Zeppole di San Giuseppe: the traditional Italian recipe for Father’s Day

On March 19th in Italy is impossible to miss the smell of freshly baked or fried Zeppole. This dessert tastes always amazing but it is traditionally served on father’s day.

This tradition was born as a way to honor the day of Sait Joseph, the father of Jesus, who to support his family took up also the job of “frittellaro” - selling fried sweets. We don’t know if this story is true, but what is certain is that the tradition of cooking Zeppole on father’s day stick to this day and we love to honor it!

 

My Family Recipe for Zeppole:

Zeppole are fried or baked donuts, topped with custard cream and wild cherries. I prefer the baked version which is easier to make at home. Here is what you will need:

 

For the choux dough: 

4 eggs

150 gr 00 Flour

250 ml water

100 gr Butter

a pinch of salt

 

Mix all the ingredients and use a pastry bag to create perfect shaped donuts on a baking tin lined with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F (220° C) and bake the Zeppole for about 30 minutes.

My secret for the Custard Cream:

Custard Cream is essential for these delicious Zeppole. My secret is the Paneangeli mix which makes this step super easy: I just add 300 ml of my choice of milk and the content of one bag and mix carefully to obtain this delicious cream with notes of vanilla and lemon.

I like this cream mix because it has no eggs so the cream is super digestible and even vegan-friendly if you choose a vegan milk option! Moreover in each box, you will find two bags, so if you use only one for the Zeppole you can store the rest for another recipe!

 

Ready to serve:

Take out the choux dough donuts from the oven and let them cool a bit before adding the cream. I like to cut them in half and add some custard cream inside too for some extra taste!

 

Finally, add more custard cream on top and the last touch: Amarena Wild Cherries in syrup and some icing sugar to finish it up.

For this step, I like to use the classic Fabbri Amarena Cherries and Paneangeli Zucchero al Velo, which has a delicate vanilla addition.

 

Buon Appetito!

 The traditional Zeppole di San Giuseppe are ready and you can enjoy them with your family on father’s day or for any special occasion!