick it lightly with a fork, and bake it with weights until golden around the edges. The result is a crisp, buttery case that becomes the perfect home for the luscious almond mixture.
The Filling
The filling is what makes this tart so memorable. Almonds are roughly chopped and blended with the zest and juice of oranges and lemons. This gives the cake its distinctive freshness. The almonds retain a slightly coarse texture, which adds character to each bite.
Butter and sugar are creamed together until pale and fluffy before eggs are added one by one. This mixture is folded into the almonds, creating a batter that is both light and rich. Before baking, a thin layer of quince paste is spread over the pastry base. As the tart bakes, the quince gently melts, infusing the almonds with its subtle sweetness.
Serving
When the tart comes out of the oven, it is golden and fragrant, with the aromas filling the kitchen. I always let it cool just a little before dusting it generously with icing sugar. Served in thin slices, it is lovely with a cup of tea or coffee or Spanish sherry, and it makes an excellent dessert to finish a shared meal.
This tart serves twelve, but it keeps beautifully for a few days if you can resist finishing it sooner.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
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A traditional Spanish dessert with a twist.
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Gluten-free, thanks to the almond filling.
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Perfect balance of buttery pastry, citrus, and almonds.
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Keeps well and makes a beautiful centrepiece for gatherings.
If you’ve never baked a Santiago Tart before, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s a recipe that has travelled with me for many years, one that has crossed countries and kitchens, and one that always brings people together.
With love,
Nellie
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Santiago Tart
Equipment
- 1 Food processor (for pastry and almond filling)
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 30 cm tart tin with removable base
- Baking paper
- Baking weights (or dried beans/rice)
- 1 Zester or fine grater
- 1 Citrus juicer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Kitchen scales (for accuracy)
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 115 g icing sugar
- 350 g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 215 g unsalted butter chilled and cut into small cubes
- 3 free-range egg yolks
For the filling
- 180 g quince paste
- 225 g blanched almonds
- Zest of 3 oranges
- Zest of 3 lemons
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 115 g icing sugar
- 225 g unsalted butter
- 3 free-range egg yolks
- 2 free-range eggs
To serve
- Icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- To make the pastry, put the icing sugar, flour and salt into a food processor and start to blend slowly. Add the butter and make sure it is well combined. Add the egg yolks and pulse until mixture clumps together. Add a tiny amount of iced water if you need help bringing your pastry together. Remove it from the food processor and place it on your bench top and bring the pastry together with your hands. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 160°C.
- Roll out the pastry on a cool, floured surface (use plenty of flour as this is a buttery pastry). Grease a 30cm tart tin and line with the pastry. Prick the base all over with a fork. Cover the base and sides of the pastry case with baking paper and add your weights (baking weights, dried beans or dried rice work fine). This is called blind baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until edges turn golden. Remove from the oven and remove the baking paper and baking weights. Place the pastry case back in the oven for 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
- For the filling: In a food processor, chop the almonds to a coarse consistency. Add the juice and zest and blend again. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Cream the butter and icing sugar in the food processor. Continue blending as you pour in the egg yolks one by one, and then follow this by adding the whole eggs. Keep the mixture quite chunky. Combine the creamed butter and almond mixture.
- Heat the quince jelly with 1 tablespoon of water and a squeeze of lemon juice until it becomes a liquid. Pour a thin layer of the quince into the tart and spread evenly over the base. Spoon the almond mixture into the tart and smooth evenly to the edges. Return the tart to the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
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