Resepi Homemade Ladyfingers/Sponge Fingers/Boudoir/Savoiardi

Been wanting to make a Tiramisu for weeks now. Had a peek at the bakery supply shop to search for some ladyfingers, and my! Don't they cost a lot (RM15.90 or thereabouts) for a pack of 40 fingers! That's 40cents per fingers man! Phewww.. If I wanted to make 2 or 3 layers I would need about a packet of those. And that doesn't count for a block of cream cheese (Tawau doesn't have mascarpone cheese, I heard from the supplier 'cause it ain't cheap) which cost approx. RM12 per 250g. It also doesn't count for half a pack of whipping cream which ranges from RM10.50 to RM15.90, depending on your budget.

Haha.. No wonder they sell Tiramisu for RM60 here..

The first (and last time) I bought a Tiramisu was from MultiBake (and it wasn't even a real Tiramisu, it was a Tiramisu cake), a bakery store in front of PizzaHut in town. I'm not criticizing or anything (if I was, you should make an improvement) but personally, the taste wasn't 'all there'. There was a lack of cheesey taste, too much of a whip cream taste (I thought I was eating a whipping cream. Haha)..and I nearly choked on the cocoa powder (they litterally snowed the top of the Tiramisu with 2mm thick of unsweetened cocoa powder). Even the sponge cake didn't taste all that good; there was a lack of sweetness in it.

Instead of throwing away RM16 for a packet of fingers on an expensive experiment, I decided to make my own instead. It's definitely cheaper, although for some it may be time-consuming, and I can make it anytime I want without having to borrow Mr Hubby's car for ulang alik pergi kedai bakeri. Gosh! It's that fabulous! Even my son likes it, it's like a baby's rusk- crunchy on the outside, soft on the side.

So let's cut to the chase. By the way, you can store these fingers in the freeze- just cool them after they're baked, store them in an airtight bag and freeze them. They should keep well for 2 weeks or so. If you leave them at room temperature they tend to stale pretty fast.

Resepi Ladyfingers (or some call them boudoirs/savoiardi/sponge fingers)
http://www.eddyvandammeusa.com/2009/11/how-to-make-ladyfingers/

It ain't neat it but sure tastes darn good..

Makes about 50
Bahan:
1C @ 135g tepung gandum (I used 45g of tepung gandum. Did use self-rising flour but it doesn't make too much difference)
6 biji telur kuning (I used 2)
1st esen vanila (I used 1/4tsp)

6 biji putih telur (I used 2)
1/2C tolak 1sb @ 115g gula kastor
secubit cream of tartar (this I added)

Gula aising + penapis untuk dusting atas fingers


Cara:

1. Panaskan oven pada suhu 200C.
2. Sediakan 2-3 helai baking sheet. Ketepikan.
3. Sediakan satu piping bag besar bersama satu nozzle bulat bersaiz lebih kurang 1/2" (1cm). Ketepikan.
4. Ayak tepung 2 kali dan ketepikan.
5. Dalam satu bekas, putar putih telur sampai berbuih. Masukkan secubit cream of tartar (ini bagi mengekalkan bentuk meringue supaya tak mudah jatuh) dan masukkan gula sedikit demi sedikit. Putar hingga sangat kental (VERY stiff peak) dan ketepikan (N/B: dah kental tu jangan pukul lagi lama, nanti jadi cair balik kang).
6. Dalam bekas lain, pukul kuning telur bersama esen vanila hingga pucat, lebih kurang 8 minit jika guna resepi penuh (saya pukul 2,3 minit je).
7. Menggunakan spatula, gaul meringue tadi untuk membuatnya lebih smooth.
8. Tuangkan adunan kuning telur dalam meringue dan kaup balik secara perlahan-lahan hingga hampir gaul rata (akan kelihatan sedikit kuning telur).
9. Ayak tepung gandum sedikit demi sedikit dalam adunan putih-kuning telur (saya letak 2sb dalam penapis, ayak dalam adunan, kaup balik dan buat sampai habis). Pastikan jangan terlebih gaul.
10. Letakkan adunan dalam piping bag dan picitkan atas baking sheet, lebih kurang 3.5" panjang, lebar 1", dan jarakkan antara satu sama lain sejauh 1".
11. Taburkan/dust ladyfingers dengan gula aising, biarkan seminit dan taburkan lagi gula aising (untuk mendapatkan permukaan yang lebih rangup).
12. Bakar selama 10-15 min atau sehingga perang keemasan (luar akan sedikit ranggup tetapi bila tekan di dalam akan lembut/spongey.
13. Gunakan pisau untuk alihkan atas redai (jangan dibiarkan sejuk terlalu lama atas baking sheet, nanti melekat) dan tabur lagi gula aising. Boleh disejukkan dan disimpan dalam beg plastik untuk disimpan dalam peti sejuk. Atau pun terus digunakan.