Viennese Whirls

Makes: 6 – 7

Time: 45 minutes

You will need a saucepan, a piping bag and a large star nozzle and strong muscles. Two baking sheets lined with non-stick paper

INGREDIENTS

For the biscuits

· 250g Unsalted butter – softened

· 60g Icing sugar

· 25g Cornflour

· 250g Plain flour

· 2 tsp Vanilla extract

· 4-5tbs Milk

For the jam

· 100g Raspberries

· 100g Caster sugar

· Squeeze of lemon juice

For the buttercream

· 60g Unsalted butter

· 120g Icing sugar

· 1 tbs Double cream

· 1 tsp Vanilla extract

METHOD

1. On your lined baking sheets draw 6 cm diameter circles with enough space between for the biscuits to spread to approximately 7cm diameter. Turn over the paper so that you can see the circles. If you pipe onto the drawn circle it may transfer to your biscuit.

2. Preheat oven to 160C fan/180C conventional.

3. In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until combined.

4. Stir in the cornflour, plain flour and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

5. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time until you have a pipeable consistency.

6. I find this mixture hard to pipe and place the bowl in the microwave at medium for 10 second bursts to soften the mixture a little. Unconventional I know but it saves on burst piping bags.

7. Fit your nozzle into the piping bag and spoon in the biscuit mixture. Pipe 6cm rosettes onto your paper, starting at the centre and working outwards. If the mixture is still too hard to pipe scoop out of your bag and pop back into the microwave for 10 seconds.

8. Once you have piped all your mixture pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up then bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes until pale golden.

9. Allow to cool on the baking tray then transfer to a wire rack.

10. To make the jam place the raspberries, sugar and squeeze of lemon into a small saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

11. Make the buttercream by beating together all the ingredients until smooth.

12. Assemble the Viennese whirls by spreading some of the jam on the smooth side of a biscuit and some buttercream on the smooth side of another biscuit and sandwich together.