Coffee Zeppole with Mascarpone Cream

Name: Coffee Zeppole with Mascarpone Cream
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 20
Ingredients: 125 ml of Espresso; 125 ml of Water; 1 tablespoon of Sugar; 100 g of Butter; 150 g of All Purpose Flour; 200 g of Eggs; 500 ml of Whole Milk; 4 Egg Yolks; 120 g of Sugar; 60 g of All Purpose Flour; Natural Vanilla Flavoring; 250 g of Mascarpone; Powdered Sugar; Coffee Bean

Coffee Zeppole with Mascarpone Cream: soft choux rings with a bold espresso aroma and silky cream, a twist on the St. Joseph's Day classic.

Recipe Coffee Zeppole with Mascarpone Cream

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 30 minutes
Cooking 30 minutes
Servings for 20 small zeppole

If you are looking for a zeppole party dessert that truly wins everyone over, this coffee zeppole recipe with mascarpone cream is the perfect choice. Imagine biting into a soft coffee zeppola, fragrant and delicate, filled with a silky, luscious mascarpone cream: a burst of flavors reminiscent of tiramisu, in an even more indulgent and surprising version. The recipe takes its inspiration from the tradition of zeppole di San Giuseppe (the choux pastry rings Italians make for St. Joseph’s Day), but thanks to the bold aroma of espresso and the creaminess of mascarpone, it becomes a wonderful choice for any special occasion, from Father’s Day to a simple Sunday lunch.

The secret of these zeppole with mascarpone cream lies entirely in making the choux pastry, light and soft: replacing half the water with coffee gives the dessert a unique aroma and an intense note that pairs perfectly with the filling. You can choose how to make fried zeppole, for a classic, rich result, or opt for the version baked in the oven or the air fryer, which still gives you golden and wonderfully soft desserts.

The real touch of class comes with the generous mascarpone pastry cream, perfect both as a simple topping and to fill your zeppole filled with mascarpone cream. The contrast between the bold flavor of the coffee and the delicate sweetness of the cream creates a perfect balance, making this zeppole dessert recipe truly unforgettable. You can make this mascarpone and coffee dessert even if you are a beginner: it is one of the best-loved easy mascarpone desserts and will win over adults and kids alike.

If you love these pairings, we also recommend trying other tempting recipes such as Tiramisù Roll Cake, No-Bake Coffee Crumble Cake, Tiramisu, the Original Recipe, Tiramisu Tart or the lovely Tiramisu Cupcakes.

Ingredients for 20 small zeppole

For the coffee choux pastry:
125 ml of Espresso unsweetened
125 ml of Water
1 tablespoon of Sugar
100 g of Butter
150 g of All Purpose Flour
200 g of Eggs about 4 medium
For the mascarpone pastry cream:
500 ml of Whole Milk
4 Egg Yolks
120 g of Sugar
60 g of All Purpose Flour
Natural Vanilla Flavoring or vanillin to taste
250 g of Mascarpone
For decorating:
Powdered Sugar to taste
Coffee Bean or chopped dark chocolate to taste

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Method

To make the Coffee Zeppole with Mascarpone Cream, start with the pastry cream. Heat the milk in a small saucepan, adding the vanilla seeds, vanilla extract or vanillin. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks with the sugar and mix well with a hand whisk. Add the sifted flour too and mix very well to get rid of any lumps.
When the milk is just about to boil, pour it a little at a time over the yolk, sugar and flour mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, still whisking so it doesn’t stick. The pastry cream is ready at the first boil, when it starts to thicken.
Transfer the cream to a wide, shallow container so it cools quickly, stir and cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to keep a skin from forming. Let it cool completely in the fridge. When the cream is cold, add the mascarpone a little at a time, mixing in the first spoonful with a hand whisk, then continue with a spatula, folding in the mascarpone from top to bottom until you have a smooth, silky cream. Keep it in the fridge.
Now make the coffee choux pastry. Pour the water, unsweetened coffee and the tablespoon of sugar into a saucepan, add the butter cut into small pieces and let it melt over medium heat. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a bowl.
When the water and coffee are just about to boil, remove from the heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until it is completely incorporated. Put the pan back on the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until you see a whitish film form on the bottom of the pan and the dough begins to sizzle and pull away from the sides.
Then transfer the mixture to a bowl or to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir with a wooden spoon or run the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and let it cool for a couple of minutes, still mixing. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork.
When the dough has cooled to lukewarm, about 50 °C (122 °F), start adding the beaten eggs a little at a time, about 3 tablespoons at a time. It is essential to wait until the previous eggs are completely absorbed before adding more. Continue until you have a soft, glossy mixture, similar to a thick pastry cream.
Transfer the coffee choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (about 3 cm, 1 1/4 inches, in diameter). Prepare a lightly buttered baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. Pipe the zeppole in 1 or 2 rings of dough (as you prefer), spacing them well apart because they will double in size as they bake.
To bake them in the oven, place them in an oven preheated to 190 °C (375 °F), conventional or convection, for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180 °C (350 °F) and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes. Times can vary depending on your oven and the size of the zeppole. After the 25-30 minutes, bake the zeppole for another 5-8 minutes with the oven door slightly open. The zeppole should be puffed, light, nicely golden and cooked through. If you can, let them cool in the oven with the door slightly open.
To cook them in the air fryer, pipe the zeppole directly onto squares of parchment paper cut to fit the basket, leaving space between them. Cook at 180 °C (350 °F) for 10 minutes in the first stage, during which the choux pastry puffs up and creates its airy structure. Then raise the temperature to 200 °C (400 °F) for another 10 minutes to make the surface golden and crisp. Times are approximate and depend on the size of the zeppole and the power of your air fryer.
Once cooked, take the coffee zeppole out and let them cool completely on a wire rack. At this point, decide whether to fill them only on top or inside as well. For a full filling, gently cut the zeppole in half with a serrated knife, pipe plenty of mascarpone pastry cream onto the base using a piping bag, close with the top half and add more cream on top.
Decorate the zeppole with whole coffee beans or coarsely chopped dark chocolate. Finish by dusting with powdered sugar or sifted unsweetened cocoa powder. Your Coffee Zeppole with Mascarpone Cream are ready to be served and enjoyed in all their indulgent glory. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

You can make several variations of these zeppole: for small coffee cream puffs, use a smaller tip and reduce the baking time. For a coffee Paris-Brest, pipe one large ring and fill it with the cream. If you prefer fried zeppole, pipe the zeppole and fry them in plenty of vegetable oil at 170-180 °C (340-350 °F) until golden. You can flavor the cream even more by adding a couple of tablespoons of cold coffee to the mascarpone. For a more elaborate decoration, you can garnish with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder instead of powdered sugar, or with dark or white chocolate shavings. For a traditional touch, add an amarena cherry in syrup on top of each zeppola.

Tips

To get perfectly puffed, light zeppole, it is essential to respect the temperatures: add the eggs only when the dough has cooled to about 50 °C (122 °F), otherwise you risk cooking them. Incorporate the eggs a little at a time, always waiting until they are completely absorbed before adding more. While baking, never open the oven before 25 minutes, or the zeppole will deflate. For a gluten-free variation, use the same recipe, replacing the 00 flour with gluten-free flour. If you prefer a version with oil instead of butter, you can replace the 100 g of butter with 70 ml of extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil.

Storage

Zeppole filled with mascarpone pastry cream should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container, covered on top with plastic wrap. They keep for 2-3 days at most. Unfilled zeppole, on the other hand, can be stored in a tightly sealed airtight container or a cookie tin, even at room temperature, for 3-4 days, keeping their fragrance and texture. We recommend filling them just before eating for maximum freshness.