Baked Zeppole with Ricotta Filling for St-Joseph’s Day as enjoyed by Italians each year on March 19th. My lightened up zeppole are baked instead of fried but have all the flavors of traditional zeppole with a sweet creamy ricotta filling!
St-Joseph’s Day is around the corner and it’s time to celebrate with another delicious creamy, ricotta filled dessert! The Italian community celebrates St-Joseph’s Day each year on March 19th by indulging in zeppole. This recipe is my version of this traditional dessert!
Zeppole consist of a choux pastry, either fried or baked, filled with a creamy ricotta or pastry cream filling. In order to lighten up this recipe, I opted to bake my dough rather than fry. In fact, most bakeries in my area now offer the option of baked zeppole for those who are health conscious!
Ricotta or custard filled zeppole?
Zeppole are filled with ricotta or custard, also known as pastry cream or crema pasticciera. Personally, I choose ricotta filling over pastry cream any time. Think cannoli; cassatelle; sweet panelle; lemon ricotta doughnuts or pizzelle cannoli with ricotta just to name a few!
But if you prefer pastry cream filled desserts, check out my recipe for this cream in my Pineapple Layer Cake with Pastry Cream recipe here.
What does the word zeppole mean?
Zeppole apparently originated in Sicily, although they are common throughout southern Italy. The word zeppole is derived from an Arabic word which means sweet fried dough. So I guess my recipe is not quite authentic since I baked mine. Nonetheless, they are delicious!
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through the recipe. The complete detailed printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step by Step Instructions
Make a basic choux pastry:
Combine the butter and water in a medium sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, salt and sugar. When the butter and water come to a rolling boil, remove the pan from the heat. Dump the flour mixture in all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour is well incorporated.
Return the pan to the heat and cook stirring, for 1 minute. The mixture will form a ball and coat the pan with a thin film.
Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer bowl equipped with the paddle attachment. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, completely incorporating each one before adding the next. Beat until the dough is smooth.
Place a pastry bag fitted with a star tip inside a tall glass with the top folded over the edge of the glass. Transfer the dough to the pastry bag with a spatula. Alternately, use a medium sized freezer bag with the tip cut off.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and anchor to the baking sheet by dabbing a little of the dough in each corner. Pipe a 3 inch diameter circle onto the parchment paper and go over the circle with a second layer of dough. Pipe the remaining dough.
Bake for 15 minutes in a 425 degrees F preheated oven until golden and puffed. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the choux to dry for 10 more minutes in the oven with the door ajar. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.
Fill the choux with ricotta filling:
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: whisk ricotta with powdered sugar until smooth. Use a sharp knife to carefully slice in half the cooled choux. Pipe with the ricotta mixture, place the top half on and, if desired, pipe more ricotta in the center of the zeppole.
Dust with powdered sugar and place a maraschino cherry or amarena cherry in the center. 
Can zeppole be shaped differently?
I pipe my choux pastry into doughnut like shapes as I am used to finding in local Montreal bakeries. However, you may also pipe the dough as for a cream puff, that is without the hole in the center. To fill, simply make a hole at the base of the pastry with the tip of your pastry bag. Pipe cream directly into the middle hollowed section.
How long do filled zeppole keep well for?
To be honest with you filled zeppole are best the day they are prepared. Although you can keep leftovers refrigerated for a few days, the filled choux pastry tends to soften up.
Can choux pastry be made in advance and filled on another day?
Your best choice is to store unfilled choux pastry in an airtight container at room temperature. However, they do tend to soften up the next day. Therefore, when you wish to fill your choux, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Turn it off and place the choux on a baking sheet in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 10 minutes. This will allow the choux to crisp up again.
Let cool and fill with ricotta or pastry cream as desired.
Tips and suggestions:
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a whisk to fully incorporate your eggs one at a time to the pastry dough.
- If you prefer a creamier, richer ricotta filling add some whipping cream to the mixture. Adjust the amount of sugar added according to your taste.
- Ricotta cream is my filling of choice for zeppole, however they can be filled with pastry cream. Click here for my pastry cream recipe found within my Pineapple Layer Cake with Pastry Cream post.
- Other possible add-ins to your filling include grated chocolate, cinnamon, lemon zest or even candied fruit.
If you try out my recipe, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. You can also pin this recipe for later.
Happy St- Joseph’s Day!
Ingredients
For the pate à choux:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all -purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
For the ricotta filling:
- 5 cups whole milk ricotta
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar or more if you prefer a sweeter filling
For serving:
- powdered sugar for dusting on
Instructions
Prepare the choux pastry
- Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium sized sauce pan, combine the butter and water. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, salt and sugar.
- When the butter and water come to a rolling boil, remove the pan from the heat and dump the flour mixture in all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour is well incorporated.
- Return the pan to the heat and cook while stirring, for 1 minute. The mixture will form a ball and coat the pan with a thin film.
- Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment. Let cool for a few minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, completely incorporating each one before adding the next. Beat until the dough is smooth.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Alternately, place in a medium sized freezer bag with the tip cut off.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and anchor to the tray by dabbing a little of the dough in each corner. Pipe a 3 inch diameter circle onto the parchment paper and go over the circle with a second layer of dough.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden and puffed. Reduce the heat to 350ºF and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the choux to dry for another 10 minutes with the oven door ajar. Let cool.
Fill the choux
- To prepare filling, whisk ricotta with powdered sugar until smooth. Set aside
- When the choux are cooled, use a sharp knife and carefully slice in half. Pipe with the ricotta mixture, place the top half over the filling and, if desired, pipe more ricotta mixture in the center.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving and place a maraschino or amarena cherry in the center.
Notes
- I pipe my choux pastry into doughnut like shapes as I am used to finding in local Montreal bakeries. However, you may also pipe the dough as for a cream puff, that is without the hole in the center. To fill, simply make a hole at the base of the pastry with the tip of your pastry bag. Pipe cream directly into the middle hollowed section.
- Filled zeppole are best the day they are prepared. Although you can keep leftovers refrigerated for a few days, the filled choux pastry tends to soften up.
- Store unfilled choux pastry in an airtight container at room temperature. However, they do tend to soften up the next day. Therefore, when you wish to fill your choux, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, turn it off and place the choux on a baking sheet in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 10 minutes. This will allow the choux to crisp up again. Let cool and fill with ricotta or pastry cream as desired.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, use a whisk to fully incorporate your eggs to the pastry dough, one at a time.
- If you prefer a creamier, richer ricotta filling you add some whipping cream to the mixture. Adjust the amount of sugar added according to your taste.
- Ricotta cream is my filling of choice for zeppole, however they can be filled with pastry cream. Click here for my pastry cream recipe found within my Pineapple Layer Cake with Pastry Cream post.
- Other possible add-ins to your filling include grated chocolate, cinnamon, lemon zest or even candied fruit.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided may vary according to exact portion size.
Nutrition
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Hi, ricotta filling very runny liquid. I used fiorella 13% fat whole milk ricotta. how do i save my zeppole!!!
Hi Lina, did you already fill them? Also, did you drain it first? If you haven’t yet filled them drain the ricotta for a while so it thickens and then fill them. Hope this helps, please let me know how they turn out!
Hello Nadia,
Thanks for sharing your receipe. I know in the past I try to do it with ricotta but It was to liquid and with no substain. Is it because I need to dry my ricotta ?
Thanks in advance !
Eric
Hello Eric, yes for sure. If the brand of ricotta you are using is particularly watery then I definitely recommend you strain it in a fine mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheese cloth for at least a couple of hours. Then it should not be runny when you pipe it into your zeppole shells. Hope this helps!
Hello! I saw this in the display case at my local bakery and decided I wanted to try to make them. The recipe was very easy to follow and they turned out perfectly! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. (:
Hi Rachel I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing!
The pastry is flat and way too eggy.
Hello Melia, it sounds like there was a lot of internal moisture in the pastry and so they turned out flat and tasted more eggy. Try piercing a small hole in them when they come out of the oven to allow the steam inside to escape. Also try putting them back in the oven (not on) with the door ajar so they dry out. This should help with the egginess as well, although they will to a certain extent taste of egg because of the high number of eggs in the recipe. But this should dissipate as they cool and you fill them with ricotta. Hope this helps!
Hi Nadia
Great tip on crisping up the Zeppole if you bake them the day before. It worked beautifully and the pastry was perfect.
Thank you so much.
Hello Mary, you are welcome, I’m glad this tip worked out for you!
If they are made ahead, do they get soggy?
Hello Donna, indeed they may get soggy if filled too far in advance. I suggest you fill them the day that you wish to serve them. However, the choux can be made ahead of time as long as they are kept in a dry, cool place. Thanks for your question!
Thank you Nadia
Would you please tell me how many grams is 6 tbsp butter ?
Thank you
Rosa
Hi Rosa, it’s 85 grams!