From the 1960s divider · Tea trolley days
Viennese Whirls
Piped rosettes of melt-in-the-mouth butter biscuit, sandwiched with buttercream and a dab of jam.
- Prep30 mins
- Cook15 mins
- Serves10
- DifficultyMedium
Photo: andymsuk, CC BY 2.0 · Photo: Samuel Wiki, CC0 1.0
From the tin
Despite the name, Viennese whirls are a British teatime invention. The "Viennese" came from the fashion for all things continental in British tearooms, where piped butter biscuits looked far more elegant than a plain round. By the 1960s a plate of homemade whirls was how you showed the coffee-morning crowd you could handle a piping bag.
Viennese WhirlsServes 10 · 1960s
You'll need
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / gas 5. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla together until very pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Sift in the flour and cornflour and beat until smooth. The mix should be soft enough to pipe.
- Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe 20 swirls about 5cm across, spaced apart.
- Chill the trays for 15 minutes so the swirls hold their shape, then bake for 12 to 15 minutes until just pale gold at the edges.
- Cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then on a wire rack.
- Beat the filling butter and icing sugar together. Spread jam on half the biscuits, buttercream on the rest, and sandwich together.
