You cannot let Carnival or Father’s Day pass by without making Baked Saint Joseph’s Zeppole, the traditional dessert of Campanian origin. Many prepare them fried, but I prefer this much lighter baked version. The filling can be custard or diplomatic cream.
Other recipes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: Saint Joseph's Day, Carnival
- Energy 168.18 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 17.86 (g) of which sugars 9.62 (g)
- Proteins 4.70 (g)
- Fat 9.12 (g) of which saturated 5.31 (g)of which unsaturated 3.76 (g)
- Fibers 0.28 (g)
- Sodium 98.03 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 70 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs (large)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1 2/3 cups whole milk
- 2 1/2 tbsps cornstarch
- 3 tsps rice flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 vanilla bean
- to taste Powdered sugar
- 30 syrup-soaked cherries
Tools
- Kitchen Scale
- Small Pot
- Hand Whisks
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Bag
Steps
Start by preparing the choux pastry. Pour the water into a small pot with the butter in pieces and a pinch of salt. As soon as the butter melts and boils, add the flour all at once. Stir quickly, return to heat and continue cooking, always stirring, until the dough comes away from the sides of the pot.
Pour the dough into the bowl of the stand mixer and let it cool. Add one egg at a time, ensuring that the first is absorbed. Preheat the fan oven to 390 degrees and prepare the baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Place the choux pastry in a piping bag with a large star tip. Pipe three spiral turns or, if you prefer, two, leaving the hole in the center. Bake at medium height and cook for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door slightly open for another 5 minutes.
Pour the milk into a small pot, add the lemon peel, the pulp, and the vanilla pod, and bring to a boil. Use a whisk to beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Combine the powders, continuing to beat for a few minutes. Pour into the milk, having removed the lemon peel and the pod first, whisk quickly, turn off the heat, and let the cream cool covered with cling film in contact.
Pour the cold cream into a piping bag with a star nozzle and fill the zeppole. Sprinkle the Baked Saint Joseph’s Zeppole with powdered sugar and place a syrup-soaked cherry in the center.
Storage
The Zeppole can be stored for up to 7 days unfilled and placed in a closed container. If filled, they should be kept in the fridge for no more than 2 days.
Can Saint Joseph’s Zeppole also be fried?
Yes, just drop them in hot oil, leaving the parchment paper under each one, which should be removed immediately after.
