Bring the carnival experience right to your home with this Homemade Funnel Cake recipe!
Crispy, sweet, and topped with ice cream: how can you possibly go wrong?
I’ve been having tons of fun with my carnival-inspired recipes. Summers are all about days spent at theme parks and carnivals – but when you can’t make it, why not bring the fun to the comfort of your own home?
This is why I’m providing some carnival-inspired recipes that you can make yourself. On today’s menu we’ve got: funnel cakes!
What Are Funnel Cakes?
Funnel cakes are batches of fried dough (the mixture is very similar to pancake batter), topped with various garnishes. Some popular toppings include: confectioners’ sugar, chocolate, and ice cream.
Today, I’m bringing you a fruity variety, inspired by my favourite funnel cakefrom Canada’s Wonderland. The funnel cake itself is sweet and crunchy but still boasts a delicate interior. I’ve also whipped-up a simple sugar and strawberry topping, adding to it even more flavor and texture.
Ingredients Needed to Make Homemade Funnel Cakes
Funnel cakes can be easily made at home. What’s great is that whipping one up doesn’t require any fancy tools. Keep on reading down below to see how you can make your very own batch!
To make your very own funnel cakes, you’ll need:
- Strawberries
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- Salt
- Milk
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Ice cream
- Confectioners’ sugar
No Squeeze Bottle? No Problem!
Obviously, making funnel cakes would be much easier with a squeeze bottle, because you can just squeeze the batter into the hot oil. Actually, these fried desserts get their name because a funnel “drops” the batter into the hot oil to be cooked.
We used a drinking glass to carefully pour ours into the cooking pan.
Homemade Funnel Cakes
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Topping
- 1 ½ cups chopped strawberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
For the Funnel Cakes
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Ice cream for topping (optional)
- Confectioners’ sugar for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the strawberry topping: in a small sauce pan, add strawberries then sugar on top. Heat over medium and stir occasionally until strawberries are well coated.
- Once sugar is melted on the strawberries, set aside and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In another mixing bowl, mix together milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine until a loose batter forms.
- Add batter into a squeeze bottle (if you don’t have a squeeze bottle, you can also use a ladle).
- Heat oil in a large pan (we used a Le Creuset French oven with high walls) until it’s about 350 degrees F.
- In a circular motion, squeeze batter from the bottle into the heated oil. Fry on both sides for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Set on a plate and top with desired garnishes: confectioners’ sugar, strawberry topping and vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.
OOH I love funnel cakes!!! They are always a must have when I go to a fair or carnival! I’m gonna be in trouble making them at home!
You make it look so easy! I definitely think we need to make our own funnel cakes at home. It’s like pancake batter, so why not breakfast?
Yummy! I love funnel cakes and looking at these pictures makes me crave one right now.
So yummy looking! I’d love to try! I’ve never had this yet!
My mouth is watering just by looking at the pictures! I’m definitely trying this!
Oh wow I have not had a funnel cake since I was a little kid! These look so great and I always love that smell. Can’t wait to try them
We make funnel cakes all the time! They are a favorite around here.
This sounds so yummy, I need to make it
This looks so amazing! I have never made funnel cakes at home but my kids will just love these…YUM!!!
Funnel cake was the first recipe I learned in home ec class years ago. I would love to make some again today.