Zeppole Di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph Day Pastry)

Zeppole di San Giuseppe are classic Italian pastries, traditionally served in Italy on March 19 in honour of St. Joseph. They’re crisp and golden on the outside with a creamy custard filling, making these festive treats a delicious way to honour a cherished Italian tradition.

What are Zeppole

Zeppole, pronounced Zeh-puh-lee, are Italian donuts that come in many different forms and are either baked or deep-fried.

A very popular one here on the blog are the Zeppole with Ricotta, as well as this Pumpkin Ricotta version. They resemble little doughnut holes and are so light and fluffy.

These Zeppole di San Giuseppe that you see here today are more pastry-like. They’re light and airy, made from a delicate choux pastry dough or as the French call it, Pâte à Choux. 

Like many traditional Italian recipes, the name can vary from region to region. In some parts of Italy, they’re called Sfinge di San Giuseppe, while in others they’re known as Bignè di San Giuseppe.

These pastries are typically piped into pretty rosettes and baked or fried until golden. 

Customarily, they’re filled or topped with a swirl of silky lemon pastry cream (crema pasticcera), sweetened ricotta or chocolate custard. Once filled, all that’s needed is a light dusting of powdered sugar topped with an Amarena cherry, which gives this Italian pastry its iconic look.

Now let’s get baking!

Ingredients for St. Joseph Pastries

Like many classic Italian pastries, all you’ll need are simple ingredients that create something so delicious. 

The base is a delicate pâte à choux dough made with water, butter, flour, eggs, baking powder and a pinch of salt.  As the dough bakes, it rises and puffs into light, airy round shapes with a little crispness on the outside and a soft, tender interior.

The filling is a smooth, silky pastry cream made with milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, flour and cornstarch for thickening, with a touch of vanilla and liquor for some added flavour. This crema pasticcera perfectly complements the light pastry. 

How to Make Lemon Pastry Cream

1 – Place the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and liquor in a medium-sized bowl.

2 – With an electric mixer, beat until the ingredients are well combined.

3 – Sift in the flour and corn starch.

4 – Mix well with an electric mixer until combined and set aside.

5 – In a medium-sized pot, pour in the milk and cream and bring to a low boil over medium heat. (Whisk often to avoid scalding the milk)

6 – Slowly whisk in the reserved egg yolk 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 thicken considerably after a few minutes.

7 – Transfer the custard to a clean medium-sized bowl and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. Then, place cling wrap directly over the custard (allowing it to touch the custard) and chill for 2 hours.

How to Make St. Joseph Pastry

1 – Add the water, butter, sugar and salt in a medium-sized pot.

2 – Bring the mixture to a soft boil, while stirring until the butter melts.

3 – Add in the flour and baking powder.

4 – Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until the flour has absorbed all the liquid. Then, continue cooking and stirring the mixture for 2 minutes.

5 – 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.

6 – Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, while beating well after each addition. The dough should look thick and smooth.

We are now ready to shape the pastries. First, grease a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper for piping effortlessly.

Fit a 12-inch piping bag with a star-shaped tip. ( I used the 1M tip) Fill it with some of the pastry dough.

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

Pipe two to three-inch round rosettes. I prefer piping them 2 1/4 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 one dozen pastries. 

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

8 – 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. (Mine took 30 minutes)

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

9 – When ready to serve, dust the pastries with powdered sugar.

10- Pipe 2 swirls of custard using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and crown with an Amarena cherry.

About Amarena Cherries

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 and sold in Italian specialty shops. This bottled variety has a sweet, intense cherry flavour and is typically used in desserts, such as these Maritozzi, Italian Cream Puffs.

I love having a jar of these cherries around because I adore them in this 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!

Make ahead tips:

These pastries are best eaten the same day they’re baked; they’re at their crispiest then, but really they’re just as delicious on day 2 or even day 3. 

So my make-ahead tip would be to make the custard up to 3 days before you plan to serve the pastries. And let the custard chill in the fridge till ready to fill the pastries.

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

The baked zeppole also freeze very well. Line unfilled zeppole side by side in a freezer bag and defrost at room temperature when ready to use. They’ll be just as fresh and crisp as day one. Fill them with custard just before serving and enjoy.

As always, bake with heart and share with love.

Marisa

This recipe was originally published on March 19, 2020 and republished on March 17, 2026, with updated photos and content.