No carnival or festival would be complete without a big plate of sweet and rich funnel cake. If you love funnel cakes, but can't wait for the annual carnival to get them, make your own! If you want to know how to make funnel cakes at home, just follow these steps.
Ingredients
Funnel Cake
- 390-520 g all purpose flour
- 3 eggs
- 480 ml milk
- 100 g sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- Fine granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
Baked Funnel Cake
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 237 ml water
- 113 g butter
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 130 g all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
Extra Sweet Funnel Cake
- 237 ml water
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 130 g wheat flour
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 946 ml vegetable oil
- Fine granulated sugar
Step
Method 1 of 3: Funnel Cake
Step 1. Beat 3 eggs
Beat the eggs until all the whites and yolks are well combined.
Step 2. Pour the sugar and milk into the eggs
Pour 100 g of sugar and 480 ml of milk into the eggs. Stir until well blended.
Step 3. Sift flour, salt and baking powder
Sift 260 g flour, 1/3 tsp salt and 2 tsp baking powder together.
Step 4. Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture
Pour the flour into the egg mixture, and beat constantly until all the flour is combined with the eggs. The dough should be smooth and not too thick.
Step 5. Cover the bottom opening of the funnel with your finger, and fill the funnel with 237 ml of dough
Pour the batter into the bottom of the funnel.
Step 6. Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a flat skillet over medium heat
The vegetable oil will fry and give the funnel cake a rich texture and taste.
Step 7. Pour the batter into the oil in the pan
Keep your fingers away from the funnel opening, and move the funnel in circles, or across, until a funnel cake pattern forms that fills the surface of the pan and is about the size of a regular plate.
Step 8. Fry one side of the funnel cake until golden brown, no more than 2-3 minutes
Use tongs to see if the sides of the cake are golden brown.
Step 9. Turn the cake over, and fry the other side
Use tongs to flip the cake and fry the other side until golden brown, like the first. This side fryer takes less time than the first side fryer -- only about a minute.
Step 10. Remove the funnel cake from the pan, and drain on paper towels
Let the tissue paper soak up the excess oil for at least a minute. Flip the funnel cake to drain both sides of the cake evenly.
Step 11. Sprinkle the funnel cake with powdered sugar
Sprinkle as much powdered sugar on the funnel cake as you'd like.
Step 12. Serve
Enjoy the funnel cake immediately while it's still hot.
Method 2 of 3: Baked Funnel Cake
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 204ºC
Step 2. Coat a 22.5 x 32.5 cm baking sheet with cooking spray
Place a wire rack on parchment paper or a large tray and set aside.
Step 3. Combine the water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan
Combine 237 ml of water, 113 g of butter and 1/8 tsp of salt in a medium saucepan.
Step 4. Heat the mixture until it boils
Step 5. Pour the flour into the mixture
Pour 130 g all-purpose flour into the mixture. Stir until well blended. Continue cooking and stirring until the dough forms a ball.
Step 6. Remove the dough from the stove, and let it cool for 10 minutes
Step 7. Add 4 eggs to the mixture, one at a time
Wait until the first egg is completely mixed before adding the next egg. Beat the dough with a wooden spoon after each adding one egg.
Step 8. Scoop the dough into a large plastic clip bag
Use scissors to make a 0.6-1.3 cm hole in one corner of the bag.
Step 9. Spray the dough into 12 circles measuring 7, 5-10 cm in the pan
Make a circular, criss-cross, or freeform pattern on the little circles to make it look like a funnel cake.
Step 10. Bake for about 20 minutes
When done, the funnel cake should be fluffy and golden brown. Transfer the cake to a wire rack.
Step 11. Sift 2 tablespoons powdered sugar over the still warm funnel cake
Step 12. Serve
Enjoy the baked funnel cake while it's still warm.
Method 3 of 3: Extra Sweet Funnel Cake
Step 1. Boil water, butter, sugar, brown sugar and salt in a saucepan
Heat 237 ml of water, 6 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1/8 tsp salt in a saucepan.
Step 2. Pour the flour into the sauce pan
Stir the mixture until smooth. The dough should form a ball.
Step 3. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and refrigerate for 3-4 minutes
This process makes the dough slightly thickened.
Step 4. Use the mixer on the lowest speed, and add the eggs, one at a time
Dip 4 eggs into the mixture, one at a time. Wait until one egg is completely mixed before adding the next. When it's done, the dough should be nice and smooth.
Step 5. Put the dough in a spray bag with tip number 12
The number 12 tip scored the funnel cake the perfect thickness.
Step 6. Heat the vegetable oil to a height of 1.3 cm in a thick frying pan or deep fryer
Wait at least a minute for the oil to get hot.
Step 7. Spray the dough into the oil
Spray in a circular, criss-cross, or freeform pattern. Make a funnel cake pattern about 25 cm wide. You can repeat this process with the remaining dough saved for later.
Step 8. Fry the funnel cakes until they are brown
Fry one side of the cake for 3-4 minutes until brown, then use a spatula to flip the cake over. Fry the other side until brown too -- take at least a minute.
Step 9. Remove the cake from the pan and drain
Use a spatula to transfer the funnel cake onto a paper-lined plate and wait at least a minute for the excess oil to be absorbed by the paper towels.
Step 10. Sprinkle the funnel cake with powdered sugar
Sprinkle as much powdered sugar as you want.
Step 11. Serve
Enjoy the extra sweet funnel cake while it's still hot.
Tips
- You don't have to create a criss-cross pattern. You can draw shapes or initials.
- Funnel cakes are often served topped with powdered sugar. You can also use molasses, maple syrup, or fruit jam.
- You can put delicious toppings, like honey, on top of the funnel cake!
