Zeppole di San Giuseppe
Rich fried or baked pastry puffs filled with vanilla custard, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a cherry, traditionally made for St. Joseph's Day.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 260 kcal
Equipment
- •Piping bag
- •Saucepan
- •Baking sheet or deep fryer
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- fat
- 13
- carbs
- 30
- protein
- 5
- calories
- 260
Instructions
- 1
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together. Slowly stir in the hot milk, cook until thickened, and chill fully.
- 2
Bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the flour until a smooth ball forms.
- 3
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix until the dough is glossy and smooth.
- 4
Preheat your oven to 400°F, or heat oil to 350°F on the stovetop if frying.
- 5
Pipe the dough into rings on parchment paper for baking, or drop into hot oil for frying.
- 6
Bake for about 25-30 minutes until golden and puffed, or fry until deep golden, turning once.
- 7
Let the pastry shells cool completely.
- 8
Pipe the chilled pastry cream generously onto the tops. Dust with powdered sugar and finish with a cherry.
Chef's tips
Pipe the dough into rings on parchment for even cooking, and only pipe the custard once the shells are fully cool.
Storage
Best eaten the day they're filled; store unfilled shells at room temperature up to 2 days.
Reheating
Do not reheat once filled; re-crisp unfilled shells in a warm oven if needed.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Filling the shells while they are still warm, which melts the custard.
- •Baking for too little time, which leaves the centers raw and doughy.
Serving suggestions
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