Delightful biscuit will have you in a whirl

THE swirl of a Viennese whirl takes its turn in this week's recipe.

While you might be thinking that these famous teatime treats would have their origins in Austria, or somewhere authentic like that, the truth is these delightful biscuits were introduced in England by an exceedingly good cake company in the latter half of the 20th century to be sold in cardboard boxes in supermarkets at local bakers' standards.

It's said Viennese whirls were inspired in shape by Austrian pastries, but not taste – having a variety of flavours like the 'Toffee Terror Whirls' at Halloween.

Viennese whirls were often mistaken for Empire biscuits, being very similar – buttery and light, with crumbly goodness filled with jam and buttercream, without an iced top. And they literally melt in the mouth. These bite-size biscuits are piped onto a baking tray or sometimes into paper bun cases before being baked, which gives them a pretty patterned finish, hence the name 'whirls'.

Some people of a certain age will say Viennese whirls are almost a cake, but it just about qualifies as a biscuit due to its firm shortcake texture, being sandwiched together with jam and buttercream and with a healthy dusting of icing sugar.

Aside from the classic round whirl, there are a number of variations available. We've commonly seen Viennese fingers dipped at one end in chocolate, or sometimes zig-zag-style Viennese whirls, and even round shaped biscuits which bear no resemblance to any traditional styles I've described.

The 'exceedingly good cakes' are quite small compared to the Viennese whirls you might find in your local bakery, and the cream and jam isn't the best.

One of my strongest childhood memories is the Sunday ritual tea. The kettle would go on just before four, and there would be sandwiches from the Sunday roast dinner, and always cake like French fancies or Battenberg, but more often than not Viennese whirls – being dad's favourite!

Of course, you can still buy them, but they just don't seem to taste the same somehow. A cake is always better and more delicious when you make your own, so put on some Johann Strauss music and indulge in a twirl around the kitchen – teatime doesn't get any better than this, or does it?

RECIPE

VIENNESE WHIRLS

Ingredients:

200g/7oz softened butter

50g/2oz icing sugar

200g/7oz plain flour

2 teaspoons cornflour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

For the filling:

100g/3.5oz soft butter

170g/6oz icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

50g/2oz seedless raspberry or strawberry jam

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4 and line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2. Put the butter, icing sugar and vanilla into a large bowl and beat well with a wooden spoon or using electric whisk.

3. Sift in the flour, cornflour and baking powder and fold in with a spatula until the mixture is combined.

4. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe 10 swirly circles onto each baking tray, then bake for 10-12 minutes or till pale golden and firm.

5. For the filling, put the butter into a bowl and sift the icing on top, add the vanilla and beat well, then spoon into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.

6. Spoon a little jam onto the flat side of half the cold biscuits, then pipe the buttercream onto the remaining flat side biscuits. Sandwich together and dust with icing sugar.