Funnel Cakes
5.0
(1)
Looking back, I can’t recall visiting an amusement park, carnival, or state fair without being welcomed with the sweet smell of fried dough. I’m embarrassed to say I may have even attempted to bring a few funnel cakes home for a midnight snack. This was a grave error on my part, because as delicious as funnel cakes are, their life span is somewhat short. Funnel cakes are best served piping hot, still crisp from the bubbling oil. So we can all benefit from having a good recipe on hand to enjoy freshly made funnel cakes whenever the craving strikes.
In this funnel cake recipe, powdered sugar works double time. It’s a sweet topping, yes, but it’s also in the batter itself to help the cakes develop a crisp exterior. The cornstarch in powdered sugar is a saving grace when it comes to creating that crunchy bite we all love in deep-fried foods. When forming my cakes in the oil, I also like to leave sizable holes and gaps in between the batter ribbons. This ensures that all the nooks and crannies have maximum contact with the hot oil and also helps result in a deep golden brown funnel cake with lots of texture.
Most funnel cake recipes call for using a funnel to dispense the batter. That method requires placing your thumb over the hole in the funnel, then removing it right over the hot oil. It’s hard to control and makes frying at home feel unnecessarily intimidating. It’s also harder to get an even funnel cake, because the batter is thin and the holes in funnels can be wide. This is why I recommend using a squeeze bottle with a top trimmed to a ¼"-wide opening instead.
Done frying? Here’s our guide to properly disposing of cooking oil.
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What you’ll need
Squeeze Bottle
$9 At Amazon
Powdered Sugar
$10 At Amazon
Deep Fry / Candy Thermometer
$32 $24 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
20 minutes
Yield
Makes about 5
Ingredients
Special equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon in a medium bowl to combine. Whisk 2 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl to combine, then add to dry ingredients and whisk until batter is mostly smooth (some lumps are okay). Transfer batter to a squeeze bottle and trim top to create a ¼"-wide opening. (All the batter might not fit and you may need to refill the squeeze bottle a few times.)
Step 2
Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and set near your stovetop. Fit a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot with thermometer and pour in vegetable oil to come 1¼" up sides. Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 375°. If using a large clip-on deep-fry thermometer, remove from oil as it will get in the way of the batter.
Step 3
Working quickly and carefully moving squeeze bottle back and forth to create a random looping pattern, pipe enough batter into oil to create a large cake about the diameter of your pot (about ¼ cup batter; make sure to leave sizable holes and gaps in the ribbons of batter as the oil needs to be able to pass through to make the cake crisp.) Fry funnel cake, turning halfway through with tongs and adjusting heat as needed to maintain oil temperature, until deep golden brown, about 1 minute total. Transfer to prepared rack. Let cool 20 seconds, then dust with powdered sugar. Repeat with remaining batter and more powdered sugar, testing oil between batches to make sure you maintain 375°. Serve warm.
Recipe notes
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Here’s everything you need to know to get started making perfectly crispy funnel cakes at home.
