Easy Funnel Cakes
CHANUKAH BEGINS TOMORROW EVENING yes yay woohoo.
And that obviously means that I have a deep fried recipe for you today. It doesn’t mean that I have donuts this year though, like I usually do. This year, I bring you these easy homemade funnel cakes.
YES — funnel cakes! That you make at home. All by yourself. From scratch. And if that sounds intimidating, you’ve been mislead, because funnel cakes are a WAY quicker and easier deep fried dessert to make than donuts are. In fact, I’d say funnel cakes are one of THE easiest fried desserts to create.
Because funnel cakes consist of a batter. Akin to a pancake batter. And if you’ve ever made a pancake recipe, you know all there is to it is just one bowl and a few basic ingredients and a quick whisking and the batter is finito.
No yeast. No kneading. No machines. No rising.
Instead: batter, hot oil bath, confectioners sugar dusting, EAT!
Now. Before you say it. I know. I KNOW. I know my funnel cakes look eerily similar to a giant insect that you wouldn’t touch with a 934,830,945,984,565 foot pole.
Listen. I’m no professional. I haven’t been standing at the local fair making funnel cakes my whole life (I’m from NYC, I don’t even know what a local fair is). I admit it — I still don’t have a basic grasp on how to create funnel cakes that look round and spiderwebby and picture-perfect.
And I also don’t own a funnel. So, I used a measuring cup with a spout to pour my batter into the oil for frying these.
And honestly. I don’t care. The measuring cup was serviceable and these funnel cakes pass as something resembling funnel cakes and that’s good enough for me. And my taste buds.
Funnel cakes consist of a light batter. That’s VERY lightly sweetened. Because most of the sweetness is gonna come from the confectioners sugar dusting. Or any other sweet topping you so choose (chocolate sauce? maple syrup? almond butter drizzle? whipped cream? honey? vanilla glaze? something else that’s sticky and delicious?).
That batter is then spiraled into hot oil and fried until crunchy, golden, crispy, airy, chewy funnel cakes form.
So. In conclusion. You should make these funnel cakes for Chanukah. “Practice” tonight. You gotta taste-drive these, ya feel? Then make them again tomorrow. And then every other night of Chanukah.
Quick and easy. Light and tender. Chewy and crispy. Rich and flavorful. Deep fried and festive.
Easy funnel cakes — you is a SNACK <3
Easy Funnel Cakes
Yield: about 12 large funnel cakes
6 cups vegetable oil (or enough to fill 1/3 of your pot)
2 cups packed flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-Confectioners sugar, for dusting
1. In a heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat to 375 F. While oil is heating, prepare batter.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour through cinnamon. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix everything together until just combined.
3. Layer paper towels under a cooling rack. Fill measuring cup with a spout or funnel 1/3 cup full (cover spout of funnel with finger while filling it). Pour batter into oil in a spiral shape, starting either in center or on outside, connecting some of the layers. Doesn’t need to be perfect! Fry on first side till deeply golden, about 90 seconds, then flip and fry on other side until golden. Remove funnel cake with tongs or a slotted spatula and lay on cooling rack. Repeat with rest of batter.
4. Dust funnel cakes generously with confectioners sugar and serve warm. Funnel cakes are best the day they’re made.
