Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Savoiardi are the classic piped sponge fingers used for tiramisu, charlottes and terrines, and the same batter piped as small rounds gives you “otello” shells that can be sandwiched with cream or ganache. The mixture is a simple separated-egg sponge: whipped yolks, a firm meringue and a light mix of cake flour and corn flour folded through, with no butter and no chemical raising agent at all.
Baked hot and fast, the fingers come out dry and crisp on the outside and soft and airy inside, which is exactly what you want when they have to soak up coffee or syrup without collapsing. Piped through a plain nozzle they hold their shape neatly, so you can make even lengths for lining a terrine or a ring, or small discs for building layered desserts.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
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Weight Per Unit: 596
Number of Units: 2
Unit Size: 30 x 40 cm baking tray of piped fingers
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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240 |
8.4 ounces
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Egg Yolk
The egg yolk is the internal yellow part of an egg.
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room temperature |
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B
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160 |
5.6 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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C
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480 |
16.9 ounces
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Egg White
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms around fertilized or unfertilized egg yolks. The primary natural purpose of egg white is to protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition for the growth of the embryo (when fertilized). Egg white consists primarily of about 90% water into which is dissolved 10% proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat, and carbohydrate content is less than 1%. Egg whites contain just over 50% of the protein in the egg. Egg white has many uses in food (e.g. mousse) and also many other uses (e.g. in the preparation of vaccines such as those for influenza).
room temperature
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room temperature |
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D
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5 |
0.2 ounce
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Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a byproduct of winemaking. It is known as cream of tartar in context with cooking. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid).
In food, cream of tartar is used for:
- Stabilizing egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume
- Stabilizing whipped cream, maintaining its texture and volume
- Anti-caking and thickening
- Preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing
- Reducing discoloration of boiled vegetables
Additionally it is used as a component of:
- Baking powder, as an acid ingredient to activate baking soda
- Sodium-free salt substitutes, in combination with potassium chloride
A similar acid salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, can be confused with cream of tartar because of their common function as a component of baking powder.
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E
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160 |
5.6 ounces
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Corn Starch
Corn starch, cornstarch, cornflour or maize starch or maize is the starch derived from the corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. Corn starch is a popular food ingredient used in thickening sauces or soups, and is used in making corn syrup and other sugars.
cornstarch
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sifted |
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F
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140 |
4.9 ounces
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Cake Flour
Cake flour is a finely milled white flour made from soft wheat. It has very low protein content, between 8% and 10%, making it suitable for soft-textured cakes and cookies. The higher protein content of other flours would make the cakes tough. Highly sifted cake flours may require different volume amounts in recipes than all-purpose flour. Using the scoop and level method, well-sifted flour usually produces 125 g per cup. However, most American recipes are written with 140 g of flour per cup, so weighing and experimentation can be helpful in baking unfamiliar recipes. Small weight differences can greatly affect the texture. American Cake flour is bleached; in countries where bleached flour is prohibited, plain flour can be treated in a domestic microwave to improve the texture of the end product.
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sifted |
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G
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2 |
0.1 ounce
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Salt
Common salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent; the open ocean has about 35 grams (1.2 oz) of solids per litre, a salinity of 3.5%. Salt is essential for animal life, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous of food seasonings, and salting is an important method of food preservation.
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H
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5 |
0.2 ounce
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Vanilla Essence
Vanilla Extract is made with 100% pure vanilla beans. With a sweet, syrupy consistency, this Vanilla is ideal for use in icings, drinks and whipped cream as well as classic baking recipes. Vanilla Essence is commercially manufactured by chemicals and is more of a watery consistency as opposed to vanilla extract which is thicker and a lot fuller and richer in flavour. You can replace one with the other but use 50% more of essence. For example, for 1 teaspoon of extract, use 1.5 teaspoons of essence.
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1192
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 210°C (410°F) and line two large baking trays with baking paper. Fit a piping bag with a number 8 plain nozzle. |
Oven fully up to temperature before the batter is mixed |
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2 |
Whip |
Whip A, G and H (egg yolk, salt and vanilla essence) together until thick and pale. |
Light, creamy and holding a ribbon |
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3 |
Whip |
In a clean, dry bowl whip C and D (egg white and cream of tartar) until frothy, then add B (caster sugar) in a steady stream and continue whipping. |
Firm, glossy meringue with soft peaks that just hold |
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4 |
Fold |
Fold the whipped yolks through the meringue in two or three additions, working gently with a large spatula. |
Evenly coloured, still light and full of air |
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5 |
Fold |
Sift E and F (corn flour and cake flour) over the mixture and fold through carefully. |
No dry flour left, mixture still holds its shape |
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6 |
Pipe |
Fill the piping bag and pipe fingers about 10 cm long onto the lined trays, or small rounds for otello shells, leaving a good gap between each one. |
Even thickness, shapes holding cleanly without spreading |
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7 |
Bake |
Bake at 210°C (410°F) for 5 minutes, then lower the oven to 180°C (355°F) and finish baking. |
Pale golden, dry to the touch and lifting easily from the paper |
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8 |
Cool |
Slide the paper with the fingers onto a rack and let them cool completely before lifting them off. |
Crisp on the outside, soft inside |
Important Notes
The full batch makes about 1,192 g of batter, enough for roughly two large trays of piped fingers, or a large number of small otello discs. Pipe with a number 8 plain nozzle for the classic shape. Bake hot at 210°C (410°F) for the first 5 minutes to set the outside, then drop the oven to 180°C (355°F) to dry them through. For a traditional finish, dust the piped fingers lightly with icing sugar just before baking. Once completely cool, store them in an airtight container; they keep well for a few days and in fact firm up nicely, which helps them soak syrup or coffee without falling apart. They also freeze well, layered between baking paper.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with whisk attachment, two mixing bowls, sieve, large spatula, piping bag with a number 8 plain nozzle, two large flat baking trays, baking paper, cooling rack, scales.
