[1] The ingredients mainly consist of ground almonds (almond flour), eggs, and sugar, with additional flavouring of lemon zest, sweet wine, brandy, or grape marc, depending on the recipe used.

[2] The Galician for cake is torta whilst it is often referred to as tarta, which is the Spanish word for it.

[3] [4] The top of the pie is decorated with powdered sugar, stencilled by a silhouette of the Cross of Saint James (cruz de Santiago) which gives the pastry its name.

[5] In May 2010, the EU gave Tarta de Santiago PGI status within Europe.

To qualify, the cake must be made in the Autonomous Community of Galicia and contain at least 33% almonds, excluding the base.