Podcast recipe
Duration 3:52 – Steps 10
Father’s Day is approaching and the Saint Joseph’s Zeppole they are the typical dessert par excellence, rich in history and traditions! This dessert of Campania origin is now prepared throughout Italy and the March 19th all the bakeries and the best pastry shops are teeming with napoletan zeppole.. and not only that, just think of the Emilian ravioli. The most traditional are definitely fried donuts, but many prefer the oven-cooked version, like the one we’re proposing today! The result will be a little lighter and the taste more delicate, but the baked San Giuseppe zeppole will still have a rich filling based on a velvety custard. To top it all off will be the inevitable sour cherry and a cascade of icing sugar. To celebrate Father’s Day in an absolutely special and delicious way, try another version always baked: le cocoa zeppoleor ours donuts in the air fryer. And for a different filling, take inspiration from ours donuts with mascarpone cream and coffee!
To prepare the baked zeppole di San Giuseppe, start making the choux pastry. Put the water and the butter cut into cubes in a saucepan 1then let it melt over medium heat 2; as soon as it comes to a boil, add the flour in one go 3.
Mix quickly with a spatula or wooden spoon 4. Once the mixture thickens 5 continue to cook until the dough comes away from the sides of the pot and a whitish patina has formed on the bottom 6.
Transfer to a bowl 7 and let it cool. In the meantime, beat the eggs in a bowl, then pour a little into the now lukewarm mixture and mix with a wooden spoon 8 until they are incorporated 9.
Add a pinch of salt and add the remaining eggs a little at a time 10. Keep adding the eggs slowly until you get a smooth and thick mixture 11. Don’t worry if lumps form at first, but continue to work the mixture patiently until you get the right consistency. Place the choux pastry in a sac-à-poche fitted with a 1.2 cm starry nozzle and preheat the oven to 205° in ventilated mode.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper: to block it, squeeze a little dough into the corners between the pan and the parchment paper. Then create the donuts, for each you will have to make two laps, one on top of the other so as to create a circle with a diameter of about 10 cm (13-14). Once all 4 zeppole are prepared, cook in a preheated fan oven at 205° for about 25 minutes on the lowest shelf, until they are golden brown. After 25 minutes, open the oven door slightly and cook for another 5 minutes so that they dry inside as well, then take your zeppole out of the oven 15. Leave to cool completely and in the meantime prepare the custard.
In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream 16the seeds you have taken from the half vanilla bean and also the emptied pod 17. Bring the mixture to the boil, meanwhile in another bowl combine the egg yolks with the sugar 18 and beat quickly with a whisk.
Add the corn starch 19 and beat again with the whisk until the mixture is uniform 20. As soon as the milk and cream begin to boil, remove the vanilla pod with kitchen tongs 21.
Pour the milk slowly over the egg mixture 22little by little, beating rapidly with the whisk 23. Transfer back to the pan 24
and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens 25. Transfer the cream to a bowl 26cover with cling film 27 and let it cool completely. When it is cold, place it in a sac-à-few with a smooth nozzle.
At this point even the donuts will be cold and you can stuff them. Using the sac-à-poche, pierce the zeppola in one point by applying light pressure and squeeze a little cream inside 28. Repeat the same operation on another side to fill them completely. Stuff all 4 donuts then arrange them on a serving plate, squeeze a dollop of cream into the center of each donut 29 and place a sour cherry in syrup on each one 30.
At this point 31sprinkle with plenty of icing sugar 32: your baked zeppole are ready to be served 33!
