Baked zeppole with pastry cream. Zeppole are delicacies typical of Saint Joseph’s Day, but they are also commonly eaten at Carnival. They have the classic doughnut shape and are topped with pastry cream, sour cherries in syrup and powdered sugar. They can be fried or baked. I baked them because they are lighter and easier to digest… but still always very tasty….

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Inexpensive
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 7-8 pieces
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients — Baked Zeppole with Pastry Cream

1/2 cup (125 ml) Water
3 1/2 tbsp (50 g) Butter
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (100 g) All-purpose flour
1 tbsp (about 15 g) Sugar
Salt
Egg whites
Whole eggs
Pastry cream, as needed
Sour cherries in syrup, as needed
Powdered sugar, as needed

Tools

1 High-sided saucepan

Preparation — Baked Zeppole with Pastry Cream

First of all, you must prepare the pastry cream and let it cool covered with plastic wrap. In a saucepan bring the water to a boil, add the butter, the sugar and the salt. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring well; return to the heat and stir until a homogeneous mixture forms — it will be ready when it starts to pull away from the sides. Let it cool and then incorporate the beaten whole eggs and egg whites, mixing well and vigorously. Take a piping bag, fill it with the dough, and fit it with a star tip to form the classic ridged shape. Take a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pipe rings spaced apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C); they will puff up and are ready when golden. When done, fill them with pastry cream (the pastry cream recipe can be found on the blog), dust with powdered sugar and decorate with sour cherries in syrup.