Zeppole

Source: Christina’s Cucina

Click here to read about my experience making this recipe for my state meal challenge!

Servings: 16

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• Powdered sugar and cherries for garnish

Filling

• 4 egg yolks
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 3 Tbs + 1 tsp cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ⅓ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a pot over medium heat, bring butter, sugar, and water to a boil.
• Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until a ball is formed. Then remove from heat, but keep stirring so the dough cools slightly.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated before adding the next. Repeat until the batter is shiny, thick, and a piping consistency.
• Put the dough in a piping bag fitted with a 2D piping tip. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pipe circular pastries about 3″ apart, leaving holes in the middle of each one.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat but leave the pastries in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Then remove and transfer to a cooling rack.
• To make the filling, warm the milk in a saucepan, then set aside.
• In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla.
• While whisking, slowly add the warm milk into the bowl with the egg mixture until combined.
• Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and turn on the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Add the vanilla.
• Transfer the custard into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until completely chilled. (You can set it in a larger bowl of ice water to cool more quickly, if decorating and serving soon.)
• Poke a hole into the side of each pastry and use a round piping tip to fill with cream. Then pipe more filling onto the indentation on top of each pastry. Dust with powdered sugar, then top with a maraschino cherry.