Cakes & Bread
Zeppole di San Giuseppe from Italy, Fried Choux Pastry Filled with Vanilla Cream
Prep
40 min
Cook
30 min
Servings
6
Level
Medium
Zeppole is a traditional Southern Italian pastry usually served during the celebration of Saint Joseph's Day, made from choux pastry that's fried until crisp and then filled with soft, sweet vanilla custard cream. The texture is hollow inside, crispy outside, and the moment you bite into it, it blends perfectly with the cold, creamy filling. It's a wonderful special treat for weekends or family get-togethers.
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 6
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 250 ml Water
- 60 grams Unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Granulated sugar
- 150 grams Medium-protein all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs Large eggs
- 500 ml Cooking oil for frying
- 300 ml Full-cream milk
- 3 yolks Egg yolks
- 70 grams Granulated sugar for the custard
- 25 grams Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Grated lemon zest
- 3 tbsp Powdered sugar for dusting
- 6 pieces Canned cherries or sliced fruit for garnish
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 First, make the vanilla custard: mix the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl, and whisk until pale and smooth.
- 2 Heat the milk together with the grated lemon zest in a small saucepan until almost boiling (don't let it boil over). Remove from heat.
- 3 Pour a little of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking quickly so the eggs don't curdle, then pour everything back into the saucepan.
- 4 Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a custard. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla extract, and stir well.
- 5 Pour the custard into a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- 6 For the zeppole dough: cook the water, butter, salt, and granulated sugar in a saucepan until it boils and the butter is completely melted.
- 7 Lower the heat, add all the flour at once, and stir quickly with a wooden spatula until the dough forms a smooth ball and no longer sticks to the pan. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly for 5 minutes.
- 8 Add the eggs one at a time, beating vigorously until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. The final dough should be smooth, glossy, and pipeable.
- 9 Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- 10 Heat the frying oil over medium heat. Pipe the dough into small circles or figure-8 shapes directly onto small squares of parchment paper, then flip them into the oil (or pipe directly into the hot oil if you're already comfortable doing so).
- 11 Fry the zeppole over medium-low heat so they cook through evenly, flipping occasionally until golden brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- 12 Once the zeppole are completely cool, transfer the chilled vanilla custard into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
- 13 Make a small hole in the side or bottom of each zeppole and pipe the custard inside, or slice the zeppole in half and pipe the custard in the middle.
- 14 Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with cherries or sliced fruit on top of the custard before serving.
💡 Tips
• Make sure the oil isn't too hot, since zeppole need time to cook through; if the oil is too hot, the outside will brown too quickly while the inside stays raw.
• Properly made choux dough will slowly droop from the spatula into a V shape; if it's still too stiff, add a little beaten egg.
• The custard can be swapped for whipped cream or sweetened ricotta cream if you want a lighter variation.
• Zeppole taste best when eaten the same day they're fried and filled, since the texture will turn soggy if stored too long.
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
265 kkal
Calories (kcal)
5 gramg
Protein
16 gramg
Fat
26 gramg
Carbs
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