Strawberry Filled Ricotta Zeppole
Strawberry Filled Ricotta Zeppole are little deep fried Italian doughnuts made with ricotta cheese and dusted with powdered sugar. For a summery twist, these zeppole are filled with a sweet strawberry filling. They are quite light and not at all greasy.
The Equipment You’ll Need
- A food processor- You’ll need this to make your filling smooth enough to pipe into the doughnuts.
- A deep fry thermometer- This is really essential for this recipe. The doughnuts need to be fried at exactly 350 degrees at all times.
- An enameled cast iron Dutch oven- I prefer this kind of pot for deep frying, because it really holds the temperature steady. But, any heavy deep pot will do.
- A pastry bag and wide holed pastry tip- You will need this to insert the filling into your doughnuts.
- A food scale- This is very helpful for weighing your flour, to avoid scooping out too much flour and making a heavy zeppole.
The Ingredients You’ll Need for Strawberry Filled Ricotta Zeppole
- Strawberries- I feel fresh strawberries are best for this dish. Frozen berries might be too watery.
- Vegetable Oil- I prefer to deep fry with Crisco Vegetable Oil. You could also use peanut or canola oil.
- Ricotta Cheese- I prefer fresh ricotta cheese, but you can use any whole milk ricotta cheese.
How I Made my Zeppole
- I began my zeppole by draining the ricotta cheese.
- Next, I prepared the strawberry filling.
- Then, I heated up the oil.
- Next, I mixed together my batter, weighing the flour, and measuring everything carefully.
- Then, I very carefully fried 6 zeppole at a time, and turning them over to brown on both sides.
- Finally, I drained the zeppole, dusted them with sugar, and filled them with the strawberry filling.
These Strawberry Filled Ricotta Zeppole are truly delicious. I like to make them when I have ricotta cheese to use up, since the fresh ricotta is fairly expensive and I don’t want to waste it. Whenever I mention making zeppole, my whole family gets excited. I served them as a mid-afternoon snack and they really perked up our Wednesday. Plus, I made these zeppole in thirty minutes, from start to finish. If you love doughnuts, I hope you’ll try these soon.
Strawberry Filled Ricotta Zeppole
Italian doughnuts made with ricotta cheese and filled with strawberry sauce.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Food processor
- Deep Fryer
- Pastry bag and decorating tip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
- 1 cup flour (120g)
- 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups vegetable oil
For the Strawberry Filling:
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. water
Instructions
- Place the ricotta into a sieve and let it drain while you start preparing the strawberry filling.
- To make the Strawberry Filling: In a 3 quart sauce pan over low heat, cook the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and a tablespoon of water for about 5 minutes, or until the filling thickens up.
- Process the berry mixture in the food processor until it's smooth.
- Fill a pastry bag with a large tip, with the strawberry filling. This way you'll be ready to fill the zeppole when they come out of the oil.
- Heat the two inches of oil in a Dutch oven, using a deep fry thermometer. It is ready when it reaches 350°.
- Meanwhile, sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl.
- In a second bowl, stir together the ricotta, eggs, and vanilla. Then, add it all to the bowl with the flour, and stir until just combined.
- Using a tablespoon drop in 6 zeppole at a time. Cook them until they are dark golden brown. Use a long spoon to turn them over. Drain them on a rack, and dust them with powdered sugar.
- Using a knife, cut a small slit in the top of each zeppole. Use the pastry bag to insert some filling in each zeppole.
- Serve right away.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
