Cake party! Second in the series on the Italian Lovesong Cake, this Homemade Ladyfinger Cookie Crumb recipe uses fresh-baked cookie crumbs, roasted almonds and brown sugar for a sweet crumb base and wrap-around for the top Italian Cheesecake layer…that rests gently upon a vintage Boiled Milk Cake…that is frosted with a silky White Chocolate & Cream Cheese Frosting…that is all tip-topped with a unique Hibiscus Flower Custard. Elegant party cake, spread the word!

Ladyfinger cookies that form the crust of this cheesecake (along with ground roasted almonds, brown sugar, butter and vanilla) can be baked even weeks ahead of time and stored on the kitchen counter in a tightly sealed ziplock baggie or frozen and brought to room temperature just prior to use. Oh, I guess you could also store them in a cute old-fashioned cookie jar, though you might have to keep your eye on them before they disappear. 🙂 You may substitute commercially prepared Ladyfingers commonly purchased as the Italian “savoiardi” biscuit or Vanilla Wafer cookies, though I hope you might not. BUT this is one aspect of this cake recipe where a short-cut is “permitted”. 🙂  If you choose to bake these cookies from scratch, you will find them softer and more elegant that the typical double-thick crusty cookie of this type. The crumb crust will be more tender as a result, plus…the texture will likely show that handmade (not-so-bakery-perfect) look that signals to your guests that you’ve given of your precious time to present a special home cooked gift. You may use this recipe for all kinds of cheesecakes and pies when you are seeking a fresh homemade vintage quality to your perfect cookie crumb crust.

Use the step-by-step Ladyfinger recipe that we presented to double-wrap around the Casanova Charlotte Russe. This cookie recipe makes a large quantity, of which you will only need about a dozen for this crust. Nibble the rest, or dip them in a nice pudding, serve them with latte in the morning or with a fresh serving of vanilla custard ice cream (that you made from scratch, of course). 🙂

Tools Needed for Ladyfinger Cookie Crumb Crust:
9″ Springform pan
Important Pan Note: If you are preparing this crust for the Italian Lovesong Cake, you must use the same size pan (or the very same pan) for both the Boiled Milk Cake and the Italian Cheesecake to ensure even edges for the this special double-decker cake.
Food Processor (for pulverizing cookies and almonds
Tip: If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a quart-sized baggie and a rolling-pin to pulverized the cookies and a sharp chopping knife for finely chopping the almonds.
Large bowl (for mixing dry ingredients)
Small bowl (for melting butter in the microwave)
Fork (for mixing vanilla into the butter)
Measuring cups and measuring spoons
Juice glass (or heavy, flat-bottomed glass or cup for pressing crumbs into pan)

Ingredients:
1 T of unsalted butter (to rub around the bottom of the baking pan)
a dozen Ladyfinger cookies to make about 1-1/2 c of pulverized cookies crumbs
1/2 c roasted almonds (unsalted for very lightly salted)
1/3 c unsalted butter
1/2 t vanilla extract, fine quality
1/2 c unpacked (or very loosely packed) golden brown sugar

Recipe note:
t=teaspoon
T=Tablespoon
c=cup

Directions for Preparing Ladyfinger Cookie Crumb Crust:

Rub the bottom and lower insides of a 9″ springform pan with:
1 T unsalted butter

Pulse in the food processor to fine grind (or smash & grind in quart-size baggie with a roller):
about a dozen large Ladyfinger cookies to make about 1-1/2 c of pulverized cookies

Ground cookie crumbs in the food processor…

Texture of cookie crumbs should be fine overall but not perfectly even in texture…

 Pulse in the food processor to fine grind or chop by hand very finely:
1/2 c roasted almonds (unsalted for very lightly salted)
Tip: If the almonds are not roasted, you can bake them in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes to give them a brighter flavor..

The texture of the almonds is fine but not perfectly fine…

Measure out about 1/2 c unpacked or very loosely packed  golden brown sugar…

In a small bowl, microwave for a few seconds to very lightly melt:
1/3 c unsalted butter

Using a fork, thoroughly blend into the melted butter (and set aside):
1/2 t vanilla extract, fine quality

In a large bowl, stir all dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon and mix in:
1/2 c unpacked (or very loosely packed) golden brown sugar

Make sure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated…

Using a fork, stir rigorously to thoroughly incorporate into the dry ingredients:
The prepared melted butter-vanilla mixture

After thoroughly mixing with a fork, the final crumb mixture can be taste-tested by the chef to ensure the perfect sweetness quotient (aiming for sweet but not too sweet). 🙂

Pour the cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared buttered 9″ springform pan

Use a heavy juice glass or heavy flat-bottomed cup to gently pack down the cookie crumb mixture on the bottom of the pan, pressing some of the outer crumbs against the sides of the pan up to about 1-1/2 inches high (but not to the top of the pan) so that a lower ridge of crust will form around the bottom of the finished baked cheesecake…

Your prepared cookie crumb mixture in the pan will look like this…

We will be making the silky-creamy cheesecake in our next section and then pouring the cheesecake batter into the cookie crumb crust…

The cheesecake batter will rise up, up and over the top of the crust only to appear again on the bottom and lower bottom of finished cake…aiming for no more than halfway up the side of the cheesecake. But more about that in our next post  when we will bake the crust filled with cheesecake!

Thank you for visiting. Hope to hear from you in the comments section!

Best regards,

Leslie

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• Boiled Milk Cake for The Italian Lovesong Cake (bakethiscake.com)
• Ladyfingers for Wild Blackberry Charlotte Russe (bakethiscake.com)
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• Bavarian Cream Mousse for The Casanova Charlotte (bakethiscake.com)