Traditional Spanish cakes

Of course, we had to start our Spanish cakes list, with the most famous one, the Santiago cake. This famous dessert is original from the northern region of Spain, Galicia, now a days you will be able to eat it all over the country, but of course they usually aren´t as good.

It is a super easy Spanish cake, counting the preparation and cooking time, it could take you less than one hour to have it done. One of the main reasons why it has gotten so popular is the St James cross that it isn´t just super original, but also one of the symbols of the Camino de Santiago.

Other than almonds, the main ingredients for this recipe are eggs, cinnamon, and lemon. Here is our recipe in case you want to try it at home.

On second position, we must talk about the most popular Spanish Christmas cake, Roscón de Reyes.

The tradition says this pastry should be eaten on the Epiphany also known as Three King’s Day (6th of January), after everyone have received its present, but the truth is that no one does that. This Spanish cake is so good, that people would enjoy during the whole Christmas season or even weeks later after it is over.

The are different types of Roscón de Reyes, but the two you will always find are the common one, which it basically is a sweet bread with fruits on the top and the one that includes cream as well. In our opinion the second roscón is the best.

Photo by: @Aristoteles

If you are looking for something lighter, to enjoy after lunch or as a snack and don´t feel guilty after eating it, then you should try this one.

Spanish olive oil is what every would recognize as the typical sponge cake, or as we Spaniards say, bizcocho. The main ingredients for this Spanish cake recipe are eggs, milk, sugar, flour, olive oil, and baking powder. Of course, we are not saying it is healthy, but comparing it other cakes, the feeling is much better.

If you decide to make it, don´t forget to add lemon zest, it gets much better.

Another traditional Spanish cake you must try is the Mona de Pascual. This pastry is typical from the Mediterranean communities of Catalonia and Valencia.

Mona de Pascua is an Easter dessert, that is usually eaten after the 40 days of lent, when you give up on your favorite thing. At least that´s what Christians would usually do, of curse now a days everyone enjoy it during the whole Eastern week.

As it happens with roscón, there are many ways to make Mona de Pascua, but the most common one would be a sweet dough stuffed with candied fruit and topped with hard-boiled eggs. Many times, this egg is colored, adding a more festive look to the dish.

Last of all, we couldn´t forget one of the most popular Spanish cakes internationally, the Basque burnt cheesecake. As its own name says, this delicious pastry is original from Basque country in the north of Spain. Being more specific, the original recipe was created in a restaurant called La Viña in San Sebastian.

You may wonder, why this cake got so famous, that you will be able to eat it even in cities like New York right? Well, the truth, is that in despite of being made with almost the same ingredients as any other cheesecake, these one doesn´t have a crust, instead it is baked high and fast, which gets a caramelized exterior that serves as a natural crust.

At the beginning, we told you that Spain isn´t really specialized in cakes, but the ones they have delicious. Well, there is one reason for it! Spanish people don´t eat too much cake.

The few occasions you would see someone from Spain eating cakes are festive seasons such as Christmas or Eastern and of course at a birthday party.

The rest of the year, if they go to a restaurant for example, most of the people would usually get deserts like flan, ice cream, custard, or rice pudding.