The Paris brest or Zeppolone is a French choux-pastry dessert. The traditional dessert was created for the first Paris–Brest–Paris cycling race and, as such, its shape recalls a bicycle wheel. Originally it is enriched with sliced almonds and filled with gianduia chocolate cream.
Today, however, I propose a revisited version with a delicious whipped cream and mascarpone filling and sour cherries. Moreover, I will show you all the steps and the secrets to make a puffed and light zeppolone.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Father's Day, St. Joseph's Day
- Energy 997.77 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 67.46 (g) of which sugars 30.24 (g)
- Proteins 15.20 (g)
- Fat 77.20 (g) of which saturated 38.83 (g)of which unsaturated 12.29 (g)
- Fibers 0.98 (g)
- Sodium 313.66 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 130 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients Paris brest or Zeppolone
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g)
- 1 cup water (250 ml) (use hot water for the choux dough)
- 7 oz butter (200 g)
- 6 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 cups mascarpone (500 g)
- 1 2/3 cups heavy cream for whipping (400 ml)
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (150 g)
- 1 vial rum extract (optional)
- to taste sour cherries in syrup
Tools
- Piping bag set
Steps Paris brest or Zeppolone
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil.
Add the flour all at once and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon.
Cook the choux for about 3 minutes until it detaches from the sides and starts to sizzle.
Turn off the heat and transfer the choux dough to a stand mixer bowl or a mixing bowl.
Work the choux with a wooden spoon or, if using a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment until it has cooled down.
Then add the eggs one at a time, adding the second only when the first is completely incorporated.
When you have obtained a mixture similar to a very dense pastry cream, transfer it to a piping bag.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe a 5 1/2 in (14 cm) circle and then a second circle just outside the first.
Create a third circle on top of the two previous ones and let the dough “dry” for about 15 minutes.
With this amount you will also obtain some profiteroles.
Bake in a preheated oven: for a conventional (static) oven bake at 374°F for about 20 minutes or until puffed, then lower the temperature to 338°F and bake for another 25 minutes. For a fan-assisted (convection) oven bake at 356°F for about 20 minutes or until puffed, then at 320°F for another 25 minutes.Meanwhile, prepare the mascarpone cream as follows:
Whip the cream together with 100 g of sugar using electric whisks or a stand mixer.
In a bowl, work the mascarpone with the remaining sugar until smooth and free of lumps.
As soon as the cream is whipped, combine it with the mascarpone and the extract.
Continue to beat until the mixture is well whipped and homogeneous.
Let the cream rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
When the Paris-Brest is baked and completely cold, cut it in half and fill with mascarpone cream and the sour cherries.
Finally, decorate with more cream and the cherries.
Serve and…
Enjoy, Maky!
IMPORTANT:
–Cook the choux dough in a heavy-bottomed pan until it detaches from the sides and forms a pale film on the bottom.
Before adding the eggs, allow the dough to cool, working it in a stand mixer or with a wooden spoon. It is important to let the dough cool so that the eggs do not lose their proteins and therefore their leavening action.
-Add the eggs one at a time and wait to add the next only when the previous one has been fully absorbed.
To form your Paris-Brest, use a piping tip that is not too large and create fairly thin rings. This is because during baking the dough will puff up and remain light.
-Baking times vary from oven to oven. As a general guideline: for a conventional (static) oven bake at 374°F for about 20 minutes or until puffed, then lower the temperature to 338°F and bake for another 25 minutes. For a fan-assisted (convection) oven bake at 356°F for about 20 minutes or until puffed, then at 320°F for another 25 minutes.
-It is important to never open the oven during baking. When cooking is finished, turn off the oven and let the zeppolone cool in the closed or slightly ajar oven.
