The origin of Pan de Cádiz is uncertain.
According to legend, back in the 19th century during the Peninsular War, the French laid siege to the lands of Cádiz, exerting pressure and control over the population and preventing supplies and food from entering the city.
The wheat shortage led people to use one of the ingredients that was abundant at the time—almonds—to make bread. It is said that at the Customs Palace there was a large shipment of almonds destined for export, but they couldn’t ship it out. So the people of Cádiz decided to make a bread based on almonds, a kind of marzipan.
This legend is rather questionable, since it’s unlikely anyone would use a more expensive ingredient than wheat to bake bread.
Others attribute the origin of this dessert to the pastry chef Antonio Valls Garrido, a 19th-century resident of Cádiz. He created the bread in the shape of a chest so that sweet treasures—candied fruits, egg yolk paste, angel hair squash, or sweet potato cream—could be stored inside.
Today it is a widely enjoyed dessert throughout Spain during the Christmas season.
Ingredients for the wrapping marzipan:
2- Add raw ground Marcona almonds and sifted powdered sugar to prevent lumps. Mix well until you form a compact dough like the one you see in the photo; just mix, there’s no need to knead.
4- In another bowl, prepare the second filling by mixing the ground toasted Marcona almonds with the egg white until well combined.
7- Place a wafer on the base. On top of it, lay one of the three pieces of marzipan dough rolled out with a rolling pin to about 0.5 cm thickness. Spread the toasted almond filling over this marzipan layer.
10- Using a knife, make diagonal slashes and brush the entire surface with beaten egg.
This step helps give the pan de Cádiz a golden, glossy finish and ensures an even bake.
11- Bake in the oven at 200 °C (top heat only) for 10 minutes, or until the surface is nicely golden brown.
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