This Homemade Sponge Fingers Recipe (ladyfingers) yields small, sweet sponge cake biscuits, or cookies, that resemble fingers. They are a perfect accompaniment to tea or coffee, and are a staple ingredient in tiramisu and charlotte cakes.
Sponge fingers, also known as ladyfingers, lady fingers, boudoir biscuits or savoiardi biscuits, originated in 15th century Savoy, located in modern day France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. They are probably most famous as a key ingredient in tiramisu. You can find them in most grocery stores, but if you want to take your tiramisu up a notch, try this recipe for homemade sponge fingers instead of using store bought biscuits/cookies.
You’ll notice an extra ingredient and step in this recipe as compared to others, which is the addition of lemon zest and the method that it is added in. In any recipe that calls for granulated sugar and zest, I like to work the zest into the sugar to express the natural oils in the zest for a more robust citrus note. It only takes a few extra seconds and I think it makes all the difference! I also use this technique in my raspberry orange muffins and my chocolate orange cheesecake.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The lemon zest adds a light citrus note to the flavor.
- These only require a few ingredients and taste more fresh than storebought.
- These little sponge cakes are pretty easy to make.
Ingredients
- Eggs give lift to the sponge fingers. Egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks for volume, while the egg yolks are whipped with the sugar to help dissolve it. I like to use room temperature eggs in baking.
- Lemon zest is rubbed in with the granulated sugar, also called caster sugar, to express the oils in the zest. This brings a light lemon flavor.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the sponge fingers.
- Vanilla and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- All-purpose flour gives structure to the biscuits.
- Cornstarch ensures a tender crumb.
- Powdered sugar, also known as icing sugar, is dusted over the fingers before baking to give a soft crust.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize this homemade sponge fingers recipe (ladyfingers) to your liking:
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- No lemon zest — omit the lemon zest or swap out for orange or lime.
- Vanilla — use vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste interchangeably. I prefer vanilla bean paste if you plan to eat these by themselves, because you can see the flecks throughout and the flavor can be stronger, depending on the brand you use.
- Size — the standard size for ladyfingers is 3 inches long, but you can pipe them as short or as long as you'd like. This comes in handy if you are using them for tiramisu so you can make them fit your pan. You can also pipe them touching. Sponge fingers made in this way form the outer ring for charlotte cakes.
- Almond extract — swap vanilla for almond, if you like almond flavoring.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make sponge fingers
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a large piping bag with a ½-inch opening round piping tip. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper. Mark out 3-inch lines as a guide on the underside of the parchment. Ensure the lines are spaced out evenly, with about 1 ½ inches of space between them. Set aside. Combine half of the granulated sugar in a medium size bowl with the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar to express the oils in the zest. Add egg yolks and whisk vigorously until pale, fluffy and thoroughly combined. Add vanilla to the egg yolk mixture and beat until combined. Set aside.
Step 2: Pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until foamy, or soft peaks. With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining half of sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Gently fold egg whites into the yolk mixture, careful not to deflate the egg whites. Combine flour, salt and cornstarch, whisking well to combine. Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture and gently fold until combined.
Step 3: Pour batter into the prepared piping bag. Pipe 3-inch lines onto baking trays, spaced 1 ½ inches apart.
Step 4: Dust lightly with powdered sugar. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on trays before storing in an airtight container.
hot tips
- This recipe calls for a ½-inch opening round piping tip. You may need to look online for a piping tip with such a large opening. I found mine in a local restaurant supply store.
- Fold VERY gently. You do not want to risk deflating the meringue, otherwise your ladyfingers will fall flat. Check out this video from ICENGUIK on how to fold a meringue into a batter.
- Try piping the ladyfingers at a 90 degree angle, parallel to the baking sheet, if you can. This will help the ladyfingers have a rounder, taller shape.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, just use 1 tablespoon more cake flour than what is called for in all-purpose flour.
This is not recommended as the recipe has not been tested with less sugar.
Store sponge fingers, or ladyfingers, in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Parchment paper is a cellulose-based paper that has been processed in a way that makes it nonstick and resistant to heat. It is also called greaseproof paper.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Homemade Sponge Fingers Recipe (ladyfingers) be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Sponge Fingers
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (136 grams) divided
- 3 large eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (130 grams)
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a piping bag with a ½-inch opening round piping tip. Prepare two baking pans with parchment paper. Mark out 3-inch lines as a guide on the underside of the parchment. Ensure the lines are spaced out evenly, with about 1 ½ inches of space between them. Set aside.
- Combine half of the granulated sugar in a medium size bowl with the lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar to express the oils in the zest.
- Add egg yolks and whisk vigorously until pale, fluffy and thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Set aside.
- Pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium until foamy. With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining half of sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed.
- Gently fold egg whites into the yolk mixture, careful not to deflate the egg whites.
- Combine flour, salt and cornstarch, whisking well to combine. Sift dry ingredients in and gently fold again until combined.
- Pour batter into the piping bag. Pipe 3-inch lines onto baking trays, spaced 1 ½ inches apart. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on trays before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
- This recipe calls for a ½-inch opening round piping tip. You may need to look online for a piping tip with such a large opening. I found mine in a local restaurant supply store.
- Fold VERY gently. You do not want to risk deflating the meringue, otherwise your ladyfingers will fall flat. Check out this video from ICENGUIK on how to fold a meringue into a batter
Nutrition
Originally published 01/12/2022. Updated 04/24/2023 and 01/21/2025.
