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zeppole

Zeppole Di San Giuseppe

March 19, 2020 by Marisa Leave a Comment

Oven baked Zeppole filled with custard.

Zeppole Di San Giuseppe are traditional Italian pastries prepared every March 19 for the Feast of Saint Joseph’s Day which also happens to be Father’s Day in Italy.

Oven baked Zeppole di San Giuseppe filled with custard.

What are Zeppole

Zeppole are simply Italian doughnuts that come in a variety of forms.

A very popular one here on the blog are these Zeppole Ricotta Doughnuts. They resemble little doughnut holes and are so light and fluffy.

My family loves them so much that I switched up the flavours a little to make these adorable and delicious Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts)

These Zeppole di San Giuseppe that you see her today are more pastry-like!

They’re also commonly known as Sfinci di San Giuseppe or Bigne di San Giuseppe, depending on which area of Italy one hails from.

Although you can deep fry them, these are oven baked and filled with a creamy custard. Then they’re topped with an extra dollop of the custard, a generous dusting of powdered sugar and crowned with an Amarena cherry.

The dough for these Italian pastries is much like a Choux pastry. It’s a light and hallow puffy pastry.

And much like a Choux pastry or pâte à choux, the dough’s main ingredients are:

  • water
  • butter
  • flour
  • eggs

How to make pastry dough for Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Making the dough for this Italian pastry is really quite simple.

It’s just a process of bringing water, butter, sugar and salt to a full boil.

Once the butter has melted you add in the flour and baking powder while stirring vigorously till the flour has absorbed all the liquids.

You then increase the heat a little and cook for about 2 minutes while stirring continuously. This step removes the raw taste of the flour.

Prepared Choux pastry dough.

You’ll then transfer the pastry dough to a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the dough for about one minute. This step allows the dough to cool slightly before incorporating the eggs.

Then the eggs are beaten in one at a time while beating well after each addition.

When ready, the dough should look thick and smooth.

At this point, you’re ready to pipe the rosettes.

Choux pastry dough in a silver bowl.

How to pipe rosettes for Zeppole di San Giuseppe

You’ll need a piping bag with a star tip attached.

Once you’ve filled the piping bag with the dough, pipe rosettes directly onto your prepared baking sheet in a circular motion.

You need to pipe two layers of rosettes, one on top of the other leaving a space in the centre. It will look slightly like a bird’s nest.

They can be piped in 2 to 3 inches in diameter. I much prefer piping them 2 inches round as these pastries do puff up when baking. You should have about 17 pastries.

But if you make them bigger, say 3 inches in diameter it will yield 2 dozens pastries. 

Pastry dough for Zeppole di San Giuseppe piped into rosettes on a baking tray.

Space the rosettes about 2 inches apart because they need the extra room to expand.

Then bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F. for about 25 to 30 minutes. When ready they’ll have a deep golden brown colour.

Allow the pastries to cool completely before filling them with the creamy custard.

Baked zeppole on a cooling rack.

Use a serrated knife to slice the pastries. And, while using another pastry bag with a star tip, pipe the custard on the bottom half of the pastry. Just along the edges is fine!

Then simply place the tops right back on and pipe more custard on the top centre.

Give them a generous dusting of powdered sugar and crown your zeppole with an Amarena cherry.

Oven baked Zeppole on a cooling rack.

Amarena Cherry

Amarena cherries are very small, dark coloured, Italian sour cherries. 

These wild cherries grow in the cities of Bologna and Modena, Italy.

You can find them bottled in syrup in Italian specialty shops. This bottled variety has such a sweet and intense cherry flavour and are typically used in desserts such as with these Zeppole di San Giuseppe.

I love to always have a jar of these cherries around because I simply adore them in these Amarena Wild Cherry Biscotti recipe. And they’re just as wonderful spooned over a double scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

But if you can’t find any, Maraschino cherries will make a great substitute!

Choux pastries filled with a cream custard and topped with a cherry.

Make ahead tips:

These pastries are best eaten on the same day they’re baked because the pastry is at its crunchiest then but really they’re just as delicious on day 2 or even day 3. 

The dough will just be softer that’s all but will still taste amazing!

So my make ahead tip would be to make the custard the day before you plan to serve the pastries. Let it simply chill in the fridge overnight!

The next morning, bake the zeppole and set them aside to cool. And then simply fill them with the custard just before serving!

So simple yet so delicious!

Happy baking dear friends!

Zeppole di San Giuseppe

 

Oven baked Zeppole filled with custard.
Print Recipe
0 from 0 votes

Zeppole Di San Giuseppe

Zeppole Di San Giuseppe are traditional Italian pastries prepared every March 19 for the Feast of Saint Joseph's Day. These are oven baked and filled with a creamy custard, a generous dusting of powdered sugar and topped with an Amarena cherry.
Prep Time40 mins
Cook Time8 mins
baking time25 mins
Total Time1 hr 13 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Zeppole Di San Giuseppe
Servings: 17
Calories: 172kcal
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

CUSTARD

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • lemon zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liquor or sweet Marsala wine
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup cream

PASTRY

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 12 pitted Amarena wild cherries bottled in syrup
  • powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

PREPARING THE CUSTARD

  • In a medium sized sauce pot whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, lemon zest and the Grand Marnier over low heat until thoroughly mixed.
  • Whisk in the milk and the cream until combined.
  • Increase the heat slightly and continue whisking until mixture thickens and has the appearance of thick cream. Should take about 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Transfer the custard to a clean bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Then cover the custard with cling wrap, allowing it to touch the custard and chill for about two hours. The custard will thicken even more as it chills.
  • Meanwhile make the pastries.

PREPARING THE PASTRY

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium sauce pan add one cup of water, the butter, sugar, salt and bring to a full boil until the butter melts.
  • Add in the flour and baking powder beating vigorously with a wooden spoon until combined. The flour will absorb all the liquid and form a ball.
  • Continue cooking and stirring the mixture for about 2 minutes as this will get rid of the raw flour taste.
  • Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for about 1 minute. This allows the dough to cool slightly before adding the eggs.
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition while stopping to scrape down the bowl occasionally.
  • When ready, the dough will be thick and smooth looking.
  • Spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
  • Pipe a rosette of 2 inches in diameter directly onto the parchment lined cookie sheet and top with a second layer of rosette. Basically one on top of the other. It will have the appearance of a bird's nest.
  • Repeat with the remaining dough while spacing the rosettes 2 inches apart.
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The pastries should be light golden brown colour.
  • Allow the pastries to cool completely before filling with the custard.
  • When ready to fill the pastries, slice them in half with a serrated knife.
  • Spoon the chilled pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the pastry cream onto the bottom half of the pastries and place the tops back on.
  • Pipe some more pastry cream over the top centre of the pastries.
  • Dust generously with powdered sugar and top each with an Amarena cherry

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 408IU | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

Filed Under: Dessert Tagged With: dessert, doughnut, Italian pastry, zeppole, Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Zeppole Italian Ricotta Doughnuts

February 26, 2020 by Marisa 27 Comments

Ricotta zeppole piled on a rack.

Zeppole, Italian Ricotta Doughnuts are so incredibly light. They’re sweet and crunchy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. As an added bonus, they’re simply a snap to make at home.

Zeppole Ricotta Doughnuts

What are Zeppole

Zeppole, are essentially deep fried Italian dough balls.

They come in a variety of sizes and the more popular ones being the Zeppole di San Giuseppe which have a filling of ricotta or even custard and topped with an amarena cherry. These are traditionally eaten during la Festa di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s Day), which is celebrated every March 19.

They’re also known by other names such as Sfinge, but in my family they were always called castagnole fritte (deep-fried sweet pastry balls).

My mom would make sweet fritters for Easter and savoury fritters filled with anchovies for New Year’s Day.

This zeppole recipe you see here today however has the ricotta mixed in the dough and are so simple to make. They truly make a fuss free treat.

 

Sifting flour into a bowl.

How To Make Zeppole Italian Doughnuts 

This zeppole recipe comes together fairly quickly. There’s no kneading and no rising involved at all. How wonderful is that?!

You’ll need two mixing bowls.

One for sifting together the dry ingredients:

  • flour
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • sugar

Beating eggs and ricotta together in a glass bowl.

The second bowl for beating together the ricotta and the eggs until fairly smooth.

Mixing the flour mixture into the egg mixture.

You’ll then stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture until thoroughly combined. And, you’re now ready to deep fry the batter into little yummy nuggets.

I prefer to use a cookie scoop of approximately 1 1/2 inch in diameter but you can just as easily use two spoons to drop the dough into the hot oil. Just be careful to avoid any splashes.

This however, goes without saying when working with very hot oil!

Also I would avoid deep frying with olive oil as it doesn’t have a high smoking point. Any other neutral tasting oil will do.

Depp fried zeppole batter on a paper lined platter.

How long do Zeppole, Italian Doughnuts need to be deep fried?

A few minutes are all that’s needed to deep fry these Italian doughnuts.

Use the two to three minutes of deep frying as a guideline. It will depend on how big or small you make them. 

Mine were ready at the 3 minute mark! 

Dusting powdered sugar over the fried zeppole.

They turn out light, fluffy on the inside and with a lovely crispy exterior every time!

All that’s needed to dress up these Italian doughnuts, is a dusting of powdered sugar for a little extra sweetness and for just a prettier overall look.

You can also roll them in a cinnamon sugar concoction if you wish. Or skip the cinnamon and roll them in just the granulated sugar.

Then simply pile them high on a serving platter and serve while still warm.

Freshly fried ricotta doughnuts.

We love them so much so, that whenever I have some canned pumpkin purée I’ll make these adorable Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts) These pumpkin zeppole are soft and fluffly and rolled in a cinnamon sugar mix. A pure delight!

But if you’re not a fan of ricotta. you may want to try these other yummy fritters, Italian Orange Frittelle (Italian fried dough balls) This variation of the Italian doughnut is partially made with finely ground almonds in the mix. And definitely just as yummy!

Zeppole, Italian ricotta doughnuts.

How Long do Zeppole Stay Fresh?

These Zeppole, Italian Ricotta Doughnuts are best eaten right after they’re deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. That’s when they’re at their absolute best! Both crispy and soft to the bite.

Although, they’ll rarely make it past day one!

You really must try them because they are simply heavenly!

But fair warning, these Italian doughnuts are highly addictive and will disappear in a flash!

Ricotta zeppole piled on a rack.

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

This recipe was last published February 8, 2018 and republished February 26, 2020 with updated photos and content.

Ricotta zeppole piled on a rack.
Print Recipe
4.34 from 6 votes

Zeppole, Italian Ricotta Doughnuts

These Zeppole, ricotta doughnuts are so incredibly light... sweet and crunchy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. As an added bonus, they are simply a snap to make at home.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Zeppole Italian Ricotta Doughnuts
Servings: 20 doughtnuts
Calories: 52kcal
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese full fat
  • 2 large eggs
  • canola oil or vegetable oil for deep frying
  • powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • In a Medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and the 3 tablespoons of sugar and then set aside.
  • In a stand mixer or a hand held mixer, beat together the eggs and the ricotta cheese just until fairly smooth.
  • Stir the flour mixture into the ricotta mixture until thoroughly combined.
  • In a large heavy pot or a dutch oven, pour in enough oil to reach 2 inches high and heat to 375*. A candy thermometer comes in handy in order to get the right temperature and ensuring the oil does not drop under 350*, while you are frying between batches.
  • If the oil is not hot enough the doughnuts will be too soggy and if it is too hot then the outside will darken quickly leaving the inside under cooked.
  • Use a 1 1/2 inch scoop or 2 small spoons to drop bits of dough into the hot oil.
  • Fry the zeppole for about 2 to 3 minutes, turning often until they are puffed, fluffy and golden brown.
  • Larger sized doughnuts will need extra time. Use a slotted spoon to remove the zeppole from the pan and drain them on paper towels. Repeat until you have used up all the batter.
  • Dust with icing or powdered sugar and serve while still warm.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from, Cafe Italia cookbook by Liz Franklin

Nutrition

Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

Filed Under: Dessert, Doughnuts Tagged With: dessert, doughnuts, ricotta, sweets, zeppole

Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts)

November 25, 2019 by Marisa 8 Comments

Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole

Soft and fluffy Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole, rolled in a cinnamon sugar mix are sure to please all doughnut lovers. These deep fried Italian doughnuts are perfect for the holidays or just about any other day.

Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole

Forgive me for inundating you with pumpkin recipes these past weeks. But, tis the season after all!

And besides, what’s a gal to do with leftover canned pumpkin purée after baking these bakery style Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins and then a show stopping Pumpkin Cake Roll with a luscious cream cheese frosting!

Even then I still had enough to whip up these incredibly light and yummy Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole!

These Italian Doughnuts are a slight variation from these Zeppole Ricotta Doughnuts recipe I posted a while back. And, they’re so incredibly delicious!

What are Zeppole?

A zeppola, being in the singular, is a typical Italian deep fried pastry ball that varies in size. Basically zeppole are doughnut-like fritters.

Zeppole which are pronounced “zép-po-le” also go by other names, such as sfinge or the more popular ones which are referred to as Zeppole di San Giuseppe and traditionally made for the Feast of Saint Joseph on March 19.

The latter are more of a choux-like pastry and customarily filled with custard or sweetened ricotta. Sometimes deep fried and other times oven baked.

These zeppole you see here today feature the ricotta mixed into the dough and are light, fluffy and simply a breeze to make.

Shall we get started?

How To Make Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole

Sifting flour and spices in a metal bowl.
Ricotta and eggs in a mixing bowl

You’ll need two bowls, a sifter and an electric mixer.

One bowl you’ll sift the dry ingredients in as sifting will remove any lumps in the flour.

In the second bowl, the ricotta is beaten with the eggs until fairly smooth.

Pumpkin puree stirred in ricotta mix.
Sifted flour stirred in ricotta batter.

You’ll then mix in the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract.

Next the sifted flour mixture is then stirred into the ricotta mixture until thoroughly combined.

Pumpkin ricotta batter in a silver bowl/
Deep fried Italian Zeppole

A cookie scoop comes in handy to measure out and drop bits of the pumpkin ricotta batter into the hot oil. 

Mine is approximately 1 1/4 inch round in diameter.

Alternately, you can use two teaspoons. One for scooping up the dough and the other for gently sliding the dough off of one spoon and into the hot oil.

Ricotta doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar

How To Fry Zeppole, Italian Ricotta Doughnuts

  • First off, have your batter ready while the oil is heating up.
  • Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and set it close by along with a slotted spoon to remove the zeppole from the hot oil.
  • Fill a medium sized stock pot or dutch oven with enough oil to reach approximately 2 inches high.
  • Use a candy thermometer to gage the temperature of the oil and heat to 375 degrees F.
  • Scoop out bits of dough into the hot oil and deep fry for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes while turning often to allow even browning all over.
  • Transfer the doughnuts to your prepared tray and repeat with the remaining dough.

Italian pumpkin ricotta zeppole rolled in cinnamon sugar

Once your zeppole are all fried, simply roll them in a cinnamon sugar mixture to coat all over and enjoy them while still warm.

Alternately, you can dust the zeppole with powdered sugar if you prefer.

These Pumpkin Ricotta Doughnuts are best eaten on the same day they’re made but will also keep their freshness for up to 3 days.

If needed you can always re-roll the zeppole in the cinnamon sugar when serving the following day. This will refresh their appearance.

Enjoy these amazing Italian doughnuts with your favourite hot beverage, cold glass of milk or even a dessert wine!

Happy baking!

Pumpkin ricotta zeppole rolled in cinnamon sugar

Italian Ricotta Zeppole

Other Italian Doughnut Recipes You’ll Love:

Zeppole Ricotta Doughnuts

Italian Orange Frittelle (Italian fried dough balls)

Castagnole Fritte

Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole
Print Recipe
0 from 0 votes

Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole

Soft and fluffy Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole rolled in cinnamon sugar. These deep fried Italian doughnuts are perfect for the holidays or any other day.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pumpkin Ricotta Zeppole
Servings: 36 doughnuts
Calories: 521kcal
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin pureé I used store bought canned
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • vegetable oil for frying

CINNAMON SUGAR

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  • Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the ricotta cheese and the eggs just until fairly smooth.
  • Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract to the ricotta mixture and mix till well combined.
  • Stir the flour mixture into the ricotta mixture until thoroughly combined.
  • In a large heavy pot or a dutch oven, pour in enough oil to reach 2 inches high and heat to 375*. (A candy thermometer comes in handy)
  • Avoid having the oil drop below 350 degrees F as this will render a soggy doughnut. And you'll also want to avoid the oil exceeding 375 degrees F. as too high of a temperature will quickly darken the doughnut while leaving the inside under cooked.
  • Use a 1 1/2 inch scoop or 2 small spoons to drop bits of dough into the hot oil.
  • Fry the zeppole for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, turning often until they are puffy, fluffy and golden brown. You'll need extra time for larger sized doughnuts.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove the zeppole from the pot and transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels.
  • Repeat until you have used up the remaining batter.
  • When done roll the zeppole in the cinnamon sugar, turning to coat all over and serve while still warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 182mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 536mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 6924IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 323mg | Iron: 4mg

Filed Under: Doughnuts Tagged With: Italian doughnuts, pumpkin, ricotta, zeppole

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