Zeppole Di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph Pastry)

Italian Zeppole di San Giuseppe pastries on a wooden board.

Zeppole Di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph Pastry)

Zeppole di San Giuseppe are traditional Italian pastries made with simple pâte à choux dough, filled with a creamy lemon custard and topped with an Amarena cherry. They’re a classic dessert served on St. Joseph's Day, March 19, which also happens to be Father's Day in Italy.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Zeppole Di San Giuseppe

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Chilling Time 2

Servings

Calories 175kcal

Author Marisa

Equipment

Mixing bowls
Mixer
Pastry Bags
Star tip for piping

Ingredients

LEMON CUSTARD (double this quantity if planning to fill the inside as well)

4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
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

ZEPPOLE PASTRY DOUGH

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

Instructions

PREPARING THE CUSTARD

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and liquor with an electric mixer until combined.
Sift in the flour and corn starch, and continue beating with the mixer until well combined. Set aside.
In a medium-sized pot, heat the milk and cream to a light boil, whisking often, taking care not to scald the milk.
Slowly whisk in the reserved egg yolk, sugar and flour mixture and continue whisking over low to medium heat for approximately 6 minutes. (If the mixture bubbles too much, lower the heat.) The custard should start to thicken considerably after a few minutes.
Transfer the custard to a clean medium-sized bowl and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
Place cling wrap directly over the custard (allowing it to touch the custard) and chill for 2 hours.
Meanwhile make the pastries.

PREPARING THE PASTRY

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Greasing the baking sheet first will hold the parchment paper in place while piping the pastry dough.
In a medium saucepan, add the water, butter, sugar, and salt and bring to a 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 a mixing bowl 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, beating well after each addition. Stop to scrape down the bowl if needed.
When ready, the dough will be thick and smooth looking.
Spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip. (I used the 1M star tip)
Pipe a rosette of, 2¼ 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 have a golden-brown colour. (Mine were ready in 30 minutes)
Allow the pastries to cool completely before filling with the custard.
When ready to serve, dust the pastries with powdered sugar.
Spoon the chilled pastry cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe swirls of pastry cream over each zeppole and top with an Amarena cherry.
Serve and enjoy.

Notes

If you want to be extra generous with the custard, do make a double batch of the crema pasticcera. Especially so if you intend to fill the inside of the zeppole as well as adding a little on top. Enjoy!

Nutrition