St.Joseph's Pastries - Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Zeppole di San Giuseppe with pastry cream and amarena cherry.

5 from 6 votes

St.Joseph's Pastries - Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Try this mouth-watering Zeppole di San Giuseppe just like Italians make it. Delicious pastry shell filled with silky vanilla cream and topped with amarena cherries.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: pastries

Calories: 305kcal

Author: Svi

Ingredients

For the dough:

250 grams water , about 1 cup + 1 tbsp
160 grams bread flour , about 1 heaping cup
100 grams butter , 3.5 ounces
4 eggs
½ teaspoon salt

For Pasty Cream:

2 cups whole milk
6 egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar + 3tbsp (100 grams)
⅓ cup corn starch , 40 grams
1 vanilla pod or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
60 grams butter 2 oz (optional)

For Decoration:

Powdered Sugar
Amarena Cherries

Tools

Instructions

Choux Pastry Dough

In a medium stove-top pot add water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and add flour all at once. Using a wooden spoon mix energetically until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. Continue mixing and cooking on low heat for a few minutes.
Transfer the dough into a mixer bowl.
Using a dough hook beat it for a few minutes to let the dough cool.
Once the dough is warm (it doesn't have to be cold, just cool enough so the eggs won't cook with the heat) start beating in the eggs, one at a time. Add the next egg ONLY once the previous one has been completely incorporated.
TOP TIP: Add all eggs one by one except the last one. Beat the last egg with a fork and add in small portions until you reach the perfect consistency of the dough.
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a large star-shaped tip and start piping zeppole. There's a slight difference in how to do it depending if you're going to deep fry or bake them in the oven, all explained below.

Baked Zeppole

Preheat oven to 400F/ 205C.
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pipe the dough into 3-inch in diameter circles leaving a small hole in the middle.
TOP TIP: Leave enough space between the pastries as they’ll double in size in the oven.
Start baking in a preheated to 400F oven for 15 minutes.
Then reduce temperature to 350F / 175C and bake for another 10-15 minutes Don’t open the oven during the first 25 minutes or until your zeppole a lightly brown.
Past 25 minutes open the oven door ONLY for an inch and let zeppole bake for another 5-10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to hold the oven door slightly open. This way any residual humidity will have a chance to evaporate and zeppole won't collapse when out of the oven.

Fried Zeppole

Preheat vegetable oil suitable for frying to 375F in a deep sautee pan.
Cut out 3-inch squares of parchment paper, brush one side of the square with vegetable oil.
Pipe the dough on each square forming a circle.
Deep squares in hot oil a few at a time. The paper will separate from the fritters in the hot oil. You can remove it using small tongs. Fry zeppole until lightly brown. Discard on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Pastry Cream

Beat egg yolks with sugar. Add corn starch. Beat everything well until you get a smooth and even lump free mix..
Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add to the pot with milk. Place a pot with milk on a stove and heat until very hot, but don't bring it to a boil.
Slowly pour the hot milk in the bowl with egg mix, mixing continuously. Pour the mixture back into the milk pot and set on medium heat.
Whisk continuously to prevent the formation of lumps and cream sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue whisking until the cream starts to thicken then remove immediately from the heat and vigorously beat until smooth.
Transfer pastry cream to a deep dish (preferably placed in the freezer 1-2 hours in advance). Let the cream cool slightly by whisking it continuously, then add butter (optional).
Level pastry cream with a spatula and cover with a plastic wrap so that it directly touches the cream. This prevents formation of the skin. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Assemble and decorate

Once zeppole are cool, cut each in half.
Fill a pastry bag with pastry cream. Pipe pastry cream on the bottom half, cover with the top and pipe another star or a swirl of pastry cream on the top.
Decorate with cherries drained from syrup. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Nutrition