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1
Heat the oven to 170 °C. Grease and line a round cake tin. Grind the whole blanched almonds in batches to a coarse flour; the meal should smell sweet and fresh, without any trace of rancidity.
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2
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale, thick, and falls from the beater in a slow ribbon. Stir in the lemon zest and, if using, the orujo.
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3
Fold the freshly ground almonds into the yolk mixture until fully combined.
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4
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peak — the peak should curl over gently when the whisk is lifted, holding its shape without collapsing. This is where the dish lives or dies: under-whisked whites will not lighten the batter; over-beaten whites will break on folding and the cake will be a dense, heavy mass.
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5
Fold the whites into the almond batter in two additions, working gently until no white streaks remain. The batter will be thick and aerated.
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6
Pour into the prepared tin and bake at 170 °C for 25–30 minutes. The cake is done when the edges are set and golden but the centre still trembles very slightly when the tin is nudged.
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7
Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin. It must be cold to the touch before proceeding — residual warmth will dissolve the icing sugar on contact.
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8
Lay the Cross of Saint James stencil — cut from card — on the surface of the cold cake. Sift icing sugar evenly over the top, then lift the stencil cleanly. The cross should be a crisp white against the golden surface.