Delicious Vegan Viennese Whirls: A Classic British Biscuit Reinvented

Indulge in the delicate charm of Vegan Viennese Whirls, a beloved British sandwich biscuit that offers a truly melt-in-your-mouth experience. This exquisite vegan rendition captures all the richness, elegance, and crumbly texture of the classic, making it an irresistible treat for any occasion, especially for a traditional afternoon tea spread.

Crafted from expertly piped shortbread biscuit swirls, these delightful cookies are generously filled with luscious raspberry jam and a light, airy vanilla buttercream. The result is a visually stunning and utterly delicious confection that promises pure enjoyment with every bite. Whether you’re a seasoned vegan baker or simply looking for a new sweet challenge, these homemade vegan Viennese whirls are surprisingly straightforward to create and are guaranteed to impress.

Understanding the Classic: What Are Viennese Whirls?

Despite their intriguing name, Viennese whirls do not trace their origins back to Austria. Instead, they are a quintessential British biscuit, believed to have drawn inspiration from certain Austrian pastry styles. These elegant sandwich cookies are deeply ingrained in British baking culture, often gracing tea tables and special gatherings.

Traditionally, Viennese whirls are characterized by their rich, buttery shortbread-style biscuits, distinctively piped into intricate swirl patterns. Once baked to a delicate pale gold, they are then sandwiched together with a generous filling of vibrant fruit jam – typically raspberry or strawberry – and a smooth, creamy vanilla buttercream. For many in the UK, the brand Mr. Kipling is synonymous with Viennese whirls, making them a widely recognized and cherished treat. However, store-bought versions are usually made with dairy butter, rendering them unsuitable for vegans. The good news is that crafting your own vegan Viennese whirls at home is far simpler than it might appear, allowing you to enjoy this classic British delight using readily available vegan butter block.

Key Ingredients for Perfect Vegan Viennese Whirls

Achieving the perfect texture and flavor for your vegan Viennese whirls starts with selecting the right ingredients. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and why each component is crucial:

• Vegan Block Butter: This is arguably the most critical ingredient. For exceptional vegan Viennese whirls, it is imperative to use a high-quality vegan block butter or margarine, rather than the spreadable varieties sold in tubs. Spreadable margarines contain a higher water content and often have a softer fat composition, which can result in a dough that is too soft to pipe effectively and biscuits that might be tougher or spread excessively during baking. Brands like Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter are excellent choices, offering the right fat content and firmness for a truly buttery, melt-in-the-mouth shortbread. Ensure your butter is very soft, almost at room temperature, but not melted, for optimal creaming and piping consistency.
• Plain Flour (All-Purpose Flour): Standard plain flour is ideal for these biscuits. It provides the structural base without developing too much gluten, which would make the biscuits chewy instead of crumbly. While this recipe hasn’t been tested with gluten-free flours, a good quality 1:1 gluten-free baking blend that includes xanthan gum might work as a substitute, though results may vary.
• Cornflour (Cornstarch): The secret to that beautifully light, delicate, and melt-in-your-mouth texture is cornflour. It helps to tenderize the dough by inhibiting gluten formation, contributing significantly to the desired crumbly consistency. While you can substitute it with additional plain flour if absolutely necessary, we highly recommend including it for the best results.
• Vanilla Extract: Quality matters here. A good vanilla extract will infuse your biscuits and buttercream with a warm, inviting aroma and flavor. For an even more intense vanilla note, consider using vanilla bean paste, which contains real vanilla seeds and offers a richer, more complex taste. Avoid artificial vanilla flavors for these delicate biscuits.
• Icing (Powdered) Sugar: Using icing sugar instead of granulated or caster sugar is essential for a fine, light biscuit texture. Its superfine consistency dissolves beautifully into the butter, creating a smooth dough and a wonderfully soft crumb in the baked biscuit. Granulated sugar would result in a gritty texture and could alter the biscuit’s spread.
• Jam: Traditionally, raspberry or strawberry jam is used, providing a delightful tart counterpoint to the sweet biscuits and buttercream. Feel free to experiment with your favourite fruit preserves; apricot, blackcurrant, or even a homemade vegan lemon curd would make delicious alternatives. Choose a good quality jam with a vibrant fruit flavour.

Crafting Your Own Vegan Viennese Whirls: A Step-by-Step Guide

(For precise measurements and detailed instructions, please refer to the comprehensive recipe card located at the bottom of this page.)

Embarking on the journey to make these beautiful vegan shortbread cookies is simpler than you might imagine. Follow these steps for perfect results:

Step 1: Creaming the Vegan Butter Base
Begin by whisking together the very soft vegan block butter, icing sugar, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to achieve a smooth, creamy, and light consistency. This creaming process incorporates air into the butter, which is vital for the biscuit’s delicate structure and helps to ensure that melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Step 2: Incorporating Dry Ingredients for Dough Perfection
Sift the plain flour and cornflour directly into the creamed butter mixture. Sifting is important to prevent lumps and aerate the flours, leading to a lighter dough. Mix gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix. The dough should come together into a stiff yet pliable consistency, similar to a very thick buttercream. This texture is crucial for successful piping.

Step 3: Preparing for Piping
Transfer the prepared dough into a strong piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle. A fabric piping bag is highly recommended over disposable plastic ones, as the stiffness of the dough can cause plastic bags to split under pressure. Ensure the nozzle is securely fitted.

Step 4: Piping the Signature Swirls
Pipe approximately 20-24 swirls of the dough onto two baking sheets lined with baking paper, ensuring they are well-spaced to prevent them from merging during baking. To achieve the classic Viennese whirl shape, start piping from the center and work your way outwards in a continuous spiral. Aim for biscuits roughly 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter. The dough will require firm but steady pressure to pipe. If it feels too stiff, gently warm the piping bag in your hands for a minute or two to soften it slightly. For perfectly uniform biscuits, you can draw 5 cm circles on the back of your baking paper as a guide. After piping, place the trays in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This chilling step is vital to help the biscuits hold their shape during baking and prevent excessive spreading.

Step 5: Baking to Golden Perfection
Bake the piped biscuits in a preheated oven at 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4 for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are just pale golden and the biscuits are set. They will be delicate when hot, so allow them to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Handling them gently is key to preventing breakage.

Step 6: Preparing the Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream
While the biscuits are cooling, prepare the buttercream. In a clean bowl, whisk the softened vegan block butter with an electric mixer until it is smooth and creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to whisk for several minutes. This extended whisking incorporates plenty of air, resulting in a wonderfully light, fluffy, and pipeable buttercream. Don’t rush this step, as the texture of the buttercream is crucial for the final assembly.

Step 7: Assembling Your Vegan Viennese Whirls
Once the biscuits are completely cool, transfer the vanilla buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large star or rose nozzle. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream onto the flat underside of half of the biscuits. On the flat underside of the remaining biscuits, spread a small amount of your chosen jam (raspberry or strawberry works wonderfully). Carefully sandwich the two halves together, gently pressing until the jam and buttercream meet. Your beautiful vegan Viennese whirls are now ready to be served and enjoyed!

Expert Tips for Flawless Vegan Viennese Whirls

Achieving bakery-quality vegan Viennese whirls is all about attention to detail. Here are some top tips to ensure your baking success:

• Embrace Metric Measurements: For consistently perfect baking results, always use metric measurements with a digital kitchen scale instead of cup conversions. Cups are notoriously inaccurate and can lead to variations in dough consistency, especially with delicate shortbread recipes like this one. A scale ensures precision, making your baking easier and far more reliable.
• Butter Temperature is Key: Remove your vegan block butter from the fridge at least two hours before you plan to start baking. It needs to be exceptionally soft – almost squishy to the touch, but definitely not melted. If the butter is too cold, your dough will be too stiff to pipe smoothly, leading to frustration and potential breakage of your piping bag. If it’s too warm, the dough might be greasy and spread excessively during baking.
• Piping Bag Choice Matters: When piping the stiff dough for these biscuits, a strong fabric piping bag is a must. Disposable plastic piping bags are prone to splitting under the pressure required for this type of dough, which can be very frustrating. Invest in a reusable fabric bag for a smoother and more durable piping experience.
• Troubleshooting Stiff Dough: If you find your dough is too stiff to pipe, it’s most likely due to it being too cold, not lacking liquid. Avoid adding more liquid, as this will alter the biscuit’s texture. Instead, gently warm the piping bag in your hands for a few minutes, or place the bowl of dough in a slightly warm spot (not hot!) for a short period to allow the butter to soften further.
• Prevent Spreading with Chilling: After piping your biscuit swirls, don’t skip the step of freezing the trays for 15 minutes. This chilling period is crucial. It helps to firm up the butter in the dough, which in turn prevents the biscuits from spreading too much in the oven, ensuring they maintain their beautiful piped shape.
• Even Baking: For uniform golden biscuits, consider rotating your baking sheets halfway through the baking time. This helps compensate for any hot spots in your oven, ensuring all your Viennese whirls bake evenly.
• Cool Completely Before Filling: Patience is a virtue here! Ensure your baked biscuits are completely cool before you attempt to fill them with jam and buttercream. Warm biscuits will cause the buttercream to melt and the jam to spread, leading to a messy and less appealing final product.
• Don’t Overmix the Dough: Once you add the flour and cornflour, mix only until just combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tougher, less delicate biscuits. The goal is a tender, crumbly shortbread.
• Sizing for Uniformity: To help you pipe uniformly sized biscuits, use a 5 cm (2-inch) cookie cutter as a guide. Lightly trace circles, spaced apart, on the back of your baking paper. This ensures all your biscuit halves will match up perfectly when assembled.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) about Vegan Viennese Whirls

Explore More Vegan British Biscuits

If you love these vegan Viennese whirls, you’ll be delighted to discover the wonderful world of other vegan British biscuits. Perfect for afternoon tea, a snack, or dessert, these recipes offer a taste of classic British baking without any dairy or animal products:

• Vegan Custard Creams
• Vegan Coffee Kisses
• Vegan Empire Biscuits
• Vegan Soul Cakes
• Chocolate Orange Viennese Fingers
• Spiced Oat Biscuits
• Chocolate Viennese Whirls
• Vegan Easter Biscuits
• Vegan Shortbread Fingers

We hope you enjoy baking these delightful vegan Viennese whirls! If you’ve tried this recipe, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to rate it, leave a comment with your feedback, or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram using the hashtag #domesticgothess. Your creations inspire us!

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