Zeppole in air fryer

To prepare zeppole in an air fryer, start with the choux pastry. In a pot, pour the water 1, butter 2, a pinch of salt 3 and a pinch of sugar. Turn on the heat and start heating the mixture.

As soon as it reaches a boil and the butter is completely melted, add the flour by sprinkling it 4 and mix with a wooden spoon 5. Cook until the dough detaches from the sides of the pot and a whitish film forms at the bottom 6.

Then pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a flat beater 7 and start it at low speed. Add the eggs one at a time 8, waiting for the first to be well absorbed before adding more. You should obtain a smooth and creamy mixture 9. Transfer it to a piping bag with a 0.5-inch star nozzle.

Take a sheet of parchment paper and draw circles of 2.5 inches; you can use a cookie cutter to trace its perimeter with a pencil. Space the circles well apart 10. Turn the paper over and form the zeppole by making two rounds of choux pastry, one on top of the other, for each 11. Using a knife or scissors, cut the parchment paper around the zeppole 12, so that each zeppola is on a square of paper and can be lifted easily.

Preheat the air fryer to 356°F (we used a fryer with a 6-quart capacity), insert two zeppole inside 13 and cook for 13 minutes, then increase the temperature to 392°F and continue cooking for another 12 minutes. Remove the zeppole when they are nicely golden 14, transfer them to a rack to cool and meanwhile cook the others. In the meantime, start preparing the custard. In a saucepan, pour milk, cream, the seeds of the vanilla pod and the emptied pod 15.

Pour the egg yolks into a bowl, add the sugar 16 and mix with a whisk. Also add the cornstarch 17 and mix again until you obtain a homogeneous mixture 18.

As soon as the milk and cream mixture reaches a boil, remove the vanilla pod 19 and pour part of it into the yolk mixture 20; mix to temper it 21.

Pour everything back into the saucepan 22 and mix with a whisk 23 until the cream thickens 34 and starts to boil.

Transfer the obtained cream to a bowl 25, cover with contact plastic wrap and let it cool completely first at room temperature and then in the refrigerator 26. Once cold, transfer the cream to a piping bag with a 0.5-inch star nozzle. Take the air fryer-cooked zeppole and cut them in half, like a sandwich 27.

Fill abundantly with cream 28 and close with the top part 29. Dust with powdered sugar 30.

Add a dollop of cream on top as well 31 and decorate with a syruped cherry 32. The first zeppola is ready 33, proceed the same way for all the others and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.