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This is a recipe for a classic cake that originates in the famous
pilgrimage town of Santiago, in the northwest part of Spain. It is
naturally gluten-free.

Torta de Santiago

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind or orange rind
2 cups (1/2 pound) almonds with skins, finely ground. I either process
the nuts in small batches in my food processor, or buy almond meal at

            a health food store (refrigerated section)
7 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
chipped or slivered almonds for garnish
powdered sugar and/or whipped cream for garnish


Preparation:

Cream sugar, lemon rind and egg yolks until the mixture is light and
fluffy.
Stir in the almonds and cinnamon. This mixture will be very dense. I do
all of this in my food processor.
With a mixer, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry.
Stir a few tablespoons of the egg white into the almond mixture, and
then fold in the rest of the egg whites,

Pour into 2 greased 8 inch layer pans and bake @ 350 degrees for 45
minutes or until the cake is well browned.  (Actually I use a large
Corningware type quiche pan and just use one layer)

------------
You can remove the cakes from the pans and  frost with a 1/2 pint of
whipping cream, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, whipped until stiff OR
  just serve it the traditional way with a sprinkling of powdered sugar
on top. In Santiago, a cut-out of a medieval cross (The Cross of
Santiago) is placed on the cake, and then the cake is sprinkled with
powdered sugar. The cross template is then removed so that you have a
brown cross on a field of powdered sugar.

Any type of template works well for the design. You can use doilies, or
quilting templates found in craft stores.

My local Whole Foods bakery sells a similar cake called "Croix de
Lorraine." I haven't been able to find that name in any recipe
searches, but  I have found several references to the 'Torta de
Santiago."

I LOVE this recipe. It's almost as easy as using a mix, and it is a
traditional cake that has been around for centuries before anyone heard
of celiac disease =)

Enjoy!

Michele
Denver

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