Zeppole Di San Giuseppe

5 from 8 votes

These baked Zeppole Di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day Pastries) are elegant Italian pastries made with light, airy dough filled with silky pastry cream and topped with a sweet amarena cherry. Traditionally prepared for St. Joseph’s Day, they are beautifully presented and taste just as special as they look, with a delicate pastry shell and luscious creamy center.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked zeppole, Baked Zeppole Di San Giuseppe Recipe, Italian pastry cream

Servings: servings

Author: Elena Davis

Equipment

Ingredients

Choux Pastry Dough

½ cup unsalted butter 113g, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon granulated sugar 5g
¼ teaspoon salt a pinch of salt
1 cup water 240g
1 cup 00 flour 120gor all-purpose flour
4 large eggs at room temperature

Italian Pastry Cream

1 recipe Classic Italian Pastry Cream

Toppings

Amarena Cherries
Icing Sugar or powdered sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Italian Pastry Cream

Make the pastry cream first and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Make the Choux Pastry Dough

Preheat oven to 400℉—place rack in the center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Beat the room-temperature eggs in a medium bowl, cover with cling wrap or plastic wrap, and set aside.
Whisk together flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the water and butter over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. After boiling for about 30 seconds, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Add the flour mixture in one addition and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Return the saucepan to the stove. Reduce the heat to medium-low and keep stirring until the mixture forms into a smooth ball and comes away from the sides of the pan (5 minutes total). This is KEY to letting some of the water evaporate- skipping this step yields to a runny dough.
Transfer the choux dough mixture to a large mixing bowl. Let cool for a few minutes.
Add the beaten eggs, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition with a wooden spoon, stand mixer paddle attachment or hand-held beaters. It may seem like the dough won't incorporate, but it does- keep mixing!

Shape and Bake the Dough

Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip. I like to place my pastry bag in a tall cup for easy filling.
Pipe dough into 2" nests on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The dough resembles a donut's shape and size with a hole in the middle.
Place in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
Turn off the oven and open the door slightly. Let the pastries cool for about 10 minutes in the oven.
Remove the pastry shells from the oven and let them cool completely.

Assemble the Baked Zeppole

Once cooled cut the baked zeppole in half with a serrated knife.
Fill another pastry bag fitted with an open star tip with Italian pastry cream and pipe on one-half of the zeppole shells; you can also use a spoon for the pastry cream. Cover with the other half of the baked zeppole and pipe another tablespoon over the top, OR make a small hole and pipe pastry cream directly in the cavity; and top with more pastry cream. You can also leave the tops plain.
Top the baked zeppole with amarena cherries and a dusting of icing sugar (powdered sugar). Enjoy!

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients: Using eggs and butter at room temperature ensures they incorporate smoothly into the dough, giving the choux a light, airy texture.
Cook the pastry in the pan: Cooking the dough for 5 minutes allows water to evaporate; skipping this step will result in runny dough and flat, dense pastries.
Let the mixture cool immediately: Cooling the dough before adding eggs prevents them from cooking prematurely, ensuring the choux rises properly.
Beat the eggs first, then add gradually: Incorporating eggs gradually helps achieve the right consistency, giving the pastry structure and a tender, airy interior.

Nutrition