Ladyfingers (Biscuit Cuillère
Ladyfingers, or biscuit cuillère, is a light sponge cake leavened just with whipped up eggs. It is very light and airy, and is often used in a variety of desserts.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine French, Italian
- 180g (1 1 /2 cups) All purpose flour
- 6 eggs, separated
- 180g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 50g (1/4 cup) powdered sugar, for dusting
Prep work (mise en place)
Preheat the oven to 400F and line your baking trays with parchment paper
Separate your eggs and measure out your flour and granulated sugar
Prepare your piping tip or spatula
Make the meringue and add the yolks
Place the whites in your mixing bowl, and mix on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. The whites will form small, dense bubbles, and the whisk will leave trails behind as it spins.
While the mixer is going, add the sugar a little at a time. You will notice the bubbles start to smoothen and tighten up, taking on a glossier sheen
Mix on high speed until stiff peaks form. At stiff peaks, the egg whites will look glossy and thick, and will hold their shape without sagging or drooping.
With the mixer still running on high speed, add the egg yolks one at a time until they are fully incorporated. The result should be thick and fluffy, with a pale yellow color.
Fold in the flour
Fold the flour into the eggs in 3 - 4 batches. Make sure to sift the flour with each addition
Fold until the flour is incorporated, without large dry pockets. When folding, be careful not to squash out the air. I move my spatula in a J motion, going down and then turning up and over. It helps to rotate the bowl as you fold.
Pipe or spread the batter
If you're making traditional ladyfingers - place the batter in a piping bag with a round tip, and pipe into 4 inch vertical lines. Leave ~1 inch between each biscuit as they will spread in the oven
If you're making an unbroken sheet or disk - spread the batter with a spatula or pipe into your desired shape
Dust with powdered sugar to create a crackly effect after baking
Keyword ladyfingers, sponge cake