Every nation has its own doughnuts. This is not an exaggeration in the slightest. From Morocco to China and from Scandinavia to the Cape of Good Hope, we can find recipes for sweet, usually yeast-based dough fried in deep fat. American doughnuts have an obligatory hole, while Spanish churros are shaped like sticks. In Italy, sweet treats fried in deep fat are called zeppole.
Italians love them and prepare them in various ways: with marmalade, cream, fruit, whipped cream, honey or even butter. They are based on yeast dough, creamed dough or choux pastry. The shape? Whatever the pastry chef happens to come up with. They can be nests, small pancakes or little balls. What they have in common is their flavor and the age-old argument over who invented zeppole.
According to one version, they were first made in the 16th century by nuns from the Santa Patrizia monastery in Naples. They baked the yeast pastries… The modern version is thanks to Neapolitan baker Pasquale Pintauro. He not only fried the pastries but, on Saint Joseph’s Day, set up his cart in the street and began selling the sweet snacks to passersby.
Zeppole are a moderately sweet dessert. They contain considerably less sugar than doughnuts, including the American version. One of my favorite versions is ricotta doughnuts.
These are doughnuts that practically make themselves. All you need to do is mix the ingredients together, so preparing the batter takes literally just a few minutes. There is no need to knead or shape it. For frying, you need a small saucepan filled with oil to a depth of 3–4 centimeters and two teaspoons. Use one to scoop up portions of batter and the other to scrape them into the saucepan. During frying, the doughnuts turn over by themselves—when they are fried on one side, they flip onto the other. Carefully lift them out of the pot, drain them on a paper towel, dust with powdered sugar and they are ready!
Italians use amaretto liqueur for ricotta doughnuts. If you do not have any in your pantry, use rum or spiritus instead. This keeps the doughnuts from absorbing fat. You can also omit the cinnamon. Enjoy!
P.S. If you are looking for interesting and simple recipes, check out my other recipes for desserts, cakes and cookies. You can find them at www.platebykate.com.
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Ingredients
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 90 g wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur (or rum or spiritus)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- rapeseed oil for frying
For sprinkling
- powdered sugar
Method
- Pour the rapeseed oil into a medium-sized saucepan.
- Mix the ricotta with the eggs and liqueur using a mixer. Sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and mix.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix well.
- Scoop up the batter with a teaspoon and use a second teaspoon to scrape it into the pot of hot oil. Fry until golden. Cool on a paper towel.
- Serve dusted with powdered sugar.