Published: by lilyloutay 5 Comments
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Let's bring the carnival home! We love funnel cakes around here so I wanted to try and make them myself. And according to James, they're better than what we get at our local carnival events and I must say - they were quite delicious. It's a super fun recipe to make for the family - kids love it!
Georgia's carnival season is usually in May so we wanted to pay homage to the fun! Of course you can make this recipe any time of the year and it can be used for special occasions or just fun desserts at home!
Jump to:
- Ingredients Overview
- Instructions Overview
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Funnel Cake Swirl
- Storage
- Top tip
- FAQ
Ingredients Overview
See recipe card for quantities.
- Vegetable Oil- for frying
- All-purpose flour
- Cane sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Eggs
- Whole milk
- Powdered sugar- optional topping but highly recommended!
Instructions Overview
Here's what the process will look like!
Step 1: Prepare your frying oil and funnel cake batter.
Step 2: Transfer batter into ziplock bag to make a funnel/piping bag.
Step 3: Slowly squeeze out bag's contents in spiral motion over the oil.
- Step 4: Remove and dust with powdered sugar!
Hint: make sure your oil reaches a temperature of 375 Fahrenheit (190 C) to achieve good frying!
Substitutions
- Gluten Free - instead of all purpose flour, use gluten free flour. Ratio should be 1:1.
- Frying Oil - if you don't have Vegetable Oil, you can try using Canola Oil or Peanut Oil as well. Olive Oil is also an option, but it doesn't have as high of a heat tolerance and may make your funnel cake taste a little more bitter.
Variations
- Deluxe - if you want to make this a decadent dessert platter, you can add some fun toppings like chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, cut up fruit, and some ice cream! You can use my all natural here too!
Equipment
- 1 Small/Medium Stovetop Pot
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Ziplock Bagsandwich sized
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Plate
- Paper Towels
You can find some of my favorite equipmenthereif you need any guidance!
Funnel Cake Swirl
Let's bring the carnival home, baby!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 6 minutes mins
Total Time 16 minutes mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 1 cake
Equipment
1 Small/Medium Stovetop Pot
1 Large Mixing Bowl
1 Whisk
1 Ziplock Bag sandwich sized
1 rubber spatula
1 Tongs
1 Plate
Paper Towels
Ingredients
Frying Oil
- 2 cups Vegetable Oil you want to fill your pot ½ way in vegetable oil so the amount in your pot may vary depending upon the size of pot.
Funnel Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 if you're sexy 😉
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
Topping
- powdered sugar optional topping - but highly recommended!
Instructions
Grab your stovetop pot and add in your vegetable oil. Place on medium-high heat so the oil starts to boil. Should take about 5 minutes.
While the oil heats, grab your large mixing bowl and prepare the funnel cake batter. Add all ingredients and mix together with a whisk until well combined.
Using a rubber spatula, transfer batter to a sandwich sized ziplock bag. When your vegetable oil gets to a boiling point, cut the corner of your ziplock bag. It will act as your funnel / piping bag.
Hold your funnel / piping bag over the boiling vegetable oil and slowly squeeze out the contents in a spiral motion, starting outwards going in.
Fry the funnel cake spiral for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Use your tongs to flip the funnel cake to fry the other side.
Once each side is finished cooking, remove the funnel cake from the oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
Let cool slightly then dust with powdered sugar to your liking!
Video
Keyword cake, fried, funnel
Storage
- Cooling: Allow the funnel cake to cool completely on a wire rack before storing it. This prevents condensation from forming, which can make the cake soggy.
- Airy Container: Place the cooled funnel cake in a container that allows for airflow, such as a cake dome or a container with a loose-fitting lid. Avoid using airtight containers or wrapping the cake tightly in plastic, as this can trap moisture and cause the cake to lose its crispiness.
- Room Temperature: If you plan to consume the funnel cake within a few hours, you can store it at room temperature. Keep it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
- Reheating: If the funnel cake has lost some of its crispiness, you can reheat it in the oven to restore its texture. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), place the funnel cake on a baking sheet, and bake it for 5-10 minutes, or until it's warmed through and crispy again.
- Freezing (Optional): If you have leftover funnel cake that you want to store for longer-term storage, you can freeze it. Wrap the cooled funnel cake tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Frozen funnel cake can last for up to 2-3 months in the freezer.
- Thawing: When ready to enjoy the frozen funnel cake, let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat it in the oven as described above to restore its crispiness.
Top tip
Place a drop of batter in the heated Vegetable Oil to make sure it's ready to fry! If the batter piece if floating on the oil's surface and getting crispy, you're ready to make the swirl!
FAQ
Can this be made gluten free?
Yes! Substitute the all-purpose regular flour for gluten free flour. Ratio should be 1:1.
What toppings would go well with funnel cake?
Powdered sugar is a no brainer, but if you want to go beyond, I recommend: cut up fruit, sprinkles, chocolate/caramel sauce, and a nice scoop of ice cream!
What if I don't have Vegetable Oil?
You can use another type of oil like Canola Oil or Peanut Oil. You just want to make sure it has a high heat tolerance so it doesn't burn off when heating.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Catherine Gibson
Can't wait to try this with my teen daughters.
Reply
lilyloutay
Let me know how you like it!
Reply
Lora
It was so easy to make and delicious.Reply
Tarah
Made these using King Arthur's GF measure for measure flour. It needed a little more milk than the recipe calls for, maybe 1/4 cup. I also let the dough sit about 10 minutes before using as this usually helps GF baked goods hold together while cooking. In total, I was able to get three funnel cakes from the recipe, enough for my family of 6 to enjoy.
Reply
Kari
Super simple, and my kids loved them! I was able to make 10-12 that were just a bit bigger than the palm of my hand. Perfect individual servings!Reply
