The Baked Zeppole di San Giuseppe are the classic dessert for Father’s Day, but honestly I like to enjoy them all year round 😄.
They are light, elegant and irresistible with their tuft of pastry cream or Chantilly. Compared to the fried version, these zeppole are lighter but equally indulgent: the choux pastry puffs up in the oven, becoming golden and ready to hold a velvety cream scented with lemon and vanilla.
This recipe is simple, precise and foolproof, perfect even if it’s your first time making choux pastry.
I’ll guide you step by step to get dry, well-developed zeppole that won’t collapse.
A traditional dessert that brings love, the scent of home and a touch of celebration to the table.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 1 Minute
- Portions: 7 Servings
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Father's Day, All seasons
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 3.5 tbsp butter (about 2 oz)
- 2.65 oz all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 2.12 oz sugar
- 2.5 tbsp cornstarch
- lemon zest
- to taste chocolate chips
- to taste pine nuts
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Hand Mixer mixer
- 1 Piping Bags piping bag
- 1 Saucepan saucepan
Steps
In a small saucepan bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a boil.
Pour in all the flour at once and stir vigorously until the dough pulls away from the sides.
Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding the next.
The dough should be smooth, glossy and soft.
Put the choux dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe double circles (two overlapping rounds).
Bake in a conventional oven at 392°F for 10 minutes, then lower to 356°F for another 20–25 minutes.
At the end of baking, leave the zeppole in the turned-off oven with the door slightly ajar for 10 minutes. This prevents them from collapsing.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream: heat the milk with the lemon zest.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch.
Pour the egg mixture into the hot milk, return to the heat and cook until the cream thickens.
Let the pastry cream cool and whip the cream.
Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream gently from the bottom up.
Put the Chantilly cream into a piping bag.
Fill the zeppole with the cream (I cut them in half).
Pipe a ring of cream and top with whatever you prefer (sour cherries, strawberries… I used chocolate chips and pine nuts).
Close the zeppola and add a tuft of cream on top. Dust with powdered sugar.
✨Variations
Cocoa zeppole: add 20 g of cocoa to the flour.
Diplomatic cream: pastry cream + whipped cream.
Lactose-free zeppole: use plant-based milk and lactose-free butter.
Mini version: make small bite-sized zeppole for a buffet, reducing baking time by 5 minutes.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I prepare them the day before?
Yes, but fill them just before serving to keep them crisp.
Can they be frozen?
Yes, freeze them raw: shape the zeppole, freeze them and bake directly from frozen, increasing baking time by 5 minutes.
Why do they collapse?
They were probably still moist inside: extend the baking time and let them dry in the turned-off oven.
