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.
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer (with whisk attachment)
- large bowl
- spatula
- Piping bag
- Round piping tip (12mm)
- Baking trays
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 180g (1 1 /2 cups) All purpose flour
- 120g egg yolks (about 6 medium egg yolks)
- 180g egg whites (about 6 medium egg whites)
- 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
Notes
- For precision, I have provided the gram measurements for the egg whites and the egg yolks. I find that 6 medium eggs separated into whites and yolks is sufficient or this recipe.