Italian Cream Puffs with Custard Filling

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I stole this recipe for Italian Cream Puffs with Custard Filling from Joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. These custard filled pastries are a tasty treat for any day! Homemade vanilla custard is made on the stove top and chilled while the pastry dough is prepared. To start the pastry dough dry ingredients are sifted together and set aside. Then the dry ingredients are added to a saucepan with water and melted butter. Next eggs are mixed in, one at a time. The dough is piped into puffs on a baking sheet and baked until golden. After cooling the puffs are filled with the custard filling. Another name for these puffs is zeppola.

March 19th is St. Joseph’s Day. Giving food to the needy is a Saint Joseph’s Day custom. In some communities it is traditional to wear red clothing and eat a Neapolitan pastry known as a zeppola on Saint Joseph’s Day.

Did you know? Zeppola is an Neopolitan pasty created in 1840 by Don Pasquale Pinatauro in Napoli. It is usually a deep fried dough ball of varying size topped with powdered sugar and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter and honey mixture.³ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)

First, make the custard. In a saucepan over moderate heat, combine 1 cup sugar, ½ cup flour and ¼ tsp salt. Add 3 cups milk gradually, cooking and stirring until mixture is thick and bubbly.

Then lower heat, stirring for 2 minutes and remove from heat. In a small bowl add a small amount of milk mixture to 4 egg yolks slowly to temper the eggs.

Next return the mixture to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil for 2 more minutes, adding 3 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp rum and 1 ½ tsp vanilla.

Transfer to a shallow bowl to cool, placing plastic wrap on top of custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate. Next start making the pastry dough. Sift together 2 ¾ cups flour, ⅛ tsp salt and ½ tsp baking soda. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, heat 2 cups water. Then add 9 ½ tbsp butter, when melted remove the pan from the stove and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon, then return the pan to medium-high heat, beating the mixture until it comes away from the sides of the pan. Next, remove pan from heat and add 6 eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon or handheld mixer in between additions to mix well.

Then preheat oven to 425 F. Line cookie sheet with parchment. At this time fill pastry bag fitted with ½ inch tip with cream puff batter. Squeeze out 3 inch puffs, about ½ inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Next, transfer to cooling racks and let cool. Then once cooled, pipe custard into opened pastry shells until they are full or they can be sliced and filled.

Finally dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

If you liked the recipe for Italian Cream Puffs with Custard Filling and want to try other pastry recipes you can try Apple Strudel, Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls or Overnight Strawberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls.

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Italian Cream Puffs with Custard Filling

These custard filled pastries are a tasty treat for any day! Homemade vanilla custard is made on the stove top and chilled while the pastry dough is prepared. To start the pastry dough dry ingredientsare sifted together and set aside. Then the dry ingredients are added to asaucepan with water and melted butter. Next eggs are mixed in, one at a time. The dough is piped into puffs on a baking sheet and baked until golden. Aftercooling the puffs are filled with the custard filling.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 2 ¾ cups unbleached flour
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups water
  • 9 ½ tbsp butter
  • 6 large eggs

Custard

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp rum

Instructions

Pastry

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line cookie sheet with parchment. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
  2. In a heavy saucepan, heat water. Add the butter, when melted remove the pan from the stove and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon, then return the pan to medium-high heat, beating the mixture until it comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove pan from heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon or handheld mixer in between additions to mix well.
  3. Fill pastry bag fitted with ½ inch tip with cream puff batter. Squeeze out 3 inch puffs, about ½ inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. When done, carefully slit the side of each cream puff with a knife to allow steam to escape and prevent the puffs from becoming soggy inside. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool.

Custard

  1. In a saucepan over moderate heat, combine sugar, flour and salt. Add milk gradually, cooking and stirring until mixture is thick and bubbly.
  2. Lower heat, stirring for 2 minutes and remove from heat. In a small bowl add a small amount of milk mixture to the eggs slowly to temper the eggs. Return the mixture to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil for 2 more minutes, adding butter, rum and vanilla. Transfer to a shallow bowl to cool, placing plastic wrap on top of custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate.
  3. Once custard has cooled completely, pipe into opened pastry shells until they are full, top with a cherry and dust with powdered sugar.

Recipe Notes

To substitute 1 cup whole milk, melt 2 tsp butter let it cool slightly then add in 1 cup skim milk. Whisk to combine.

I make the custard first and refrigerate overnight or while making the pastry. You can pipe in the custard through the slit or slice in half and fill like a sandwich.