It's easy to make everyone's favorite sweet fair treat at home with this fun funnel cake recipe! These carnival-style funnel cakes are crisp and chewy, and perfect to dust with powdered sugar or load with other tasty toppings.
Set a large 6-8 quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and clip a cooking thermometer to the side of the pot. Make sure the tip of the thermometer is down in the oil. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Set a paper towel lined tray to the side for the finished funnel cakes.
Meanwhile, set out a mixing bowl. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk well, until the mixture is completely smooth. (No clumps.) Pour the batter into a squirt bottle. You can cut the tip of the squirt bottle to make the batter come out easier.
Once the oil reaches the right temperature, squirt the batter into the hot oil. Move fast, making a 6 inch circle, then filling it in with small circles or zig zags. The temperature will come down as the cake cook. Adjust the temperature as needed, to keep it around 350 degrees F.
Fry the funnel cake for 30-60 seconds per side, flipping once. Try to pull each funnel cake out of the oil when it reaches a light honey color, or it will cool and be too crispy.
Repeat with the remaining batter refilling the squirt bottle as needed. Once all the funnel cakes are ready, give them a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar. Serve warm and fresh.
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Notes
Possible Add-Ins – Cinnamon, apple pie spice, instant coffee granules, strawberry extract.Besides the obvious powdered sugar, there are several other sweet goodies you can load onto your fair-tastic funnel cakes! Try fresh sliced strawberries or other fruits, whipped cream, caramel sauce or chocolate sauce, or canned pie fillings like cherry and strawberry.Homemade funnel cakes taste best when enjoyed fresh and warm. However, they will keep well for up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. If you need to stack them to store, place a square of parchment paper between each layer.They can even be frozen! Let the cakes cool, then wrap individually in plastic cling wrap. Place them all together in a plastic ziploc bag, and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.