Fans of the Great British Bake Off were left overjoyed last week when the comforting Channel 4 series landed back on our screens, with a whole host of new amateur bakers hoping to be crowned the best of the best.
Week one was all about the cakes as usual, with the contestants tasked with whipping up mini Battenberg cakes and a loaf as well as impressive illusion cakes that wowed judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.
Tonight, it’s biscuit week – and the hopefuls will be challenged to whip up their own batch of Vienesse whirls, crumbly biscuits packed with a sweet filling of cream and jam.
As complicated as they may look, they’re actually quite simple to make at home – and one recipe on TikTok only required five ingredients for the biscuits themselves, not including the filling.
So if you like to prepare a homemade treat to watch Bake Off with, then this recipe could be just the thing.
The simple recipe was shared in a TikTok video by Laura Coulhon, a baking aficionado who says that Viennese whirls are perfect for beginners.
She even says that they’re one of the “best biscuits you’ll ever have” and they’re the ideal accompaniment to your evening cup of tea as you watch the telly.
The baker said: “Now these are for people who have a big sweet tooth, because they are extremely sweet.”
And fans in the comments agreed that they looked absolutely delicious, with one writing: “I always thought these were much harder to make. They’re my absolute childhood favourite so I’ll have to try them.”
Another said: “These are beautiful!” Here’s everything that you need to make this recipe.
Vienesse whirls
Ingredients – for the biscuits
- 200g salted butter
- 60g icing sugar
- Two tblsp vanilla
- 200g plain flour
- 3tsp cornflour
For the filling
- Butter cream of your choice
- Strawberry or raspberry jam
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a stand mix or with a handheld mixer, mix the butter and icing sugar until it is a pale colour, with a light and fluffy texture.
Add in your sifted flour, cornflour and vanilla and mix for about five minutes until pale, fluffy and easily spreadable.
Place the mixture into a piping bag with a rose tip nozzle.
Pipe out small rosettes on your sheets, making sure to give them a few finger spaces between each.
Place these trays into the fridge for around 15-20 minutes until cold, as this will help them stay in shape.
Place in the oven for about 10-14 minutes. You want the inside to still be a pale colour but the outside to be slightly browning. The under part of the cookie should also have a browned crumb.
Leave these to cool and don’t touch them as they’re very fragile. When cold, measure the biscuits to match them up with ones of a similar size and pop a well of buttercream around one side, filling it with jam and sandwiching the other biscuit on top.
