Zeppole with coffee cream, a simple and indulgent alternative that will win you over at first bite. Zeppole are the traditional pastries prepared for Father’s Day on March 19th, St. Joseph’s Day.
Originating from the Campania region but now found throughout Italy, zeppole are small doughnuts made with choux pastry. They can be either fried or baked using the same recipe.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: Around 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
ZEPPOLE WITH COFFEE CREAM
- 1 cup + 2 tsp water
- 7 oz (about 14 tbsp or 7/8 cup) butter
- all-purpose flour (type 00)
- large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 fl oz (about 2/3 cup) cold whipping cream
- 5.3 oz (about 2/3 cup) mascarpone
- 2 fl oz (about 1/4 cup) coffee
- as needed unsweetened cocoa powder
Steps
In a saucepan, bring the water, salt and butter to a boil.
When the butter has completely melted, add the flour all at once and stir until all the water has evaporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, forming a ball.
Remove from heat and let the dough cool in a bowl.
Add the eggs one at a time; it’s important to incorporate each egg fully, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the zeppole onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, forming a circle—or preferably a spiral that closes in on itself.
Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F until they lift cleanly from the baking sheet with a spatula and turn golden brown.
When baked, let them cool in the oven with the door ajar.
Proceed to prepare the coffee cream.
In a bowl combine the mascarpone, the coffee and the cold whipping cream (all straight from the refrigerator) and beat with electric beaters until the mixture is whipped. Lastly add the coffee and beat again for a few more minutes. Cut the zeppole horizontally in half and fill them with the prepared coffee cream. Finish the decoration with a dollop of coffee cream, dust with unsweetened cocoa powder and, if you like, add a few coffee beans.
