Name: Zeppole (Italian Donuts) Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 egg yolks; 21⁄2 cups milk; ½ cup heavy cream; ½ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ⅛ tsp salt; orange zest; 4 eggs; 1 cup water; 1 cup all purpose flour; ½ cup unsalted butter; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp sugar; maraschino cherries; powdered sugar

Photos of Zeppole (Italian Donuts) Recipe

These Italian treats often served during St. Joseph’s Day are traditional pastries you must try! Although the traditional ones are often deep-fried, this zeppole recipe has pastry shells that are baked with pastry cream inside.

How To Make Zeppole (Italian Donuts)

Zeppole is a fluffy donut made of cream puff dough, and deep fried for a crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside treat.

Prep: 30 mins

Cool and Chill: 1 hr 15 mins

Cook: 1 hr

Total: 2 hrs 45 mins

Serves:

Ingredients

Pastry Cream:

4 egg yolks
21⁄2 cups milk
½ cup heavy cream, chilled
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅛ tsp salt
orange zest, or lemon from 1 orange

Pastry Shells:

4 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar

To serve:

maraschino cherries, destemmed or stemmed
powdered sugar

Instructions

Pastry Cream:

Sift together your flour, cornstarch, & salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a saucepan, add the milk and lemon or orange zest. Bring to a simmer, then set aside in a warm area. Discard the citrus zest.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for roughly 5 to 8 minutes until pale and light.
Afterward, fold in your sifted flour mixture until evenly incorporated.
Temper your egg mixture by pouring in roughly ¼ cup of the milk mixture slowly and whisk until smooth.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepot and cook on medium-low heat until the mixture thickens. Stir continuously.
Once thickened, quickly remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and strain into a bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap. It should be sticking directly on top of your pastry cream to avoid forming skin. Set aside in the chiller until chilled completely.

Pastry Shells:

In a large saucepan, add the water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil.
Turn your heat down to very low, then add the flour. Continuously stir with a wooden spoon for roughly 3to 5 minutes until the flour has completely absorbed the liquid and slightly cook at the same time.
Quickly transfer the dough into a stand mixer. Beat for no more than 3 minutes until the dough is completely cooled off.
Add one egg at a time, beating in between until incorporated. Set aside for about 15 minutes to cool down completely at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the dough in a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then pipe out little “nests” that are about 2½-inches wide and 3 levels high, while maintaining a few inches apart from each other.
Bake these for about 35 to 40 minutes or until deeply golden brown. Allow it to cool completely at room temperature.

Assembly:

Whip your heavy cream until stiff peaks, then fold into your chilled pastry cream.
Fill up a pastry bag that has any tip with the pastry cream.
Slice your pastry shells in half, then pipe in roughly 2 ounces of your pastry cream.
Cover with the remaining half of your shell, then pipe the hollow middle with roughly ¼ ounce of pastry cream.
Place a maraschino cherry on top and repeat until you have assembled all the cakes this way. Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Nutrition

Sugar: 324g
:
Calcium: 7994mg
Calories: 4221kcal
Carbohydrates: 332g
Cholesterol: 1002mg
Fat: 229g
Fiber: 1g
Iron: 2mg
Monounsaturated Fat: 51g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g
Potassium: 9779mg
Protein: 219g
Saturated Fat: 133g
Sodium: 2609mg
Trans Fat: 1g
Vitamin A: 11297IU
Vitamin C: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Want to share your experience making Zeppole or discuss variations on this classic Italian treat? Join the conversation in the Baking and Desserts forum section!