Miso Caramel & Dark Chocolate Viennese Whirls
Viennese Whirls are up there with some of my favourite biscuits. I find the tender, buttery crumb so delicious and I can never stop going back for more! Since I love them so much, I thought; why not add an adult twist? A rich dark chocolate ganache pairs so well with salted caramel. By adding in Miso paste into the caramel, it adds a salty edge without adding extra salt. Make sure to use some good-quality chocolate for this recipe and enjoy!
Ingredients - Makes 8 biscuits
Biscuit dough
125g unsalted butter, room temperature
100g caster sugar
a dash of vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
75g cornflour
110g plain flour
10g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
Dark Chocolate Ganache
180ml double cream
15g honey
150g dark chocolate 50%
60g unsalted butter
Miso Caramel
160g caster sugar
45g unsalted butter
60ml double cream
20g miso paste
Method
For the Ganache (the day before):
Start by placing the cream and honey into a saucepan over low heat. Melt approx. 3/4 of the chocolate into a bowl (or a more cylindrical container.) Since your making a small amount of ganache, I prefer to make it in a jug or something more cylindrical. Once the cream begins to simmer, take it off the heat and pour a third over the semi-melted chocolate. Whisk together and add in the next third. Give it another whisk and add in the rest of the cream. Whisk together until you have a silky ganache.
Add in the butter and continue to stir until it is all incorporated and you have a lovely smooth glossy ganache. I like to finish mine by emulsifying it with a stick blender, making sure not to incorporate any air. Place a piece of clingfilm on the surface of the ganache and leave at room temperature overnight.
For the Caramel (the day before):
Warm the cream a little in the microwave. Put the sugar into a dry saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the sugar as it can brown quickly. Leave the sugar to melt into a golden caramel, swirling the pan occasionally to stop it from burning in spots. Try not to stir the sugar before its mostly melted as you risk crystalising the sugar.
Once all the sugar is melted and golden, take the pan off the heat and carefully add in the butter. It will bubble furiously so be careful. Stir together before adding in the cream and setting over low heat. Mix together until there are no hard pieces of caramel. Take off the heat and stir in the miso paste. Pour into a container and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes before placing clingfilm on the surface. Refrigerate overnight.
For the biscuits:
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Using a 6cm cutter draw 8 circles onto each piece of baking paper, evenly spaced apart. These will act as a template when you start piping your biscuits. Flip the baking paper upside down onto the trays, so that the drawn side is down but you can still see the outlines.
Place the butter, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and cream until pale and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks and beat until creamy. In a separate bowl, sieve together the remaining dry ingredients. Add these into the creamed mixture and mix until combined. Place the biscuits dough into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip nozzle (I like to use a number 10 in size.) Pipe each of your biscuits in a spiral within the outlined circles on your baking paper. Place the trays into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. While the biscuits are resting, pre-heating your oven to 170°C.
Once chilled, bake your biscuits for 10-15 minutes until slightly puffed and feel firm when pressed lightly. Leave to cool.
Assembly:
Fill a piping bag with the caramel and fill another piping bag with the ganache fitted with a small plain tip nozzle. Take your biscuits and pair them up. Flip one of each pair upside down to expose the middle. Pipe a spiral of ganache onto one of the biscuits. Fill the spiral with the miso caramel and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Place the second biscuit on top and enjoy!
