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1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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2
Sift the cake flour and cocoa powder together in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
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3
Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whip until foamy with an electric mixer set on medium speed.
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4
Make a French meringue by adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
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5
When you whip egg whites, add the sugar slowly to allow the whites to gain some volume.
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6
When you have volume, add the rest of the sugar.
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7
Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip to stiff but not dry peaks, about 5 minutes.
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8
When the whites are slightly stiff, reduce the mixer speed to low to allow even more air to be incorporated without over whipping the egg whites.
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9
Let the egg whites continue to whip for about another 2 minutes.
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10
Stop whipping them if they begin to look dry or separated.
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11
Very gently, fold the egg yolks into the whipped egg whites with a rubber spatula until they are partially incorporated.
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12
Carefully fold the sifted mixture into the egg mixture.
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13
It is important to fold as gently as possible to avoid deflating the batter.
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14
Remember to fold all the way to the bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate both mixtures.
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15
Place the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch plain tip.
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16
To pipe the ladyfingers, hold the pastry bag at a slight angle and allow the tip to touch the parchment paper as you start to pipe.
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17
Squeeze gently, applying even pressure as you pipe the desired length, then stop squeezing and lift the tip straight up, leaving a small tail on the end of each ladyfinger.
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18
Pipe evenly shaped ladyfingers about 3/4-inch wide on a parchment paper-covered sheet pan.
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19
Space them about 1/2-inch apart to allow them room to spread as they bake.
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20
Dust the tops of the ladyfingers with powdered sugar to give them a nice crust.
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21
Bake the ladyfingers until light and evenly browned, about 5 minutes.
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22
(The browning may be difficult to discern with the chocolate ladyfingers.)
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23
Remove from the oven and immediately move to a wire rack to prevent the heat of the pan from continuing to bake the ladyfingers.
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24
Set aside until ready to use.
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25
When cooled, the ladyfingers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks.
