Impress your friends and family with this fantastic cake and its historical connections

Author: Andrea Dawber

his cake dates back to medieval times when pilgrims first began trekking the Camino Way to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried. 

The recipe has 3 simple ingredients: ground almonds, eggs and sugar. I flavour my cake with the zests of a whole lemon and orange, almond essence and vanilla extract. Some include cinnamon too. It only uses the whipped egg whites to make it rise, and it has a moist, spongy consistency that is wonderful as a dessert or served with coffee. This dessert is a pleasure any time of the year.

I recommend blanching, peeling and drying the almonds the day before making the cake, which bakes in about 40 minutes. Remember when grinding the almonds the next day to pulse them in a blender, so you do not end up with almond butter.  I have a gas oven and usually bake the cake an extra 5-10 minutes to ensure it does not fall like a souffle that needed a few more minutes in the oven.

I love the epicurious version: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/almond-cake-366229  

Happy summer baking!