Here’s a classic Viennese Whirls recipe — buttery, melt-in-the-mouth biscuits sandwiched with jam and buttercream, famously featured in Mary Berry’s baking recipes.
🧁 Viennese Whirls Recipe
Makes: 12 sandwich biscuits (24 individual swirls)
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 13–15 mins
Ingredients
For the biscuits:
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250g (9 oz) unsalted butter, softened
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50g (1¾ oz) icing sugar, sifted
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225g (8 oz) plain flour
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25g (1 oz) cornflour
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1 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling:
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100g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
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200g (7 oz) icing sugar, sifted
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½ tsp vanilla extract
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100g (3½ oz) raspberry jam (seedless preferred)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) / 375°F / Gas 5.
Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and draw 5cm (2 inch) circles to help pipe evenly-sized biscuits (optional but helpful). Flip the paper over.
2. Make the biscuit dough:
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and cornflour and mix until smooth.
3. Pipe the swirls:
Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle (e.g., Wilton 1M or similar). Pipe 24 swirls, using your template as a guide. Try to keep them uniform in size.
Tip: If the dough is too stiff to pipe, let it sit at room temperature a bit longer or mix it briefly to loosen.
4. Bake:
Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until pale golden. Let cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble:
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Buttercream: Beat the butter until soft, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.
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Jam: Lightly beat the jam to loosen.
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Sandwich: Spread or pipe buttercream onto the flat side of 12 biscuits. Add a little jam and top with another biscuit to create a sandwich.
Optional Finish:
Dust with a little icing sugar before serving.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. (Best eaten fresh due to the buttercream.)