Now at the base of the Italian confectionery tradition, the Savoiardi are the biscuits par excellence in the preparation of numerous desserts: first of all the tiramisu with its delicious combination with Eggnog. But the Savoiardi biscuits lend themselves to numerous other creations, such as the charlotte cake and the trifle. Its origins probably trace back to the Duchy of Savoy during the fifteenth century, but today they are known throughout Italy and widely used in every region and also abroad. Here’s how to make homemade Savoiardi with our original recipe: it’s quick and easy and requires no special skills.

Preparation

1

To prepare the Savoiardi, start pouring the egg whites into a large bowl and whip them with the electric mixer at maximum speed (or with a planetary mixer), also adding the sugar.

2

Beat the egg whites until stiff and until the mixture is very firm and swollen.

3

Separately, in another bowl, pour the egg yolks and beat them quickly. Then incorporate them into the whipped egg whites. Mix with a spatula very gently and with movements from the bottom up, to mix them. Be careful not to dismantle the whipped egg whites.

4

Once the yolks are well blended with the egg whites, add the sifted flour 3 times, mixing gently with the spatula with circular movements from the bottom up to incorporate it.

5

Pour the mixture into a sàc a poche (with no. 8 or 10 spout) and form dough sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. sprinkle the surface of the biscuits with granulated sugar before baking them in a preheated oven at 220 ° C for 8 minutes.
Once ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool before taking them out and using them in your delicious recipes.

Tips and tricks

• The main secret for a perfect result of the consistency of the Savoiardi concerns the egg whites: they must be whipped very firmly and incorporate lots of air. Even the creation of the tongues of dough on the dripping pan must be done easily, to prevent the mixture from losing consistency.
• If you do not have potato starch available, you can replace it with the same dose of cornstarch.
• The classic shape of the Savoiardi is elongated (10 cm long) and narrow (4/5 cm wide) with a thickness of about 1 cm. Because of their shape they are also called ‘Finger lady’, or ‘lady’s fingers’ due to the similarity to the shape of a finger. But the dough can lend itself to being spread on the pan creating different shapes, such as circles or a spiral that can become the basis for a delicious cake!
• If you prefer to make more Savoiardi biscuits scented, it is possible to flavor the dough with grated lemon zest, with a few drops of honey or with a sachet of vanillin or the seeds of a vanilla bean. And why not try making them with cocoa?

storage

Pre-cooked homemade ladyfingers can be preserved up to 10 days closed in an airtight container at room temperature. Often, however, before their use for the preparation of desserts, they are left in the open air for a day so that they dry and harden at their best. In this case they would not risk being excessively soft and joined together.

As for the raw Savoyard dough, it must be used immediately once ready. Otherwise, leaving it to rest, the air incorporated in the egg whites and in the dough would risk to come out and ‘deflate’ the mixture.

History

Their name suggests their origins: the Savoiardi would have been born in Duchy of Savoy around the 15th century. In the court of the Dukes of Savoy, in particular of Amedeo VI, a biscuit called ‘gâteau de Savoie’ would be produced on the occasion of the visit of Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg. It is said that these biscuits were so popular that they soon became a typical dessert of the House of Savoy.

In the regions under their dominion, the Savoiardi became a very common biscuit and in the following centuries they became one of the basic pastry preparations throughout Italy.