Ladyfingers Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Perfect Ladyfingers

Ladyfingers are a light, crispy dessert made from a sponge cake batter. The texture of this classic treat falls between that of a sponge cake and a biscuit. The dessert’s name is a nod to its long, oblong shape, which is approximately the length and width of a finger.

The lightweight-yet-sturdy texture of ladyfingers makes them ideal for soaking in espresso or liqueur. They are also a key feature of trifles, like charlottes, and classic Italian desserts like tiramisu. Like their wafer-thin French counterpart, langues de chat, ladyfingers are also served alongside tea, coffee, or ice cream.

Though you can find them in most grocery stores, homemade ladyfingers capture the tenderness of the crumb as it was intended:

1. 1. Use cornstarch to reduce the spread. Ladyfingers may spread into a slightly flatter biscuit during the baking process, which is fine for snacking, but less than ideal when using them in runnier desserts like tiramisu. (Their puffed-up shape and structure allow them to absorb its liquids.) Adding a teaspoon of cornstarch to the mix acts as insurance, firming up the batter and helping it keep its shape.
2. 2. Bake in batches. Sponge cakes can be temperamental, so trying to fit more than one baking sheet into the oven is not optimal. Uneven oven temperatures can lead to an uneven or insufficient bake.
   
3. 3. Whip the eggs well. Some recipes call for lightly steaming the whole eggs and sugar before whipping them to encourage more volume. Other recipes may call for separating the egg whites to make a traditional meringue, which is folded gently into the egg yolk and sugar mixture. In either case, the eggs are the primary leavening agent. Whip them long enough to create soft peaks that hold their shape. (Otherwise, the ladyfingers won’t hold theirs.)