Zeppole di San Giuseppe have always been a traditional Italian pastry in my household for the feast of St Joseph's Day.
Also known as St Joseph's day pastries these cream puff desserts filled with pastry cream are absolutely to die for and a popular tradition in the beginning of spring and father's day.
A less complicated dessert also known as Zeppole Italian Doughnuts made with ricotta or beignets can also be a quick and easy dessert for St Joseph's Day or any day of the month!
Jump to:
- What are St Joseph's Pastries?
- Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
- Ingredients You'll Need to make Zeppole di San Giuseppe with Pastry Cream
- St Joseph's Day Sfingi Doughnuts
- How to Make St Joseph's Day pastries
- Top Tips
- Possible Variations
- Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
- Other Desserts
- Recipe Details
- Top Tips
- Make Pastry Cream from Scratch
- PIN it for later here
- Food Safety
- Comments
What are St Joseph's Pastries?
According to the Gospels, Joseph was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Joseph was venerated as Saint Joseph and is also associated with various feast days including the feast of St Joseph. The month of March is dedicated to Saint Joseph. Pope Pius IX declared him to be the patron saint and protector of the Catholic Church. His patronage includes protector of workers, the sick, virgins and fathers.
Why are pastries associated with St Joseph? Because Joseph sold sweet pancakes to support his family after fleeing to Egypt. A theory also connects the word "zeppa" with a wooden tool used for furniture when Joseph was a carpenter.
Why March 19th? Because this was the believed the be the date of Joseph's death.
Pasta with Tomato Ricotta sauce is the perfect pasta dish to have before diving into one of these Zeppole di San Giuseppe. Why not give it a try?
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Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
- Light - choux pastry dough commonly used to make cream puffs makes these desserts feel light and airy
- Vanilla pastry cream - scented with vanilla but not overly sweet
- Make ahead - great dessert that can be made in advance
- Versatile - customize the size of the St Joseph's Pastries and the flavor of the cream to suit your needs
Ingredients You'll Need to make Zeppole di San Giuseppe with Pastry Cream
You will need the following ingredients to make Zeppole di San Giuseppe recipe: butter, sugar, water, flour, eggs, Amarena cherries and confectioner's sugar, Dream Whip topping powder mix, instant vanilla pudding, milk.
- Amarena cherries imported from Italy are wild cherries in syrup and are candied and immersed in syrup bringing a delicate sweet and tart taste to the pastry
- Dream Whip topping and vanilla instant pudding are used to create a quick pastry cream
- Confectioner's sugar is sprinkled on top of the Zeppole with pastry cream
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
St Joseph's Day Sfingi Doughnuts
Fun fact: Sfingi was also a pastry made for the feast day of St Joseph's.
Sfingi are made with ricotta cheese and flour and is more like a fried bignè. Once cooled they are dusted with powdered sugar.
Try my recipe for Sfingi St Joseph's Day pastriesf.
How to Make St Joseph's Day pastries
Preheat oven to 400℉.
Prepare the choux pastry by placing the butter, sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Heat medium-high heat until it boils and add the flour all at once. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball. About one minute. The whole process can take 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the stove and continue to stir, scraping the sides of the pan, until the dough has cooled enough to add the eggs. Add one egg at a time and mix until well combined, then add the next egg and continue until you have added all the eggs.
Put the choux dough in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and make pastry rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave a small hole in the centre, like little nests. (Use a food safe pen to trace circles on the parchment paper)
Bake at 400℉ for 10 minutes, then lower the oven and bake at 340℉ for 30 to 35 minutes.
Once cooked, turn off oven, open oven door and let stand in oven for 10 minutes. Then remove from oven to cool on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before filling with pastry cream.
Once cooled, make the quick cream filling by combining 1 packet of Dream Whip topping mix, milk and 1 tsp of the instant vanilla pudding until you have the flavor and consistency you want. (If preferred you can make traditional crema pasticcera see notes for recipe)
Using a piping bag to pipe the pastry cream on the pastries, add Fabbri cherries on the pastry cream. Put the top pastry top on and decorate with a dollop of pastry cream topped with more Fabbri cherries.
Storage: Let set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour uncovered. Serve the same day.
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 to 3 days. However, these Italian pastries are best enjoyed fresh made.
Top Tips
Using edible ink, trace circles on parchment paper so that you can pipe out uniform pastries.
To avoid the choux pastry deflating, avoid opening the oven door for the first 30 minutes.
Let the custard cool down to room temperature and then let it chill in the fridge for a few hours, until it's completely chilled.
Make your own Italian pastry cream for an authentic treat.
Possible Variations
These are some ideas on how to create different variations of Zeppole di San Giuseppe.
- Chocolate pastry cream - swap out the vanilla pastry cream with a chocolate based pastry cream or Nutella based cream for a sweet delight.
- Whipped topping - use whipped cream instead of a pastry cream for a lighter tasting pastry
- Strawberries - swap the Fabbri cherries with strawberries for a strawberry shortcake version
- Pistachio - add pistachio and almond extract for a nutty flavor
- Crema Pasticcera - make crema pasticcera for the cream filling used in traditional zeppole
The perfect recipe isn't that far away. I'd love to know how you substituted ingredients to fit your dietary needs. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
St Joseph's day is marked by the pastry called Zeppole filled with pastry cream, custard or ricotta and dusted with powdered sugar, originating from St Joseph who found himself selling pancakes after fleeing from Egypt to provide sustenance for his family.
St Joseph's day always falls during lent. Meatless foods are eaten on this day usually consisting of minestrone soup, pasta with breadcrumbs and the popular dessert Zeppole di San Giuseppe.
Zeppole translated in English means dough nut.
Other Desserts
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Details
Zeppole di San Giuseppe with Amarena Cherries
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caEquipment
- Piping Set Highly Recommended
Ingredients
Pastry
- ½ cup butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
Quick Pastry Cream
- 1.5 oz KRAFT Dream Whip Dessert Topping Mix 1 small packet, 43 g
- 5 tbsp instant Vanilla Jello
- ½ cup milk
Other
- 4 oz Amarena Fabbri Wild Cherries
- ¼ cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉
- Prepare the choux pastry by placing the butter, sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium-high until it boils and add the flour all at once. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball. About one minute.
- Remove the pastry from the stove and continue to stir until the dough, scraping the sides of the pan until the dough has cooled enough to add the eggs. Add one egg at a time and mix until well combined, then add the next egg and continue until you have added all the eggs. (The whole process can take 10 to 15 minutes.)
- Put the pastry in a piping bag fitted with a start attachment and make pastry rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave a small hole in the middle. (Use a food safe pen to trace circles on the parchment paper)
- Bake at 400℉ for 10 minutes, then lower the oven and bake at 340℉ for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Once cooked, turn off oven, open oven door and let stand in oven for 10 minutes. Then remove from oven to cool on a cooling rack. Let cool completely before filling with pastry cream.
- Once cooled, make the quick pastry cream by combine 1 packet of Dream Whip topping mix, milk and 1 tsp of the instant vanilla pudding until you have the flavor and consistency you want. (If preferred you can make traditional pastry filling see notes for recipe)
- Using a piping bag to pipe the pastry cream on the pastries, add Fabbri cherries on the pastry cream. Put the top pastry top on and decorate with a dollop of pastry cream topped with more Fabbri cherries.
- Let set in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve the same day.
Notes
Top Tips
Using edible ink, trace circles on parchment paper so that you can pipe out uniform pastries. To avoid the choux pastry deflating, avoid opening the oven door for the first 30 minutes. Let the custard cool down to room temperature and then let it chill in the fridge for a few hours, until it’s completely chilled. The custard will have "set" after chilling. So it is important to whisk the pastry cream to make it smooth before using.Make Pastry Cream from Scratch
Nutrition
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Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Elaina says
Can’t wait to try this out, they look delicious!!
AmyG says
Let us know how it turns out!