This lady finger dessert is one of my go to recipes when I have guests. It is quick , can be made a day or two ahead of time and you can play around with the filling and decoration making a new version every time. It is also a kid friendly dessert, My kids love helping me make this every time, suggesting different ways to decorate the top and sides.

Lady finger biscuits or cookies are also known as Boudoir biscuits, sponge biscuits, sponge fingers, Naples biscuits, Savoy biscuits (Savoiardi) and biscuits la cuiller.They are made from a sponge cake batter that is piped into the shape of a finger cookie. They are great served with ice cream or with a cup of tea or coffee but they really shine in desserts like tiramisu or triffle when they are dunked into a syrup or liquid and used to form the cake like layer in those desserts.

My recipe today might be simple with a few ingredients but it is a good example of when a recipe is much greater than the sum of its parts. When you dunk the lady finger cookies in the fruit syrup they absorb the wonderful flavors in it and become the perfect complement to the banana infused cream and the fruit filling. It will only take you 20 minutes to make this elegant summer dessert which is guaranteed to impress and please you guests

Before I give you the recipe, I would like to share a few pictures I took over the weekend from our visit to Mount Neebo.

These wild flowers are common here in Jordan especially in the Mountains but that does not make them less magical

I love how proud and elegant horses are, we saw quite a few on our way but this one was close enough to the side of the road.

I find watching wheat sway in the wind very calming, it is almost as if you are standing at the sea shore watching the waves

These hand made rugs were also sold along the way

Last but not least here are a few pictures from the top

Click on the panorama to see a bigger version

The kids went home dusty and tired but happy. They got two little stone carvings. Ibrahim chose an elephant (of course!) and Jana chose a cat. The man selling them said they bring good luck, I don’t believe in such stuff, the only luck I believe these little carvings will bring is a sweet memory and hopefully a smile when the kids are all grown up.

 Now back to our

 lady finger fruit dessert recipe

2 packs lady finger biscuits

2 cups heavy whipping cream (if you are using the powdered whipped cream then you will need 4 envelopes and 1 cup of milk)

2 small bananas

3 tablespoons cream cheese

1 can of fruits cocktail

1 tablespoon powdered milk

Fruits for decoration

Start by draining your can of fruit preserving the liquid

Take the liquid from the can and dissolve a tablespoon of powdered milk in it (this will be the liquid you will dunk your lady finger)

Line the sides and bottom of a  7 inch round springform pan (if you don’t have a springform pan use a transparent glass serving bowl) with lady fingers that you have dunked in the fruit cocktail syrup

In another bowl mash the bananas and add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.

Add the whipping cream and beat until the cream thickens and forms soft peaks.

Spread 1/3 of the banana cream mix on the bottom layer of lady finger biscuits

Spread 1/2 of the fruit cocktail on top of the cream

Arrange another layer of lady finger cookies that you have dunked in the syrup followed by another layer of cream and fruit topped with another layer of cookies

Spread the last 1/3 of the cream on top of the final layer of cookies

Decorate with your choice of fruit.

Notes:

You can flavor the whipped cream any way you like, you can add lemon curd, coco powder, puree mangos or strawberries or an envelop of your favorite jello flavor

You can decorate the top with fruit, lemon zest, chocolate shavings, whipped cream, it’s up to you