MAIN INGREDIENTS
Known simply as tarta de queso or gazta tarta in its native Basque, this simple yet incredibly creamy cheesecake variation is a decades-old local specialty of the La Viña Bar in San Sebastián. The recipe is a simple combination of classic cheesecake ingredients such as sugar, heavy cream, eggs, and cream cheese, but unlike its more popular counterparts, this Basque version does not have any crust.
Instead, it is baked on a high temperature which leaves the outside firm, darker, and somewhat burnt, while the center remains gooey. Basque cheesecake is immensely popular, and while La Viña remains its place of origin, different variations are nowadays found in several patisseries around the world.
MOST ICONIC Basque Cheesecake
View moreTarta de Santiago is a sponge cake made with eggs, almonds, and sugar, flavored with either lemon zest, grape marc, sweet wine, or brandy. Optionally, the cake can have a base layer made from puff pastry or shortcrust pastry. The earliest reference to this cake dates back to 1577, but the first recipe appeared rather late, around 1838.
The imprint of the Cross of Saint James on top of the cake–made with powdered sugar–appeared first in 1924 in a cake shop in Santiago Compostela and has since become standard practice. Since 2010, the cake holds a PGI status within Europe, and in traditional Galician cake shops it is still prepared according to 19th-century recipes.
Mantecadas de Estepa is a type of Christmas sweet cake traditionally made in the municipality of Estepa, in the province of Seville. The recipe for these sweets has remained unchanged for more than a hundred years and still calls for plain flour, lard, and sugar that are mixed together and baked.
There are many varieties of these cakes, and many recipes call for other additional ingredients such as cinnamon, olive oil, almonds, hazelnuts, cocoa, coconut, or vanilla. Mantecados de Estepa are very sweet and mild in flavor, dominated by nutty aromas.
Bizcocho de aceite is a traditional Spanish sponge cake. It's made with a combination of eggs, milk, sugar, flour, olive oil, and baking powder. The cake batter is typically enriched with lemon zest, then poured into a shallow tray and baked until golden brown.
This olive oil-flavored sponge cake is cut into smaller pieces and dusted with icing sugar before it's served.
The colorful mona de Pasqua is a traditional Catalan Easter cake symbolizing spring and the end of Lent. Although there are numerous versions of the cake, it most usually consists of a sweet brioche dough that is stuffed with candied fruit and topped with hard-boiled eggs.
Many versions of the cake are filled with cream, chocolate, or fruit jam, and covered with almonds or crème brûlée. The cakes are typically decorated with inedible baby chicks, chocolate eggs, or figurines of popular cartoon characters.
Coca de San Juan is a popular, festive Spanish cake consisting of flour, sugar, lemon zest, eggs, butter, milk, and yeast. Cherries, pine nuts, and crystallized ginger are dispersed throughout the cake, giving it a unique visual appearance. The cake is traditionally consumed on the feast of San Juan, hence the name.
It is recommended to serve the cake with a cup of tea on the side.
Mantecadas de Astorga is a cake traditionally made in the province of León. It was invented by the pastry chef Juan de la Mata in the 18th century. This sweet cake is made by whisking plain flour, eggs, butter, lard, and sugar, then baking the concoction in the square-shaped, kraft-type paper mold.
Mantecadas de Astorga is very sweet and mild in flavor, dominated only by the aromas of butter and eggs. These small cakes usually weigh between 25 to 30 grams and are 5 cm long in diameter. This traditional recipe has been an inspiration for many modern versions, many of which use olive oil in place of butter and are enriched with subtle aromas of vanilla or spices.
Ponche Segoviano is a traditional Spanish cake originating from Segovia. This layer cake looks like a big rectangle of custard and marzipan that are topped with caramelized sugar which is decorated with a criss-cross design. The recipe of the original cake is a patent-protected secret, but it's probably made with a combination of eggs, sugar, milk, flour, lemon peel, cinnamon, and almonds.
The cake was invented in 1926 by a confectioner named Frutos García Martín at the El Alcázar cafe. It soon became popular in the town, and King Alfonso XIII (who loved the ponche) told the inventor to take the cake to the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona, where it won the gold medal in 1929.
As the name suggests, this traditional dessert hails from the city of Córdoba. The cake consists of two layers of flaky puff pastry and a filling made from threaded squash jam, also known as cabell d’ángel or angel’s hair. The filling is traditionally made from Figleaf gourd, while the original version also includes an unusual addition of diced ham.
Before it is served, the cake is usually dusted with cinnamon and sprinkled with sugar. It can be enjoyed warm or chilled, and it is typically served with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. On November 17, people from Córdoba celebrate the national Pastel Cordobés Day when free portions of the cake are provided for all the attendees, while one of the most popular versions of the cake is found in the monastery of Santa Isabel de los Ángeles in Córdoba.
The base of this traditional Balearic dessert is usually made with leftover ensaimada—a spiral-shaped sweet pastry. Similar to a bread pudding, greixonera consists of pieces of ensaimada that are combined with milk and eggs and the whole combination is then baked until firm and golden brown.
The cake is often flavored with cinnamon or lemon zest, and it is traditionally served bottom-side-up, and comes dusted with ground cinnamon. Greixonera is typically prepared in the days following certain special events with the leftover ensaimada.
Although it is associated with the Balearic Islands, this traditional sweet remains especially popular on Ibiza.
VARIATIONS OF Greixonera
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