Italian Zeppole
Zeppole are an Italian donut that is filled with pastry cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar. These pastries can be served in a few different ways but most often accompnaied by amarena cherries. Below, I have given you another option in case you can't find them!!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Zeppole
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
Pastry Cream
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tsp all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
To Finish:
- 2 cups frozen or fresh cherries, pitted
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
To Make the Zeppole:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together water, milk, butter and salt. Increase the temperature slightly and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/4 cup flour all at once using a wooden spoon. Once incorporated, place the saucepan back over medium heat and stir constantly for another 2 minutes to release extra moisture and partially cook the flour. The dough will look smooth and a thin film will form on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat on medium speed for 1 minute to cool the mixture slightly. Add the 4 eggs 1 at a time, allowing eggs to fully incorporate between each addition. Once all eggs are incorporated, beat another minute until the dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when you pull up on the whisk.
- Preheat oven to 400˚F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Transfer dough to a piping bag with a 1/2-inch opening, or use a large zip bag and cut a 1/2-inch opening at the tip.
- Pipe out circular shapes (as small or as large as desired) onto prepared mats. Bake on middle rack for 15-20 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack then slice in half with a serrated knife to prepare for the filling.
To Make the Pastry Cream:
- For the filling, combine the eggs, flour, sugar and milk in a blender to incorporate well and then pour into a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and cover. Then allow to cool for 2 hours. Once the cream has cooled place it in a pastry bag and begin the assembly of the zeppole.
- Pipe the custard over the bottom half of the shells then top with the top part of the zeppole. If you are using the amarena cherries, you can (optional) brush a bit of the cherry liquid on the base of the shell before filling) and even add more cherries in the centre). Place the top half of the pastry over the filling then pipe additional dots of custard (optional) to hold the cherry garnish on top.
- Lightly dust the finished zeppole with powdered sugar before serving.Serve immediately to ensure the light and crisp texture of the pastry.
To Make the Cherry Sauce (if using):
- In a small saucepan, add the cherries and sugar and stir to combine. In a small measuring cup, add 1/3 cup water with cornstarch and stir to combine (making sure there are no lumps - this is called a slurry). Pour into the cheery mixture and stir until thickened. Serve with pastries.
Notes
Amarena cherries are sometimes hard to find so I'm giving you an option to make cherry filling. If you can find the amarena cherries, use those!!
If you find that your pastry cream gets lumpy while cooking, simply pour the mixture back into your blender and then return to your saucepan over low heat and stir vigorously!