If you are looking for the perfect recipe for oven-baked Zeppole di San Giuseppe — soft, light and with a velvety pastry cream — you’re in the right place! Oven-baked zeppole are the typical dessert of Father’s Day, a delight of Italian pastry tradition that wins everyone over for its flavor and delicacy.
In this version I will reveal all the secrets to prepare at home non-fried Zeppole di San Giuseppe, perfect for those who want a lighter dessert without giving up the classic taste. You’ll learn how to get an impeccable choux pastry that doesn’t collapse after baking, with a step-by-step guide ideal even for beginners. Whether you call them zeppole, Saint Joseph cream puffs or simply the March 19 dessert, with my tips you’ll achieve a professional, golden and fragrant result, ready to be filled with lots of pastry cream and decorated with the must-have syruped sour cherries or, as I did, with colored chocolate eggs.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 14
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Father's Day
Ingredients
- 1 cup (approx. 8.45 fl oz / 250 ml) water
- 7 tbsp (approx. 3.5 oz / 100 g) butter
- 1/2 tsp (approx. 3 g) salt
- 1 tsp (approx. 5 g) sugar
- 1 1/3 cups (approx. 160 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 medium eggs
- pastry cream (double the quantities of my pastry cream!)
- colored chocolate eggs
- to taste vanilla powdered sugar (confectioners')
Use my tools!
- Stand mixer
- Piping bag
Steps
In a saucepan, melt the butter, water, salt and sugar over medium heat.
When the butter has completely melted, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a spatula. Continue mixing until the dough is sticky to the touch and pulls away from the sides of the pan (this will take about 3 to 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and let cool slightly for a few minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you obtain a smooth mixture. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the zeppole onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pressing the piping bag to form spirals of dough about 2 3/4 in (7 cm) in diameter.
Bake the zeppole in a conventional oven for about 20 minutes at 392°F on the second-to-top rack. Then lower the oven to 356°F and continue baking for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven, keep the door slightly ajar and let the zeppole dry for 3–4 minutes (this helps prevent the zeppole from collapsing due to the steam that formed inside!!!)
Remove from the oven and let the zeppole cool before filling them with pastry cream (here you can find my pastry cream recipe!) and dusting them with powdered sugar.
The zeppole made with this recipe will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside — they are practically perfect!!!
Storage
Cooked and cooled empty zeppole can be stored in a resealable food bag for one week!
Zeppole filled with pastry cream can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 2 days. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
