Almond Cakes Around Europe - England, France, Spain & Portugal

Spanish Almond Tart

 In Spain we had almond cake for evening dinner dessert, at the Parador de Fuent De in the Picos de Europa (European Peaks) in the north of Spain.  I loved the almond filling. The same item appeared again at breakfast.

French Almond Tart

Just across the border is France. The French call their marzipan tart frangipane.

Another Spanish Almond Tart

We travelled west through northern Spain to Santiago de Compostelo, the city whose cathedral is the end of a hiking pilgrimage. The city's classic dish is the Tarta De Santiago.

We crossed the border to Spain, off to Oporto and the port wine region of the Douro.

Portuguese Almond Tart (Tarte de amendoa)

As we travelled onwards, west into Portugal I had a pleasant surprise. My favourite almond tart appeared again.

English Almond Tarts

Back in London, England, I noticed Bakewell tart or almond tart in Tesco Express. We once stopped in Bakewell to try tart from a shop claiming to be the original site of the recipe. But their tart seemed to me no better nor different than others I had tried. I was quite happy with locally bought Bakewell tart down south in London.

Bakewell tart picture by Brynn in Wikipedia under Bakewell Tart. Notice the red fruit jam (Americans say jelly) on the pastry base of the tart. Flaked almonds and icing sugar (Americans say powdered sugar) on the top of the tart.

Costa's Almonds

Across the road, in Costa in Hatch End, I was able to indulge myself in part of a slice of almond cake, shared with my husband. Costa is Italian. 

Costa Exterior with pavement seating for summer. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

Costa interior with indoor seating in the light by the window. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Almond bake on display (lower center) at Costa in Hatch End, London. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

It is very fattening. All that almond cake in Spain had fattened me up. After all that cake and hotel and restaurant meals in Spain and Portugal I needed to go on a diet. But, who can resist cake. 

I ate a third.

Almond tart, divided, in Costa. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Tesco Almond Cake

Tesco in London also had croissants, hot every morning, with almond fillings. (We also saw these in Singapore last year, 2023). I looked up the calorie count for almond filled croissants and was horrified.

Today I went online looking for recipes and found a few. Almond cake or rather tart, seems more easy to make than cheesecake.

You have a shortcrust pastry base. You can buy this from the supermarkets in rolls unbaked and roll it out. Then three equal amounts, 180 grams, of ground almonds which American call almond flour), granulated sugar, and butter. Add three eggs. 

Either mix the eggs and sugar, then the almonds, or mix the dry sugar and almonds, then add the eggs.

You may have to pre-cook the base so it doesn't go soggy

How high and long do you cook it?  170 degrees for 45 minutes.

Optional extras are lemon juice and/or cinnamon.

On top you can put almond flakes (also called sliced almonds), or confectioners' sugar (icing sugar(, or raspberries. If you think fruit is healthier than sugar this would be a good idea. Adding flour is optional, and some recipes without it or tars without it are promoted as gluten free. Almond essence is added by some books to enhance the almond flavour.

Another variation is individual cupcakes with white icing on top and a cherry in the middle, recently revived from an old recipe book promoted as Gloucester tarts which were given away free at the city's museums as a promotion. The distinctive ingredients were ground rice and raspberry jam.

Gloucester tart from Wikipedia.

Gloucester is a cathedral city in southwest England on the way to Wales, near Monmouth. 

I must admit I was familiar with this kind of cake or tart. I remember clearly trying both this one which was cheaper and an almond tart I decided that the almonds were lost under the sugar icing, which seemed to me a way of giving you a layer of sugar without almonds, which looked pretty. An economy for mass production. But for pure almond taste, I preferred an almond cake.

I am now thinking of making an almond tart at home, with and without the almond essence. I shall read the label to check if it is really intensified flavour from real or roasted almonds, or a chemical. But since I am already over-indulging in the delights of a tart made by mixing sugar with almonds, admittedly with added egg. maybe I should be less prim and proper and just enjoy.

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Useful Websites

The Shop and Cafe in Bakewell, Derbyshire, Peak District, England

https://www.bakewelltarts.co.uk/

English Almond Tart Recipe - Waitrose supermarket video on making Bakewell Tart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R8V_yooAEc

Spanish Almond Tart Recipe

https://www.carolinescooking.com/tarta-de-santiago/

Portuguese Almond Tart Recipe Video

https://honestcooking.com/tarte-de-amendoa-portuguese-almond-tart-recipe/

Italian Almond Tart Sbrisolona

https://www.bing.com/search?q=ialian+almond+tart&pc=GD03&form=GDAVG1&ptag=7301&showconv=1

French Frangipane Almond Tart

https://thecafesucrefarine.com/ridiculously-easy-french-almond-frangipane-tart/

See my next post on Italian almond cake.

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