Vast-ennese Whirl
About this build
Two large shortbread discs baked on pizza trays sandwich jam and buttercream in a giant Viennese Whirl made for a charity event.
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Notes from the contributor
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Ingredients For each whirl: 40 ounces butter, 50 ounces flour, 10 ounces icing sugar Plus: one jar strawberry jam and 12 ounces butter, 6 ounces icing sugar for the buttercream icing We also purchased two pizza trays to bake them on.
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The beast measured 36cm across and dwarfs it’s smaller relation.
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Vast-ennese Whirl: the archived recipe
Condensed from the original account by Claire and Laura, published 2006-11-09. The quantities and method are the contributors’; this is not a new kitchen test.
Ingredients recorded
- For each whirl: 40 ounces butter
- 50 ounces flour
- 10 ounces icing sugar
- Plus: one jar strawberry jam
- For the buttercream: 12 ounces butter
- 6 ounces icing sugar
- Two pizza trays to bake on
The whirls were assembled at work rather than transported, measured 36cm across and weighed 6.572kg on the franking machine, 7.225kg with the tin. Ingredients cost £9.66 plus £7.98 for the trays; the staff who shared it reported stomach cramps.
Method recorded
- Measure out the ingredients for one whirl and line the pizza trays with greaseproof paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar; a hand-held mixer whirred and smoked under the strain, a wooden spoon proved tough work, and hands did the job.
- Sift in the flour and knead until it comes together.
- Shape the dough in the tin and fashion it into a whirl.
- Repeat to make another whirl.
- Bake both at 150ºC for 1 ½ hours until golden brown.
- Make the buttercream from the icing sugar and butter with a mixer.
- Spread the jam on one half and the buttercream on the other, then sandwich the two together.
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The original account
Ingredients
For each whirl: 40 ounces butter, 50 ounces flour, 10 ounces icing sugar
Plus: one jar strawberry jam and 12 ounces butter, 6 ounces icing sugar for the buttercream icing
We also purchased two pizza trays to bake them on.
Approximate cost: £9.66 (plus £7.98 for tins)
Having scoured the Pimp That Snack site for something as yet unmade we decided to produce a pimped up Viennese Whirl. We decided to make this much maligned patisserie of the Austro-Hungarian royalty for our work’s Macmillan Coffee Morning – the world’s largest Viennese Whirl for the world’s largest coffee morning.
Firstly, we measured out the ingredients for one whirl and lined the tins with greaseproof paper.
We then got to work with Laura’s trusty hand-held mixer, creaming butter and sugar. This promptly started to whir alarmingly and smoke under the strain of beating this record-breaking delight.
We switched to a wooden spoon. This proved tough work and we abandoned the spoon in favour of our hands.
The flour was sifted in.and, after much kneading, it came together beautifully.
It was shaped in the tin and artistically fashioned into a whirl by Claire.
We then repeated the exercise to make another whirl.
These were baked at 150ºC for 1 ½ hours and we went out for fish suppers as they were cooking.
They came out golden brown and looking scrumptious.
Bereft of a mixer the icing sugar and butter for the buttercream filling had to be taken home by Claire to be made with her mixer.
Too scared to construct it at home and transport it to work, we put it together in our staff room. Spreading the jam on one half…
And the buttercream on the other.
The two were then sandwiched together.
The beast measured 36cm across and dwarfs it’s smaller relation.
We planned to use it for “Guess the Weight of the Cake” competition, so took it downstairs to our print room to be weighed on the franking machine. It came in at 6.572kg (or 7.225kg with the tin).
So here we are at the Coffee Morning with our gigantic Viennese Whirl!
The competition winner divvyed it up amongst staff, which led to stomach cramps for all, over the weekend.
Doesn’t that look appetising?
