Name: Soft Lady Fingers
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 hr
Yield: Makes about 32 ladyfingers
Ingredients: 5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature 30 minutes; ⅔ cup (132g) sugar, divided; ⅞ cup (105g) all-purpose flour; Confectioners sugar, for dusting; Equipment: a pastry bag with tip cut ¾-inch wide

A Charlotte cake surrounded with soft Ladyfinger biscuits.

Soft Lady Fingers

Ladyfingers may play only a supporting role in charlottes, but these delicate, small spongecakes are well worth perfecting. Folding in the egg whites requires a light but confident hand. Also, be careful not to overbake. Gaston LeNôtre's son Alain warns: "Thirty seconds too long, and it could be too late."

Cooks note:

Ladyfingers can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days or frozen 1 month.

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