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4.49 from 98 votes
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Delight in the beloved fried fair dessert at home with this Funnel Cake Recipe. It's crisp, sweet, and in an appealing lacy spiral shape.
By Gemma Stafford | | 110
Last updated on June 28, 2023
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WHAT YOU GET:An easy Funnel Cake recipe that you can make straight from your kitchen by shallow frying instead of deep frying. It has that iconic fair taste but is much easier and you know exactly what’s going into it.
There is something about summer that can be so nostalgic. Now that summer’s here in Southern California, there is so much fun to be had from taking day trips to Disneyland to exploring the local county fairs…and of course, no summertime memory is complete without the joy that is funnel cake!
Classic funnel cake is not actually a cake at all. Instead, this iconic dessert is made with a spiraled fried batter, topped with fresh strawberry sauce, and generously dusted with lots of powdered sugar. The combination of crunchy fried dough and sweet and tangy strawberry sauce is unforgettable. Now you can blow everyone away by making funnel cake at home.
How To Make Funnel Cake At Home
The reason I love this funnel cake recipe is that it completely busts the myth that you can only get a funnel cake at a fair. Making funnel cake is really just a matter of whisking together a milk-and-flour-based batter and frying it up in a pan. After combining all the ingredients in one bowl, transfer the funnel cake batter into a piping bag so that it’s easy to spiral over a thin layer of hot oil. This allows you to skillfully achieve the coiled funnel cake look in your own kitchen, and do it without any fuss.
Tools For Making Homemade Funnel Cakes
- Large Bowl
- Whisk
- Frying pan
- Piping Bags
- Thermometer
- Spider or Fish Fryer
How To Shallow Fry Desserts
If you’ve ever had funnel cake at a theme park it was most likely deep-fried, and the truth about fair food is that there’s really no need for that.
Frying can seem intimidating for those of you that have never done it before but shallow frying is much safer and gives you complete control. To shallow fry this funnel cake recipe, all you have to do is pour about 2 inches of oil into a medium frying pan and turn on the heat. Once the oil is hot, pipe your batter into the oil and allow the funnel cake to fry up into a lovely golden-brown coil. I like to use a spider or fish fryer to turn over my funnel cakes.
This method of shallow frying is a simple and safe method to handle your cakes all while achieving that deeply fried crispiness.
The Best Oil For Frying
When baking neutral oils like vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil are ideal. I would refrain from using oils like olive and avocado due to their strong flavor. Neutral oil allows you to bake or fry things like this crunchy funnel cake without the oil overpowering the dish.
The Strawberry Sauce
No funnel cake recipe would be complete without a sweetly fragrant strawberry sauce and a hefty dusting of powdered sugar. This strawberry sauce comes together in five minutes flat. Start by combining fresh strawberries, water, and a touch of sugar. I allow mine to simmer together for just a few minutes then finish it with aromatic vanilla extract and a bit of cornstarch. The sauce will be thick and rich and so much better homemade (rather than taken from a can or jar). This marvelous strawberry sauce is great for funnel cakes or laden over ice cream, cheesecakes, and puddings.
Can I top it with other sauces?
Yes! Though I love the sweet tangy taste of strawberry sauce, you can top your funnel cakes with anything. Salted caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, as well as any fruit sauce,will work perfectly with this dessert. You also can never go wrong with a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
Tips And Tricks To Making the Best Funnel Cakes
- Try to pipe cakes in 6’ to 7’ circles as fast as possible to ensure the cake cooks simultaneously.
- Be sure to cut the tip of the piping bag at ½ inch to ensure a steady stream of batter
- Use a wire rack when draining oil off of funnel cakes
Be sure to dust the funnel cake with powdered sugar almost immediately after letting the oil drain. This ensures that the powdered sugar adheres to the funnel cake.
Make More Recipes
- Powdered Sugar
- Homemade Churros
- Whipped Cream
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Watch The Recipe Video!
Easy Funnel Cake Recipe
4.49 from 98 votes
Print Recipe
Delight in the beloved fried fair dessert at home with this Funnel Cake Recipe. It's crisp, sweet, and in an appealing lacy spiral shape.
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 8
- Dessert
- 4th of July
- Frying Pan
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Delight in the beloved fried fair dessert at home with this Funnel Cake Recipe. It's crisp, sweet, and in an appealing lacy spiral shape.
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce:
- 2 cup (10oz/284g) quartered fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup (4floz/115ml) water
- 1/4 cup 2oz/57g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Funnel Cake:
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1 1/2 cup (12floz/340ml) milk
- 2 cups (10oz/284g) flour (sifted)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (24floz/675ml) vegetable oil
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
To make the funnel cake:
In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Once the wet ingredients are combined add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until a smooth thin batter is formed.
Allow the batter to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes while you make the strawberry sauce.
To make the strawberry sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the water, sugar, and strawberries. Allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the strawberries are soft. Whisk in the corn starch and vanilla and allow to simmer for an additional minute to activate the corn starch. At this point, you should have a thick strawberry sauce. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
To fry the funnel cakes:
Line a cooling rack with a paper towel and set it aside. This is for the funnel cake to drain after frying.
Add the oil to a medium frying pan and allow to heat over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot transfer 1/4 cup of batter to a piping bag using a ladle or large spoon. Snip the tip of the piping bag and carefully stream the batter into the hot oil using a spiral motion, to form the classic funnel cake shape.
Fry for 2-3 minutes then gently flip using a spider or fish fryer. Allow frying for 1-2 minutes.
Using your spider gently remove the funnel cake from the oil and transfer it to the lined rack to drain and cool.
Repeat this process with the remaining batter until all of it is used.
To assemble:
Top each funnel cake with a generous dollop of strawberry sauce and dust with icing sugar.
Enjoy immediately!
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Wendy
1 year ago
Wouldn’t it be easier to use a funnel? Hence the name? Messing with a piping bag makes things a lot harder I would think.
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Christina
4 years ago
Batter was really thick. Could more milk be used to thin it out. They were delicious anyway
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Angelica Evaristo Sison
3 years ago
I made mine with sweet mango sauce & whipped cream on top🤤😍 Thank you so much😍
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Dianne
4 years ago
All of your recipes look so delicious and I can’t wait to try this recipe but, do you think I could substitute almond flour instead of APF and the same for regular milk with almond milk??? Thanks for all your fabulous recipes. You make it difficult to stay on a Keto Diet! LOL Thanks again!
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Marcia Morgenthaler
7 months ago
Can the recipe be cut in half?
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Kay
1 year ago
HI – I plan to make your funnel cake recipe this weekend. Curious…. is it possible to make ONE LARGE Funnel Cake instead of 3 small? Is cooking time the same? Obviously I would use a larger fry pan.
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Kristin
1 year ago
So easy and delicious. My girls had so much fun making them. The strawberry sauce made the dessert.
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Sarah Jakhura
1 year ago
Best recipe easy n perfect thanks
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Peggy Chavez
1 year ago
Hi Gemma, it’s just me here at home and it looks like this makes quite a bit of batter. Can I store the batter in the fridge and make one a day for a few days?
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Aruna
1 year ago
Hi Gemma — I was wondering if this funnel cake can be made in an air fryer? I look forward to your advice on this. Thanks & stay safe!…..Aruna
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About Us
Meet Gemma
About Us
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.
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