Funnel Cakes

On the Menu Today~
That Classic Carnival Treat...
Funnel Cakes!

The Funnel Cake is considered by many as
"The Queen Of the Fair"
A crispy, crunchy, sweet treat,
enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Every summer at county fairs, carnivals and
at the ballpark, the sweet aroma of funnel
cakes fill the air.

Other popular and favorite foods
found at ballparks, fairs,
carnivals and festivals are:
cotton candy, corn dogs, sno-cones,
fried pickles, french fries, candy/caramel apples,
kettle corn, soft pretzels, and nachos...
just to name a few....
and we can't forget the list that contains the
specialty fried "on the stick" foods!
Oreo's, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc.


A funnel cake is a fried 'cake',
that is made by pouring a special batter directly
into hot oil through a funnel
in a circular, swirling motion.
Funnel cakes are deep fried until golden brown,
then most commonly sprinkled with powder sugar or
with a cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Funnel cakes first made an appearance under
the French phrase:
"Mis en bec" which means "put in spout",
funnel cakes are made using a spout,
hence the name,"Funnel Cakes"

At first,
funnel cakes or fritters were made by
pouring a yeast or sourdough batter into a
bowl with a tiny hole in the bottom.
The cakes were fried, then sprinkled with salt and
served with syrup.

I would definitely like to try this method...
using my sourdough starter to make the batter and
an old plastic bowl.

During the 19th century,
funnel cakes were sold as a novelty food item
during Christmas and New Year's.
At that time. they were mostly sold at
church fairs and holiday markets.

Funnel Cakes are associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch,
a group of German speaking immigrants who came to
Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The "Dutch" part is though to come from the
German word "Deutsch"

The Pennsylvania Dutch,
served funnel cakes at the Kutztown Folk Festival,
and they became very popular.
The cakes were deep fried and
sold for $.25 each.
After selling thousands of funnel cakes during the festival,
the funnel cakes became the trademark dessert,
at every Pennsylvania Dutch festival from that point on.

Funnel cakes are a global treat and
many cultures have their own version
of this deep fried, batter dessert.

Here are a few examples:

Beaver Tails- Canada
Beignet- France
Berliner- Germany
Churros- Mexico, Spain
Dutchie- Canada
Elephant Ears- US
Fritters- Universal
Khvorost- Russia
Oliebollen- Netherlands
Rosette- Sweden

Funnel cakes have increased in size and
some funnel cake makers have added toppings such as:
fruit, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and/or Nutella.

I made my funnel cakes using a pre-made
Funnel Cake Mix and Pitcher set,
that I purchased at the grocery store.
You can usually find these Funnel Cake Sets
at most grocery stores or super centers during
the summer months. Some specialty stores now
carry them year 'round.

Funnel Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 package funnel cake mix, (carnival deluxe)
• 1 1/3 cups water
• powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar for dusting

Cooking Directions

1. Step 1:
2. Combine funnel cake mix pouch and 1 1/3 cups of water in bowl. Whisk until smooth. Batter should be comparable to that of waffle or pancake batter. Pour funnel cake batter into pitcher.
3. Step 2:
4. Pour oil into deep (3" deep) cast iron 8" skillet. Oil will expand when heated, do not overfill pan. Heat oil to 350º to 375º.
5. Step 3:
6. Hold the pitcher 2 inches above oil and pour batter in a circular motion creating a lattice design. Fry for 30 seconds or until edges are golden brown. Carefully pick up cake with metal tongs, turn over and fry for 20 seconds longer.
7. Step 4:
8. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels
9. Step 5:
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cinnamon-sugar or your favorite topping while still warm.

Cake, Fritter, Deep-Fried, Cookie