I first posted this story on January 9, 2013. Well, here it is January 24, 2019, and I thought it was time to re-post it because I really want you to add these glorious French creations to your dessert repertoire. Beating egg yolks until thick, egg whites until they hold a perfect peak, and folding the two together while sifting in the flour, are techniques you will use over and over again. Trust me.
What are Ladyfingers?
When’s the last time you made ladyfingers? What? You can’t remember? And what the heck are they, anyway? Well, they’re sort of finger-shaped sponge cakes made from an airy batter of beaten egg yolks and egg whites and cake flour. I learned how to make them watching Julia Child on the French Chef episode “Introducing Charlotte Malakoff.” I get a thrill whipping up whites and yolks, and Julia made everything look so easy, I decided to try my hand at them. You can watch this episode on Amazon.com. Julia Child, The French Chef, Season 3, Episode 10.
The success of desserts such as tiramisu, Charlotte Russe, or Charlotte Malakoff, depends on having the best ladyfingers possible. And the best ladyfingers are homemade. Not sure what these three desserts are? They’re basically molded creams or flavored whipped cream and cake, the cake being ladyfingers. The beauty of homemade ladyfingers is that you can make them the exact size you want depending on the kind and size of mold your dessert requires. You’ll need a pastry bag with a metal tip that has a plain round opening measuring about ½-inch.
We’ve already made sponge cakes, and the technique for ladyfingers is exactly the same. You beat the egg yolks with sugar until very thick and pale and the yolks form a slowly dissolving ribbon as they fall off the beater onto the remaining yolks in the mixing bowl. You then beat egg whites with a bit of sugar until they form stiff peaks. (Julia attended to the whites while the yolks were beating, and she whipped them by hand with a huge wire whisk in a copper bowl). The whites must be stiff enough to hold their shape within the wires of the whisk.
Beaten egg whites ready to fold into batter
Folding beaten egg whites into ladyfinger batter
The final batter is thick and light and holds its shape when pressed through a pastry bag.
Ladyfingers piped onto a baking sheet
After the ladyfingers are formed you dust them with confectioners’ sugar and pop them into the oven. You can bake them ahead and freeze them for a week or two before using.
