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homemade ladyfingers

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
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine French, Italian

Equipment

  • Hand mixer or stand mixer (with whisk attachment)
  • large bowl
  • spatula
  • Piping bag
  • Round piping tip (10mm)
  • Baking trays
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients
  

  • 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

Instructions
 

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

Bake

  • Bake at 400F for 9 - 10 min until the outside is lightly browned. When you press the sponge with your finger, it should spring back
Keyword ladyfingers, sponge cake