Homemade Ladyfingers

September 16, 2015 72 Comments »

Have you ever wondered how to make homemade ladyfingers? It’s really very simple! If you can separate eggs and pipe a straight line, you’re just moments away from these light, sweet, and delicate little cakes. They’re perfect for your next tiramisu or Charlotte recipe!

Can you believe the week is half over already? Where did it go? Can someone please tell me?

My kids have been in school for three weeks now but they’ve yet to have an actual 5-day week. And I think they won’t for at least a few weeks more. So many fall holidays! And we haven’t even gotten close to the major ones yet (I can’t wait!).

So, I’m a little behind this week because of the extended weekend and all the festivities that went along with it. I actually made and shot these little lovelies last week, but I wasn’t completely happy with them, and wanted an extra day to tweak and test.

I’m glad I did because the revised recipe is easy as pie and practically fool-proof. I’m telling you, if you can separate and whip eggs, then homemade ladyfingers are nothing to fear. There is no need for you to buy those strange hard things in a cardboard box. I don’t know what those have in them, but these are little more than fresh eggs, sugar, and a little flour. I whipped them up in less than an hour, and they are light as air, sponge-y, sweet, and delicate as can be.

Here are a few tips for you:

Room temperature eggs are best for this recipe, but I used cold from the fridge and it still worked just fine.
Crack the eggs gently so as not to break the yolk. If any yolk gets into the white, the whites won’t whip up properly. I like to open the egg into my hand so I can gently pull the white away with my fingers. The sharp, jagged edges of the shell make me nervous!
Add the sugar to the whites slowly. When they are starting to look soft and more white and opaque, you can start adding it in, in a very slow stream, so that it has time to dissolve fully but doesn’t deflate or knock the air out of the fluffy whites.
Whip the bejeezus out of the yolks and sugar. The color should change dramatically from deep, orange-y yellow, to a very pale canary color. They should be really thick too, and fall from the beater in a long ribbon. I flavored mine with vanilla bean paste, but I think they’d be lovely with orange blossom water or lemon zest as well.
Fold the whites into the yolks carefully. It’s ok if the batter looks a little streaky, because it’s going to get lots more folds when you add the flour.
I found it helpful to make myself a little guide before I started piping. I just measured and marked lines, 3-inches apart, on a sheet of parchment paper. Then I marked perpendicular lines, 1-inch apart. You only have to do this one time! Keep that sheet as a guide and slip it between the sheet pan and the parchment you actually pipe the ladyfingers onto. When you are done piping, slip the guide sheet out before popping the ladyfingers into the oven, and you can use it over and over again.
You’ll notice that the powdered sugar melts into the surface of the unbaked ladyfingers pretty quickly. That’s ok! It’s still useful because it creates a nice crackly crust on the surface. You can dust them a second time for looks, once they are baked and cooled.
You can make them ahead! I double wrapped mine, loosely, in plastic bags and then popped them in the freezer. They’ll keep in the fridge for several days too!

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try! It’s as simple as a sponge cake, really, and such a fun one to make. So versatile too!

In case you are wondering, here is the kind of pastry bag I like to use, with this tip. And I buy my parchment sheets here. These are the baking sheets I have (and I love them!).

Talk again soon! xo

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