The Zeppole di San Giuseppe are the typical dessert for Father’s Day, celebrated on March 19th, the day of Saint Joseph, but due to their deliciousness, we can prepare them any time of the year.
They are soft choux pastry donuts baked or fried, filled with custard and garnished with syruped sour cherries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. In my case, since I don’t like sour cherries much, I garnished them with cream and dark chocolate shavings 😋.
Below, I leave you some delicious zeppole recipes 😉⬇️
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: About 20 zeppole
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for about 20 zeppole
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 4 1/4 cups milk
- 1 packet vanillin
- lemon zest
- to taste dark chocolate shavings
- to taste powdered sugar
ZEPPOLE DI SAN GIUSEPPE
ZEPPOLE DI SAN GIUSEPPE
Let’s prepare the choux pastry for the zeppole.
In a pot, boil the water with the butter and the salt.
When the butter has melted, pour the flour all at once and stir until all the water dries up and the dough detaches from the sides of the pot.
Turn off the heat and let the dough cool in a bowl for a few minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, it is important to incorporate one egg at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Place the mixture in a piping bag with a star nozzle and form the zeppole, making a circle, or rather a spiral closed inwards, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
The zeppole should be baked in a hot oven at 350°F until they detach from the bottom of the pan with a spatula and take on a golden color.
Heat the milk without bringing it to a boil.
Separately, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they are nice and frothy, then incorporate the flour.
Begin to pour the milk, which must be hot but not boiling, over the egg mixture while stirring vigorously and cook until the cream thickens. At the end of cooking, add the vanillin (an alternative to the vanilla bean)
Transfer it to a bowl, cover it with cling film in contact, to prevent the surface from hardening, thus creating bothersome lumps, and let cool.
Take the zeppole and the cream.
With a whisk, make the custard smooth again and transfer it to a piping bag with a star nozzle.
Dust the zeppole generously with powdered sugar and, with the piping bag, make a swirl of cream. Finish with a sour cherry for each zeppola di San Giuseppe or, as in my case, with dark chocolate shavings.
Serve immediately. They can be stored in the fridge for up to two days.
