Air Fryer Zeppole di San Giuseppe is a variation of the classic oven-baked Zeppole di San Giuseppe, cooked in an air fryer instead of the oven.
This year I will celebrate, in addition to my dad, also the father of my child, who is also my partner, so I couldn’t resist trying to make the ZEPPOLE in the air fryer, both to save time and because I always keep the fryer on the kitchen counter lately!
Of course, for the Zeppole di San Giuseppe, I couldn’t not prepare the CLASSIC PASTRY CREAM, but as I always say, you can also change it up by using a WALNUT PASTRY CREAM, LEMON PASTRY CREAM, or CHOCOLATE PASTRY CREAM.
I used my foolproof recipe for Choux Pastry for the zeppole, but in addition to being careful in preparing the dough, you should be attentive to the cooking, which will allow you to achieve crispy and well-cooked zeppole.
If you love sweets and want to fully utilize the air fryer, don’t miss the AIR FRYER MUFFINS or the STUFFED APPLES in the AIR FRYER or the GREEK YOGURT PLUMCAKE!
You can always find my recipes on my Facebook page HERE, or on my Instagram page HERE.
If you liked this recipe for soft cake in the air fryer, you might also be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Air Frying, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Father's Day
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 egg yolks
- vanilla extract
- 6 maraschino cherries
Preparation
Place the water and butter in a saucepan and melt completely.
When the water is about to boil, add the flour all at once.
Immediately stir with a hand whisk to mix the ingredients.
Turn off the heat and mix the dough until it completely detaches from the sides.
Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool.
When the dough is cool, add the first egg to the dough and mix to combine.
Add the second egg only when the first is completely absorbed.
Transfer the zeppole dough into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
Place a parchment paper sheet inside the air fryer basket.
Using the piping bag, create circles of dough, making sure to space them out as they will puff up during cooking.
Cook the zeppole in the air fryer at 400°F for 20 minutes.
At the end of cooking, slightly open the basket so that the zeppole do not deflate.
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch.
Heat the milk on the stove.
When it is about to boil, pour a little into the bowl with the egg yolks, mix, and then pour all the yolks into the saucepan with the milk.
Put it back on the heat and cook over low heat until it thickens.
When it’s ready, turn off the heat, transfer it into a bowl, and let it cool, covered with plastic wrap.
Place the pastry cream into a piping bag with a star nozzle.
Fill each choux pastry with the pastry cream and top with a maraschino cherry on the surface of each zeppola.
Serve immediately or store in the fridge.
Storage
The Air Fryer Zeppole di San Giuseppe can be stored for two days in the refrigerator.
