Steps

• Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the salt and dissolve the butter. Pour in the flour all at once. Stir until the mixture pulls away from the pan, transfer to a bowl and let it cool slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. You should obtain a mixture similar to a firm cream.

  

• Using a plate, draw a circle on the parchment paper and fill the circle with the dough that you have placed in the piping bag fitted with a large star tip.

  

• Make two or better three overlapping rings.

  

• Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes, then at 374°F (190°C) for another 10 minutes, and finally at 356°F (180°C) for another 5 minutes. It should become amber-colored. Do not remove it from the oven, but leave it for at least another 5 minutes with the oven turned off and the door slightly ajar. Be careful: if the zeppolone is not well baked it will deflate 😓

  

• Heat the milk and add the lemon zest.
  Beat the eggs with the sugar, the flour and the limoncello.
  Add the hot milk while stirring (remove the lemon zest if you added it), cook over low heat, stirring continuously until you obtain a thick pastry cream. Let it cool.
  
  
  If you want a lemon-flavored cream, add the juice of one lemon to the cream and mix well.
  To obtain an excellent DIPLOMATIC CREAM add 3/4 cup of whipped cream to the cold pastry cream.

• Cut the zeppolone in half. Using the piping bag, cover with cream and previously sliced strawberries that have been mixed with sugar and limoncello.

  

• Cover with the other half of the zeppolone. Garnish with dollops of cream, strawberries and powdered sugar.