How to Make a Funnel Cake

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

No carnival or county fair is complete without a big plate of sweet, rich funnel cake. But if you love funnel cake and are tired of waiting for the yearly carnival to roll around to get it, then it's time to take matters into your own hands! If you want to know how to make a funnel cake right at home, then just follow these steps.

Ingredients

Funnel Cake

3-4 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar
4 tbsp. vegetable oil

Baked Funnel Cake

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2 tbsp. powdered sugar

Extra Sweet Funnel Cake

1 cup water
6 tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
2 egg whites
1 quart vegetable oil
Confectioner's sugar

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Funnel Cake

1
Beat 3 eggs. Beat the eggs thoroughly until the whites and yolk are combined.
2
Add the sugar and the milk to the eggs. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 cups of milk to the eggs and stir the ingredients thoroughly to combine them.

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3
Sift the flour, salt, and the baking powder. Sift 2 cups of flour, 1/3 tsp. of salt, and 2 tsp. of baking powder together.
4
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add more flour to the egg mixture and continue to beat it in until all of the flour is incorporated into the egg mixture. The batter should be smooth and not too thick.
5
Put your finger in the bottom opening of the funnel and fill it with one cup of batter. Place the cup of batter in the bottom of the funnel.
6
Heat 4 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. The vegetable oil will fry the funnel cake and give it a rich texture and taste.
7
Pour the batter into the oil in the pan. Remove your finger from the funnel and swirl it around in a circular motion, or in a criss-cross motion, until you've made a funnel cake patter that fills the pan and is about the size of an ordinary plate.
8
Fry one side of the batter until it's golden brown. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to check when the batter is golden brown.
9
Flip the batter over and fry the other side. Use the tongs to flip the batter over and fry it until it's golden brown just like the first side. This should take less time than it did for the first side to fry -- just about one minute.
10
Remove the funnel cake and drain it on a paper towel. Let the paper towel soak in the additional grease for at least a minute. You can flip over the funnel cake to evenly drain both sides.
11
Sprinkle the top of the funnel cake with powdered sugar. Sprinkle as much powdered sugar on the funnel cake as you like.
12
Serve. Enjoy this funnel cake immediately, while it's hot.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Baked Funnel Cake

1
Preheat your oven to 400ºF (204ºC).^{[1]
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2
Cook a 9 x 13" baking sheet with cooking spray. Place a wire rack over waxed paper or over a large tray and set it aside.
3
Combine the water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Combine 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of butter, and 1/8 tsp. of salt in a medium saucepan.
4
Bring the ingredients to a boil.
5
Add the flour to the mixture. Add 1 cup of all-purpose flour to the mixture and stir it vigorously to combine the ingredients. Continue to cook the ingredients and stir them until the mixture forms a ball.
6
Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
7
Add 4 eggs to the mixture, one at a time. Wait for the first egg to be fully incorporated before adding the next one. Beat the ingredients well with a wooden spoon after you add each egg.
8
Spoon the dough into a large resealable plastic bag, Use scissors to snip a 1/4 to 1/2" hole in one corner of the bag.
9
Pipe the dough into twelve 3-4" circles on the baking sheet. Make swirls, criss-cross patterns, or just free form patterns into the small circles to make them resemble funnel cakes.
10
Bake the ingredients for about 20 minutes. When the funnel cake is ready, it should be puffed and golden brown. Transfer it to a wire rack.
11
Sift 2 tbsp. of powdered sugar over the warm cakes.
12
Serve. Enjoy this baked funnel cake while it's warm.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Extra Sweet Funnel Cake

1
Boil the water, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt together in a saucepan. Boil 1 cup of water, 6 tablespoon (88.7 ml). of butter, 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar, 1 tbsp. of brown sugar, and 1/8 tsp. of salt together in a saucepan.
2
Add the flour to the saucepan. Stir the ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated. The dough should form a ball.
3
Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool for 3-4 minutes. This will slightly thicken the ingredients.
4
Set the mixer to the lowest speed and add the eggs one at a time. Add all four eggs to the ingredients, one at a time, waiting for one egg to be completely incorporated before adding the next egg to the mixture. When you're finished, the mixture should be nice and smooth.
5
Put the dough in a piping bad with a number 12 tip. This will give the funnel cake the perfect thickness.
6
Heat ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) of vegetable oil in a heavy pan or deep fryer. Wait at least one minute for the oil to heat up.
7
Pipe the dough into the oil. You can swirl the dough, criss cross it, or just create a free-form pattern. Make the funnel cake pattern about ten inches wide. You can repeat this process with the excess batter later.
8
Cook the dough until it's brown. Cook the first side for 3-4 minutes until it's brown and then use a spatula to flip it over to the other side. Cook the other side until it's brown too -- this should take at least another minute.
9
Remove the cake from the oil and drain it. Use a spatula to move the dough onto a plate covered with a paper towel and wait at least one minute for the excess oil to drain onto the paper towel.
10
Sprinkle the top of the dough with confectioner's sugar. Add as much sugar as you'd like.
11
Serve. Enjoy this tasty extra sweet funnel cake while it's hot.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I use pancake mix out of a box?

Community Answer

You sure can! In fact in some cases, pancake mix might even work better than this recipe!
Question

Is it necessary to have flour?

Khaleela Hodge

Community Answer

It is very necessary, because the flour helps make it thicker. Although you can use different types of flour, like gluten free flour.
Question

What is a piping bag?

Community Answer

Piping bags are cone-shaped plastic bags that can be used to hold icing while you ice a cake, pipe dough into oil, etc. You slide a selected metal tip into the bottom of the piping bag, screw it on, fill the piping bag with frosting or dough, and then squeeze the bag to make it come out of the tip. These bags can be purchased at any major retailer (Walmart, Target, etc.) or online.

Warnings

If you are a child and you want to have a go at making one, have an adult pour the batter in the oil for you !

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