Viennese Chocolate Fingers Food

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED VIENNESE FINGER BISCUITS RECIPE

Steps:

• Cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour, cornflour and spice, if using, and beat well.
• Set the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Put the mixture in the piping bag and pipe fingers, about 7.5cm long, spaced evenly apart on the paper.
• Bake for 15 mins. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of hot water. Dip one or both ends of the fingers in the chocolate and place on paper to set. After dipping in chocolate, you could dip the ends in finely chopped pistachios, if you like.

VIENNESE CHOCOLATE FINGERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with a light coating of cooking spray.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• Using a double boiler or a large heat resistant bowl over a saucepan, melt your chocolate.
• Beat together the butter and sugar until the butter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes at medium high speed.
• Using the mixer, slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the whipped butter and sugar. Once done, beat in the melted chocolate.
• Using a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (#885), pipe 2 inch ribbons of dough. In doing so, you are not making a straight line but slight small waves/ridges. Sorry I don't recall the terminology here. Allow a good amount of space between cookies to allow to expand during baking.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, checking at the minimum baking time for doneness. Remove from the oven when done.
• Allow the cookies to cool on sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks.
• Melt the remaining chocolate in a double boiler. Gently dip the edge of each cookie into the chocolate tipping off the excess. Place the dipped cookies onto the parchment paper and let the chocolate set before serving or storing.

VIENNESE CHOCOLATE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Chocolate Cream Filling:.
• Slowly pour 1/2 cup of cream through a fine strainer into chocolate, whisking till all the cream is absorbed: continue slowly adding the rest of the cream till all absorbed.
• Refrigerate uncovered until filling is consistency of sour cream about 4 hours. If to thick it does not whip up nicely.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Prepare a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan lining with parchment paper and butter paper.
• Meanwhile make Cake:.
• Place eggs and sugar in top of a double boiler over simmering water and cook whisking until very warm to the touch 110 degrees.
• Transfer egg mixture to a mixing bowl and beat at high speed until triple the volume and cooled to the touch about 5-7 minutes. Add in vanilla.
• Add the sifted cake flour folding in gentle. Fold in the melted butter.
• Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes till center springs back when lightly touched.
• Cool 5 minutes, invert onto a clean damp towel. Remove pan and paper, cool to room temperature.
• Line a 8 inch round cake pan with wax paper.
• Cut a 8 inch circle from the a corner of the cooled cake and place in to pan.
• Cut 2 strips about 13x 1 1/2 long and place along sides of pan, They should fit in even with the top of the pan. So trim if needed.
• Filling:.
• In a chilled bowl beat chocolate cream filling add the liqueur at medium speed until soft and fluffy peaks form, When mixture gets pale that is when its done. So be sure not to over beat! This is quick.
• Spread filling into the pan spread evenly. Cut the remaining cake to fit over the filling will have to piece and trim the cake together to fit. Cover cake air tight and freeze until very firm about 2 hours. You can make a couple day ahead to this point.
• Invert frozen cake onto serving cake dish.
• Refrigerate.
• Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form add sugar and beat till stiff peaks form.
• Spread evenly over top and sides of cake then chill.
• Make large chocolate curls with a vegetable peeler. Arrange them over the top and sides of the cake.
• Return to refrigerator to thaw for about one-two hours.
• Serve after all the oohs and aahs then hear them again as they enjoy it!

VIENNESE WHIRLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Put the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk for about 5 mins until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again until fully incorporated.
• Sift in the flour, cornflour and baking powder, and fold into the mixture using a spatula until combined (the dough should have a tacky consistency). Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped nozzle. If all the mixture doesn't fit, do it in 2 batches.
• Pipe swirly circles 5cm diameter onto 2 baking sheets making sure there are 3cm spaces between each swirl.
• Bake for 10-12 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through the cooking time so the biscuits are evenly baked, until pale golden and cooked through. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for a few mins, then transfer to wire racks.
• While the biscuits cool, make the filling. Put the softened butter in a large mixing bowl and add the icing sugar. Stir together initially with a wooden spoon then switch to electric beaters or a whisk to get the buttercream fluffy and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and beat once more to combine. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the end.
• Turn the biscuits over so their flat side is facing up then pipe buttercream over half of the biscuits and spread a little jam on the rest. Sandwich a jam covered biscuit together with a buttercream one and repeat until all the biscuits are used up.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD FINGERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk for about 5 mins until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again until fully incorporated.
• Sift in the flour, cornflour and baking powder, and fold into the mixture using a spatula until combined (the dough should have a tacky consistency). Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped nozzle. If all the mixture doesn't fit, do it in 2 batches.
• Pipe 10cm long, 1.5cm wide fingers onto the baking sheets, making sure there are 3cm spaces between each finger. Bake for 8-10 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through the cooking time, until pale golden and cooked through. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for a few mins, then transfer to wire racks.
• Melt the chocolate separately over a pan of gently simmering water (making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring every 15 secs or so. Dip 1 end of the shortbread fingers into the bowl of milk chocolate and the other end in the white chocolate. Leave to set on baking parchment before serving.